Cassy Aite, CEO of Hoppier, talks about the origin of the brand name, their recent rebrand, how did they get the domain name Hoppier.com and why talking to your customers is key to success.

What is the story behind Hoppier?

Founded in 2016 by serial entrepreneurs and brothers Emil and Cassy Aite. They realized companies needed a modern way to manage employee benefits. Benefits are evolving with the needs of new generations and the ways that we work. We started our focus on food but quickly expanded to supporting companies that manage other fringe benefits like learning stipends, mental health stipends, and more.

When did you start thinking about your brand name and how did you settle on Hoppier?

In 2018 we realized that we were helping companies with much more than just snacks but with a software platform that made it easy to order a bunch of other things like supplies and more. We also realized that we needed to rebrand from Desk Nibbles in order to get away from the perception that our SaaS platform was just for food. See the attached example of the Desk Nibbles logo. Our slogan used to be End Office Hanger. See an example here.

How did you get the domain name Hoppier.com for your brand? Why did you select that one exactly?

We needed a name that did not just imply food that could grow with our business as we expanded into new categories and created new solutions for customers. The new brand had to maintain the fun, bubbly, and approachable brand we created in Desk Nibbles. The criteria we came up with for a new name was 1 word, memorable, when you hear it you know how to spell it, and the .com had to be reasonably priced.

It took us months but we finally decided on Hoppier after a constant barrage of Slack messages in our #Rebrand channel. The domain also only cost about $400 USD and the .ca domain was $1. To make our new logo more versatile we ended up using a wordmark logo.

How has owning Hoppier.com affected your business? Do you think that you could have achieved the same level of success with a different brand or/and domain name?

Yes – I don’t think the name makes a huge difference. Ultimately the most important thing is how effective the solution you provide to your customers is.

Who is your target customer and how is your brand name helping in reaching them?

Culture Builders – this is everyone from C-Suite execs, HR Leaders, Managers, Individual contributors, etc. A Culture Builder can be anyone inside or outside of the organization (partners, customers, etc) who supports the continuous improvement and reinforcement of a positive organizational culture.

Has your brand been affected during the pandemic and if so, how do you handle the effects?

Our brand which is derived from our values is consistent with what it always has been. These are the moments where your values are truly tested.

How do you keep your brand consistent across different channels online and offline? Does your domain name play a role in that process?

We set brand guidelines and ensure all new team members understand our mission, vision, and values. We do this by creating a culture book each year that is co-written by the entire team.

What do you do to make sure your marketing is effective?

We prioritize relentlessly and talk to customers every day. The second part is so incredibly important and so many companies forget to do this often enough.

What would your advice be to entrepreneurs who are just starting out, in general, and when it comes to branding and naming?

Talk to customers! Use their language. Don’t lead them to their answers and ask open-ended questions to understand what kind of terminology resonates with them.

Where do you see your business in the future and how does your brand name fit into that vision?

Our mission is to make work happier for employees and employers. We have the vision to support over 100M employees. We are excited to do this in the next 10 years and help employers make work happier with Hoppier!

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We hope this will be of use to you in the process of getting your perfect domain name. If you have any questions, need any help or just want to chat with someone about the process, book a free consultation using the form below. We are always happy to hear from you.

Find out more about Hoppier.