When Tungsten client Harold Ware came looking for a new name for his business, he knew it needed to work on a number of levels. Having previously retired at age 47 as a multi-millionaire, Harold knew a thing or two about creating a good value proposition, and he’d come out of retirement to do just that — reinvent the way real estate professionals conduct business. Harold realized that even top producers were straddled with outmoded and inefficient systems that kept them from realizing their true income potential. He knew that because he had recently purchased several seven figure properties and witnessed first hand the lack of a comprehensive strategy for buying, listing or selling a property. This was a pervasive and systemic problem that wasn’t being addressed. Harold went to work and over the past four years developed The Maximum Value Home Selling System™. He was ready to go to market, now he just needed a great name.

After discussing Harold’s needs, we explored a number of strategies. A descriptive hybrid name seemed most in order. These types of names allude to the industry category as well as the company’s position in that industry. Examples include Jiffy Lube, Burger King, Priceline, and Quality Inns. In this case, “Max” conveys the idea of achieving the highest potential possible. “Avenue” connotes real estate, direction, destination, methodology and access. Combining them results in a distinctive new name… MaxAvenue, with the accompanying tag line, “The High Road to Success.” Notice how the use of the word “Road” in the tag line compliments “Avenue” in the name and further reinforces and strengthens the brand.

Keep an eye on this innovative company as it reinvents, redefines and improves the way real estate gets bought and sold. They’re certainly on the right path!

It started with one client’s wish to reflect her beautiful, bold web designs in her company name. Angela Nielsen had created NIC Media (for Nielsen Internet Consultants) and the name was creating considerable confusion. Not only were potential clients at a loss for what she did (media is a very broad term for everything from talent agencies to media placement firms, and “nic” is associated with a number of other online businesses,) but there was no sense of how she did what she did. So we aligned her company name around the way she created, not what she created. The result was One Lily, a high end web design shop known for eye popping design that was “Simple. Bold. Beautiful.” With the name change from NIC Media to One Lily, Angela saw an immediate improvement in the caliber of work and clientele she attracted.

But it didn’t stop there.

During the naming process, we came up with a number of similar names that portrayed beauty and elegance. Rather than being confined to web design only, Angela began to think about other ways to bring beauty into people’s lives, web design or otherwise. And that’s when it hit her… why not extend the One Lily brand with another of the names we developed, but this time offer candles, fragrances, soaps and other relaxation products. The result was BayBlossom.com, a place where you can “Nurture the Body. Renew the Spirit.”

This is what I call discovering a “pivot point,” an axis if you will, a point upon which you can “pivot” your company in a new direction… one that’s attribute based and not product based. After all, is Rolex really a watch company? Or a prestige company? And what are the ramifications by looking at things in this light?

One Lily. Bay Blossom. Two beautiful names with one mission in mind. That’s how great branding can help a business flourish.

When the accounting firm Decosimo CPA decided to branch into the merger and acquisition business (something they already had substantial experience with) they decided they needed a new name to differentiate themselves. This was an astute move. Many times businesses will create a new division and yet leave the legacy name in place. The problem is that the old name has branding “carry forward” (to borrow an accounting term) that might not fit the new business. An investment banking firm with an accounting image may be viewed as being too conservative and singularly focused to handle the diverse demands of a middle market merger or buy out. By creating a new entity, one based on the heritage of the Chattanooga area (you guessed it… they have four big bridges) they are now positioned to capture their share of the investment banking market, without being pigeon-holed as an “accounting firm.” (Not to disparage accountants… some of my best friends are accountants… I roomed with one in college… I even took “accounting for non-accounting majors”)

So for a firm with four major partners in a town connected by four major bridges, there’s now a major player in the merger and acquisition market. Introducing FourBridges Capital!

When the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel went looking for a name for their Monster® co-branded web site, they found a number of hurdles… lack of available domain names, trademark issues, etc. With a looming deadline and little time to spare, they hired the bright minds at Tungsten Branding to give them the “head start” they needed. The goal was to find/create a memorable and engaging name that communicated the essence of their mission (connecting employees and employers.) I refer to these as “descriptive hybrid” names, such as JetBlue and CarMax. These names provide a sense of the category as well as a sense of the company’s positioning in that category. (i.e. faster, better, cheaper, smarter, etc.) In a matter of days, the final name emerged… Job Noggin.

Job Noggin conveys both fun and intelligence. It’s a good internet brand name in that doesn’t take itself too seriously — and yet still speaks to the benefit of working smarter not harder — using the ole’ “Noggin”. Creating sub brands such as Job Noggin is a way for newspaper publications to redistribute their content in new, more accessible ways. It’s a developing trend in the industry as information delivery systems continue to evolve from paper to electronic formats. And for Journal Communications, Inc, the parent of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Job Noggin is just one more smart move. Now that’s what I call thinkin’.