River + Wolf

I’m a senior manager at an advertising company. My team does B2B consulting, and we sometimes take in clients who want to develop a new company name or value system.

We needed help with naming an end client's company. They have recently established themselves in the US.

River + Wolf has been helping us develop a company name. We’ve done three rounds of development and one conditional development round, for a total of four rounds of name development. They’ve also done preliminary screenings and searches for the names.

Margaret, the founder and head of the agency, is our main point of contact. There are 3–4 more teammates developing a name, and there’s also an IP attorney.

Our client wanted to hire a US naming agency, so we looked for one. I also looked on Clutch, and River + Wolf had good reviews and a good portfolio. Eventually, we chose them.

We started working together in April 2024, and the project is ongoing.

The quality of River + Wolf’s work is super. They have delivered almost 40 names so far. Besides, there have been modifications that the client has requested, and River + Wolf has always accommodated them. Overall, the end client is quite satisfied.

River + Wolf's project management has been great. They've accommodated last-minute requests or modifications. We mostly communicate through email and sometimes do Zoom calls.

Their work ethic is impressive. They’ll do anything to make the project work, which I appreciate.

The team changed the guidelines in the middle of the engagement. It would have been great if we could have avoided that.

It’s important to know your client’s needs very clearly. Once River + Wolf gets the direction, they’ll do great work. If the client changes their mind, it’s going to be a waste.

I'm an executive of Innovative Conscious Trading.

We needed help with naming our brand.

We had 4–5 sessions with River + Wolf and exchanged countless emails. The process went through three major stages. In the last stage, they provided several of names, and we chose from them. After that, we moved on to the final stage, where we picked a name from all the names they suggested.

We mainly worked with Margaret. We also worked with at least three other people along the process.

We found them through Clutch.

We spent between $10,000–$49,999.

We worked together in December 2024.

River + Wolf did an outstanding job. They even overdelivered. Their work was a 10 out of 10.

Everything was appropriately structured, and they met all the deadlines. We mainly communicated through emails and used Asana, but they were also very quick on the phone. They opened up all their channels for us.

Margaret was outstanding and exceptionally talented.

Their passion was impressive. They loved what they were doing. They went out of their way to help us understand every step of the project. The communication was incredibly excellent. Margaret specifically was a game changer; she was an exceptional talent and knew what she was doing. River + Wolf's work was fantastic.

No, I wouldn't change anything.

Do your due diligence before working with them. Think about many names in advance and how you feel about those names. Think about how they apply to the brand positioning. That could make it easier for you to tackle the project. Take that extra step to tell River + Wolf what you want.

I am the CEO of a medical technology company.

Our company designs and develops advanced intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) systems for calcific artery disease.

Online Search

Objective: To develop unique, memorable, and appropriate names for two distinct IVL (Intravascular Lithotripsy) systems, along with a PowerPoint presentation showcasing potential naming options.Deliverables: 1. Naming Research and Development • Conduct thorough market research on existing IVL systems and adjacent competitors • Analyze industry trends and naming conventions in medical technology 2. Name Generation • Create a minimum of 10 unique name options for each IVL system • Ensure names are: distinctive and memorable, reflective of the systems’ functions and benefits, legally available and trademark-friendly, culturally appropriate for global markets. 3. Name Screening • Conduct preliminary trademark screening • Perform linguistic checks to avoid negative connotations in major languages 4. PowerPoint Presentation • Design a comprehensive PowerPoint deck featuring: project overview and naming strategy, top 10-15 name options for each IVL system, rationale and creative story behind each name

River + Wolf demonstrated a reliable approach to project management and their performance met our basic expectations.Timeliness:River + Wolf adhered to the agreed-upon timeline and communicated appropriately.Responsiveness:The team at River + Wolf was responsive to our needs and inquiries. They typically acknowledged our messages within one business day and were readily available for discussions and clarifications.Adaptability:They made efforts to incorporate our feedback into subsequent iterations of the naming options. Communication:Their communication was generally clear and professional. Regular project updates were provided and their team was open to scheduling additional calls when necessary to discuss complex aspects of the project.Overall, River + Wolf’s project management was competent and got the job done. They delivered a solid naming project that met our primary objectives.

Email or Messaging App

What stood out most about River + Wolf was their founder's hands-on involvement and deep passion for naming. Additionally, River + Wolf’s responsiveness, clear communication, and ability to meet deadlines while remaining flexible to client needs made them stand out as a reliable and effective naming partner.

While River + Wolf delivered solid name options for our IVL systems, the range of creative territories explored could have been broader. While the names provided were good, they didn’t push boundaries or offer truly unexpected options that might have led to more distinctive choices. A deeper dive into our technologies or the exploration of unique capabilities related to our IVL systems might have yielded more compelling results.

I am the Brand manager

The leader in Cognac, our brand has shone around the world with its exceptional know-how for more than 250 years. Built on the founder's spirit of conquest, the brand is present in more than 160 countries. Based in the heart of the Charente region, our brand is also a steadfast pillar of the regional economy. The House’s success and longevity are rooted in the excellence of its cognacs, each of which is born of a unique process of transmission of know-how from generation to generation. The first spirits house to be certified ISO 14001, our brand unites its capacity for innovation and the support of all of its partners to protect this exceptional area. As a crown jewel of the LVMH Group, our brand is a major contributor to French international trade, with 99% of production sold in export, and a worldwide ambassador for the French art de vivre.

Referral

1 Employee

Name development and identical match screening on a new beverage innovation

We are moving forward on our project with R&W's naming propositions - approved by our different legal teams.

We had the pleasure of working with Margaret. She carefully understood our request and our issues before proposing a quote that is very in line with our needs. We had a very tight timing and the agency was very flexible in its availability and delivery timing to respond quickly & adequately to our demand.

The very good and fine understanding of our needs and issues. All the experience was great & even after the project

With french naming propositions we could be even more relevant - Maybe if we had more time on the project, R&W could have consulted a transcreation consultant so we would have deep-dive french naming propositions.

I’m a marketing teammate at Maison Ferrand, a fine spirits company that produces cognac, gin, and rum.

We were evolving as a company and wanted to rebrand our business.

River + Wolf provided renaming services for us. The team helped us rename our existing brand, which had been on the shelves for 25 years in 120 countries. Our brand had very distinct packaging and labeling for our bottles, and River + Wolf’s team created something that could be very true to that and our DNA as a brand.

We mainly worked with Margaret (Founder & Chief Creative).

We found River + Wolf via Google and Clutch.

We worked together from January 2023–2024

Getting a name in the spirits categories is difficult because there are so many brands, but River + Wolf took that challenge and found a name that we liked that was true to our brand's DNA and passed through legal compliance.

River + Wolf's team is responsive and proactive. Margaret came up with alternative material even when we didn't ask for it — she never stopped, and we enjoyed working with her.

Margaret is a tenacious and lovely person who did a lot of research for this project. I had never met someone as consumed with finding a great name as her. She was creative and fantastic to work with.

We worked with around 10 agencies worldwide, but River + Wolf's team provided more names than anyone — Margaret must've given us around 17 different potential names for our company. It was crazy.

I didn't think they could improve anything — they exceeded my expectations.

Be prepared for their determination.