Partner Highlights: The Name of the Game is Naming Correctly

Tonic Talks to Naming and Strategic Branding Partner, Wonsupona

“If you want to give something power, name it,” says Molly Davis, Founder and Chief Storyteller of Wonsupona. With over 20 years of experience in branding, Molly, along with Business Strategist Jason Lind, discovered the industry of naming and storytelling after navigating the client perspective and realized their most successful partners shared a common thread; that the story and human element of a brand often is what sets it apart from its competitors.

So, what not only expands someone’s relationship with a brand, but keeps them loyal, and the brand memorable and authentic? Molly and Jason unravel the secrets of professional storytelling and the importance of naming your power.

Emily Kucera

Strategic agencies can provide a wide range of creative services, what specifically do you offer your clients?

Molly Davis

We offer our clients an entire messaging platform to build their brand — From naming to crafting their vision, mission, and values, to their strategic brand narrative, brand personality, and voice and tone guidelines. However, our main focus is on strategic brand storytelling and naming.

Emily Kucera

I love your correlation between brand recognition and the art of naming. What sets you apart from other naming agencies?

Molly Davis

Everything we craft is rooted in storytelling. Our names aren’t just names; they are envelopments of the story a brand communicates to the world. We use a strategic process to ensure that these stories are both authentic to the client but also creative and differentiated in the marketplace.

For example, we recently named a prestigious longevity center in Dubai. The client wanted a name that was both highly personal yet scientific. We innovated the name ‘Omere’ which was inspired by telomere dynamics, cells that play a central role in determining how well we age. Upon further research, we also found that Omere is a Quranic name meaning “living a long life.” It is this blend of two worlds; of science and cultural heritage that makes Omere powerfully unique. During linguistic testing we found that it was necessary to add an accent mark over the e so that global audiences would pronounce the name consistently (o-mare). Thus Omère Longevity Institute was born!

Emily Kucera

The attention to detail and inclusive language is so powerful, specifically as mentioned, how the sound of the name is what helps it become recognizable.

Molly Davis

Yes it’s this duality of being singularly authentic while also tapping into these universal feelings and emotions.

Emily Kucera

Throughout your website there is this call-back to the importance of origin stories. What is Wonsupona's?

Molly Davis

Prior to founding Wonsupona, I worked in San Francisco at one of the world’s leading brand strategy agencies. While our clients had many needs, I found them all saying the same thing: We need a new (or better) story. This is the essence of why I founded Wonsupona — to support purpose-driven brands in telling a better, more modern story, driving connection with their audiences.

Emily Kucera

You are in the business of storytelling, but not necessarily in the traditional way many may think. How did you get into strategic brand naming and storytelling?

Molly Davis

Stories have always been a big part of my world. I remember winning awards and creativity contests with stories in school, so incorporating them into my professional life was natural. I graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Speech Communications and Rhetoric and was always drawn to creative positions. Prior to founding Wonsupona seven years ago, I was a strategist at MetaDesign San Francisco, and before that worked in corporate branding at Canyon Ranch Health Resorts. Working on both the client side as well as in agencies has given me a unique perspective. Naming was a service offered at the agencies I worked for, but I grew to really love the creative process while living in San Francisco. If you want to give something power, name it.

Jason Lind

I come from an investing background where I focused on public equity research for a few different investment funds. Most of the industry focus revolves around the tangibles, from revenue growth rates to margins and other financial metrics. But throughout my career, I’ve come to appreciate the intangibles more and see how a powerful brand story can be a powerful differentiator for a company.

Emily Kucera

You mention 'Conscious Creativity' on your website as a way to navigate buying decisions and making emotional connections with your consumers. Are there any tips and tricks you practice in your own life that could help people understand what is an intentional connection from a company vs the sell, sell, sell mentality?

Molly Davis

People naturally gravitate towards brands that embody a sense of humanity and humility. This humility involves brands taking ownership of their actions, actively listening, learning, and embracing change while staying rooted in their core values. Brands that adopt deeply human characteristics like authenticity and empathy foster trust and loyalty; these brands feel personal and familiar. In crafting brand platforms for our clients, we strive to align messaging with profound values and social responsibility, revealing a dedication to creating a positive impact. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.

Emily Kucera

That is such a lovely way of viewing purchase culture; Look for the brands that are human.

To end, I ask you a question we ask all partners. At Tonic we love to get to the root of 'impact,' using our profits, people, and professional strengths to help those in our local communities and the world at large. How would you define 'impact' at Wonsupona?

Molly Davis

Your message of impact is why we were so drawn to Tonic initially! To me, impact is a shift in thinking or acting — it’s making a difference and leaving something better than what it was. Whether that’s changing thoughts, ideas, or the world, impact is a form of metamorphosis.