Straedgy Consulting Group

ntuity

"software waiting to be rebranded

What's in a name? Does it really matter? There was a time when companies didn't consider it as the most important asset, as long as the quality of the offering was rock solid. That was the case for Australia based Technical Software Services Pty Ltd. (TSS), a quiet yet global leader whose clients include Havas, Omnicom Media Group, DDB, and many others.

TSS CEO knew the time was right to rebrand as part of a global market expansion and the introduction of their latest SaaS/Cloud. The question came down to 'how should we name ourselves?'

TSS approached Straedgy's leadership seeking help in finding the exact name that would accurately express the unique capabilities of their "intuitive" solutions. The new name would need to resonate with their sophisticated buyers who themselves are leaders in brand strategy.

And so Ntuity.com was born.

What's In A Name?

Ask anyone how Google, Amazon, or Apple got their name and you will hear a different story. Each of these brands is amongst the most recognized on the planet, yet when they first entered the market, they too were an unknown, waiting to be branded. The most important question is "what's in a name?". To us, it's everything. For your business, it matters less than the people who work for you, the products you sell, and the audience you serve. However, each of those people are stakeholders in a brand name. They can often make or break a brand's success if the brand is not careful to make sure the name remains true to its purpose. It must hold enduring quality for the rest of time and provide an experience continuum of excellence.

So what's in a name? Well, for the most part, anything can actually be a name. The challenge often lies in trademarks, domain availability, simplicity and how does a name accurately reflect the DNA of the entrepreneur who started the business, the company that acquired that business, and the customer that brand name represents. Naming conventions aside, coming up with the best name for a company can be a major drama among stakeholders. In some cases, the name is personal, like their own child and others, the name and the tag line are worth billions.

Take BMW, the ultimate driving machine. The BMW name was itself an evolution of its time and born out of one of their first products; Bayerische Motoren Werke, an airplane which was followed by a motorcycle and then the automobile. What remained consistent was the purpose of the company, regardless of the product itself or the market audience it served. They would be manufacturers of machines and their purpose to provide the ultimate driving machine.

Conduct a Google or Wikipedia search on any popular brand and you will find some interesting story that is embedded in the DNA of a brand name. Each has a story it tells and that story is the foundation of the reason why customers and the audiences they enlighten come back to the brand seeking a new experience every time.

The dot.com bubble in 2000-2001 was fraught with every imaginable name that could be attached to the notion that if you can get a great name and great internet domain address, you would be set for life. Not so fast for Pets.com or for that matter amazing brands like digital.com. Pet.com never made it, having blown through cash, being focused on the promotion and marketing and somehow forgetting the fundamentals of the business. Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) was an American computer industry icon whose trademark name Digital was 50 years ahead of its time. However, like so many companies, the assets and brand were gobbled up, never to survive again. There are only so many brand names a company can sustain with equity.

In the case of Australia based Technical Software Services Pty Ltd. (TSS), they had a compelling reason to change the name of their extremely well-respected firm. They quietly accumulated an envious stable of highly respected customers in the AsiaPacific and, to a lesser extent, the emerging European market. They wanted to expand and felt the time was right to rename the company. Marshall Duncan, TSS Chief Executive Officer, had developed a solid relationship with Straedgy founder, Wayne Wood, who offered to represent their interests in North America until such a time that they had modernized from an on-premises platform to the future world of the cloud.

In the meantime, Wayne had been investing in internet names as a hobby and held several that could survive the future of time, one being ntuity.com. It could be of significant value in the right hands of an organization whose products and services were new, intuitive, unified, and capable of surviving in perpetuity. Most of all, a company CEO who recognized it was time to reposition the company and embrace a new brand identity. That day arrived when TSS CEO and co-founder, Marshall Duncan acquired the Ntuity.com domain and the rest is history.

What's in a name? Everything.

engage

As part of our engagement, we provided guidance to Ntuity leadership on the challenge to expand beyond their well-established markets in the AsiaPac region. Straedgy conducted an independent market research study to determine feasibility and identify what new investments would be required to engage a broader audience.

enable

With TSS software available in the cloud, this meant the company could more easily expand into new geographies, formulate new partnerships and increase the brand equity of the firm. Straedgy initially helped TSS set-up a North American presence and continue to this day to support their North American requirements.

empower

Armed with a new name of substance, Ntuity continues to grow as a global leader with its leading communications management engine for the advertising and media industries. The new name "Ntuity", paved the way for the company to empower its audience of clients and employees. So what's in a name? Everything.

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