Brand Recall or Brand Obscurity: Could a Brand Name Change Spell the Difference?

For FinTech startup Brief (formerly Ejudicate), this was definitely the case.

Client: Brief (Formerly Ejudicate)

Industry: Technology, Financial, Legal

Services Provided: Brand Strategy, Brand Naming, Brand Identity

The Challenge

Ejudicate is a fintech startup that provides an online dispute resolution platform designed to increase the collectibility and value of non-performing debt and contractual claims. Ejudicate prides itself on its proprietary and patent-pending online “court” and “Ejudge” assignment system.

Although Ejudicate enjoyed relative success in its industry, constant feedback about their brand name made them take a second look at their overall branding. For the most part, clients and employees alike kept mispronouncing the name. Further, most people felt Ejudicate sounded too stiff, traditional, and very “legal and arbitration”--the exact opposite of where Richard, Jake, and Jeremy, the company’s co-founders, would like to position the brand.

Ejudicate’s brand identity didn’t completely capture who they are, what they’re about, and what they aspire to become. As the company continued its growth trajectory, its co-founders knew it was time for a rebrand.

The Solution

Mosaic Marketing, Ejudicate’s marketing agency at the time, recommended us to Richard, Jake, and Jeremy. After meeting with the Ejudicate and Mosaic Marketing teams, we understood what needed to be done.

We weren’t going to dive head-first into name brainstorming. This was an opportunity to start fresh, and act with a specific strategy in place. First things first–it was imperative that we articulate Ejudicate’s Brand DNA using a framework influenced by Davies BDM and Simon Sinek’s concepts of Why, The Golden Circle, and Just Cause.

After a 3-session workshop involving lectures, activities, and thought-provoking discussions, we successfully documented Ejudicate’s Brand DNA. The co-founders not only gained a renewed understanding of their brand, but they also became more capable of articulating their brand to their clients and to their team.

The stage was set for the next task–Brand Re-Naming.

Being the main challenge for Ejudicate, we wanted to approach the re-naming process strategically. Here, we used the Brand Naming framework of Ebaqdesign. After multiple sessions of lectures, activities, thinking big and thinking tight, and more thought-provoking discussions, the three co-founders decided on the best brand name possible. Who would have thought in the beginning that a short and simple name like Brief could ever capture everything the brand stood for?

The most difficult part was over, and it was time to visualize the Brief brand. On to Brand Identity.

The Brand Identity phase started with strategy, as always. We worked with Richard, Jake, and Jeremy in defining the specifications of each brand identity element–from the logo to the color palette, typography, and brand applications. This tedious but necessary exercise gave our team clear direction in bringing Brief to life, aligned to how its co-founders and stakeholders imagine it.

Weeks later, the Brief Brand Book was delivered, a live document that will guide anyone who works for or with the company in how to communicate their brand to the world.

The Results

It took us months from start to finish, but the process was necessary and the result was worth it. Together with Richard, Jake, and Jeremy, we were successful in not only renaming Ejudicate to Brief, but also in articulating and in illustrating what the brand is all about. At last, the brand transformation was complete.

Reflection

Logos, colors, and typography may change, but names tend to stick. This is why brand naming is a serious matter. Could your company or product benefit from brand strategy and brand naming?