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Whatever the industry or marketplace, we can help you understand and articulate the essential promise your brand is making today.
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We can help you define and express the promise that your brand could and ought to be making to future audiences.
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Then, we can help you close the gap between these two states through a variety of strategic or communications initiatives.
We work with clients in all industries and international markets,
our experience is broad and deep, strategic and practical.

 
One of the world’s greatest TV broadcast brands wanted to investigate the extent to which it was leveraging its brand equity across all potential market sectors. We studied the brand proposition across Europe and recommended a programme of initiatives to enable it to grow future revenues through relevant brand extensions.

One of London’s major airports was developing a significant expansion programme with an all-new passenger terminal, an additional runway and upgraded surface access, all planned to accommodate a potential three-fold increase in passenger volume since the project inception. We worked in collaboration with the project architects to develop the value proposition for the airport brand, helping to articulate the promise it represented to the local community, the region and the UK as a whole.

An edgy, award-winning advertising ‘boutique’ in New York wanted to develop a pan-European expansion strategy that would extend its footprint into new markets without diluting what made it unique, distinctive and successful at home. We worked closely with the teams in the USA and Europe to determine the essence of what made the agency special in the USA and proposed a business development strategy that would enable the brand to extend its European presence and appeal. We have since developed a strong collaborative partnership with the agency. The agency went on to feature in ‘The Pitch’, a prime-time show about the advertising industry.

A highly-respected business information provider, part of the world’s largest business information company, needed to transition from printed directory to digital data source. With a 200 year history as a printed directory, this brand had been, for generations, the UK’s pre-eminent resource for business contacts, products and services. In its transition to an online data search facility it was critical that the renewed brand identity and promise was both on tune with the needs of the new medium while remaining sympathetic to the brand heritage. We helped transform the brand into one of World’s leading B2B search engines in a way that was distinctive and memorable within today’s crowded online search market while also maintaining a healthy respect for its historical roots. We have since gone on to help the group create or refocus over a dozen different publications and data services across numerous different industries including: agriculture, aviation, banking, chemicals, construction, fashion, CRM, human resource management, hospitality and recruitment.

A leading children’s charity realised that its essential brand personality was expressed predominantly via the telephone (and other aural media), we investigated the extent to which the sound of the of the brand was true to the values defined for it. We then recommended communications initiatives to bring the experience into line with the brand objectives.

London’s oldest law firm, with a grand heritage spanning more than 300 years, has maintained a reputation for serving the most noble and influential clients, including Kings, Queens, Lords and Knights, as well as some of the world’s leading entrepreneurs, statesmen and literary figures. In anticipation of the many changes that lie ahead in the fast-changing world of 21st century legal services, we were consulted to review the firm’s reputation, image and essential brand promise, then guide the partners towards finding the best direction for the future. We conducted primary research and facilitated a series of workshops before arriving at a future strategy that was unanimously approved by the partners. We then worked with the firm to develop various implementation tools (such as a ‘tone of voice’ guide to help shape internal and external communications). The firm was subsequently named London Legal Team of the Year at the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Several specialist recruitment agencies have consulted us, particularly following a merger or acquisition. One such example was between two medium-wised professional services firms who wanted to retain the distinctive values of the two constituent brands while creating a new umbrella brand for the combined group. We researched and analysed the respective values, developed a new brand architecture, developed a new name for the group brand then helped define its brand promise before creating a family of visual identities for every brand in the group. We also helped shape define the employee brand proposition. The group has since been ranked UK’s Top Employer by The Guardian newspaper. We have recently completed a brand analysis, brand engagement and corporate identity programme for specialist law recruitment firm.

The world’s leading creator of fine fragrances is a prestigious and highly creative Swiss brand. It has always been a discreet private and family owned business and works in close partnership with the most prestigious luxury fashion brands as well as many of the biggest household names, adding fragrances to a plethora cleaning products as well as having a strong flavouring division supplying much of the food industry. The firm has a reputation for innovation and thought leadership but was keen to reassess its brand values so that it could redefine its brand strategy and visual identity. There were also rising health and environmental pressures regarding both fragrances and food ingredients. We worked closely with them to fully achieve their objectives, conducting a significant global research survey (telephone depth interviews among clients and opinion formers) and then implementing an internal brand engagement programme as well guiding them through a new visual identity programme.

A firm of actuaries came to us because, despite having become a highly-successful firm of consultants, as well as one of the leading providers of financial modelling and risk assessment software for the general insurance industry, they felt that they had lost sight of their essential brand personality and promise. Rapid growth and global expansion had prompted a fundamental reappraisal of their values, vision and identity. Working closely with the founding partners and the newly-appointed marketing director, we researched, assessed and helped reinterpret the firm’s brand values and promise. We then developed a communications programme to express the redefined brand spirit within and beyond the organisation. This included the creation of a new logo and visual identity as well as a variety of international and external marketing communications initiatives. The exercise significantly enhanced the perceived value of the brand which has subsequently been acquired by a major international financial services group.

An oil company, an property investment firm and a family office were all, in fact one client. In 25 years this Swiss group grew from an oil trading company to become a multi-billion dollar energy firm and one of the most successful and respected independent energy brands in Africa. It has, more recently, developed a more diversified investment strategy with significant new holdings in commercial real estate in several key global cities. Its founder also invests heavily in philanthropy and the arts. We worked with the founder and his senior management team to help define and express the key values that characterise this unique and immensely successful operation. We captured it in a short story and wrote a booklet for internal staff. We also developed a new brand architecture and created visual identities for the repositioned brands as well as press advertising and launch materials. We have continued to work hand-in-glove with the group’s VP of Corporate Communications, providing professional support at every stage of the programme.

A prestigious firm of Chartered Accountants wanted to identify and develop the qualities that truly differentiated it from its key competitors. It wanted to compete with greater potency by ensuring that its promise was aligned with its delivery and the firm’s differentiating values were experienced at every point on each customer journey. We conducted primary research followed by a programme of workshops with the parters before creating a value proposition that was validated across the firm. We have subsequently prepared a bespoke ‘tone-of-voice’ guide that is used by those writing in the voice of the firm, to ensure that written communications sound consistent, familiar and distinctive.

One of England’s most distinguished preparatory schools asked us to review the school’s delivery against its core values, to explore areas for future development in the light of the changing education environment and to provide fresh insight to enrich and inform the School Development Plan. We conducted depth interviews among staff at the school, with head teachers at rival schools and major public schools to which some pupils would apply; we also spoke to alumni and prominent voices in government and the church. We then held a series of focus groups among parents and set-up a programme of staff workshops to present and explore the findings. Finally we prepared and agreed a detailed analysis, together with a set of recommendations, for the school leadership team, headmaster and governors.

A professional consultancy focusing on public services had been successfully providing specialist support to local government and health services for some years. It had, however, reached the point where it wanted to take stock of its operating strategy and review its future development plans. We conducted depth interviews across a broad cross-section of clients and academics to assess the firm’s strengths and weaknesses before recommending its future trajectory.

One of the world’s most exclusive whisky companies was founded by two former directors of highly reputable whisky producers. They created a market by tracking-down elusive casks of very rare, aged whiskies, carefully blending and hand-bottling them before marketing them to whisky connoisseurs worldwide. We worked with them by facilitating discussions around their future business strategy, their promise to future customers, exploration of potential investment opportunities, management and governance.

A cloud-based energy conservation service sought to develop a clearer customer proposition, then bring this to life with a vibrant new visual identity and website. We conducted client and stakeholder interviews before facilitating a workshop with the founder and shareholders. The analysis led to a clear and distinctive brand proposition from which an engaging new visual identity has been created.
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