We conduct audits for a range of reasons, e.g. to confirm a suspicion, better assess a repositioning opportunity, measure visibility, awareness and reputation or measure the degree of alignment between the brand image and identity. Whatever the reason, lifting the lid, can pay big dividends. 

Brands need to state a position, elbow out the competition and when the mood takes them to be first to market. But in order to tell customers unequivocally why you are different, you need to fully understand the competitive brandscape. We can help. 

This is one of the discovery methods we employ to assess perceptions, feelings and opinions. Generally, we’ll use focus groups to evaluate a market opportunity, test new advertising concepts, assess customer’s reaction to a direction or test responses to a new name.  

We conduct workshops for larger groups. Typically, they run for 4 – 8 hours and while intense, they are always fun and insightful for all participants. We use this method, so we can dig deeper on a particular subject or challenge an organisation or business is facing.

We distill complexity, join stuff together, render, shape, polish and reveal the brand’s truth - its purpose, what it stands for, its positioning, value proposition, difference and why it matters, personality, the rules of engagement and the single organising brand idea. It’s the interplay of these elements that enables the brand to stand apart. 

We create names for companies, products, events, magazines and campaigns. Names that are memorable, distinctive, meaningful, easy to say and that support the brand’s positioning. Names develop associations and become the verbal face of the brand and when these associations are positive audiences know immediately what a brand stands for and whether it’s ‘for them’.

Great brand identities are created from a single-minded idea. We employ an iterative process of brainstorming, concept development, refinement to create the core brand identity and visual system, which provides the creative platform to express the strategy across all brand touch points.

We write brand stories that are a narrative expression of the brand and designed to entertain, influence and inform about where you come from, who you are, what you believe in, what inspires you and what you want to become. Brand stories can employ a touch of hyperbole, occasional irreverence and sporadic displays of chest thumping, but most importantly, they must be authentic. 

We develop architectural frameworks for families of brands or branded families and then classify these depending on market drivers, brand equity and reputation. The primary objective is to ensure each brand is resourced appropriately and all brand relationships are leveraged to maximum effect.

The touchpoint planning we do maps all brand interactions and communication so each touchpoint is shaped to deliver a positive and memorable customer experience, to build awareness, influence and build positive perceptions of the brand.

Touchpoint planning naturally leads into brand experience design. This is where we direct or manage brand interactions ‘by design’. The most potent brand experiences are people to people, so we start by plotting the customer’s journey and listening to their stories. Then we build solutions that fulfil their needs, which create great brand experiences. 

We create material for a wide range of media to enable brands to create awareness, promote specific offers and support sales. 

We define the brand’s tone of voice, what it says and when and how for different audiences and circumstances. The brand language, messages and tone of voice are all critical elements of the brand’s identity system and work together with other parts of the system to express the brand’s unique positioning.

Building brand equity starts with defining who you are, what you stand for, what you offer, why it’s meaningful and how customers will experience your brand. After creating the visual and tangible expression of your brand, it needs careful, consistent and regular brand management. Then you'll start building brand equity, turning an ‘also-brand’ into a leader, improving business results and producing greater value. 

Getting partnerships right and building strategies to leverage co-branding opportunities to create maximum, long term value is demanding and exacting. But we can help.

We create guidelines for the whole brand to ensure the visual, written and user experience is consistent and faithfully fulfils the brand promise across all brand touch points. 

Employer branding creates an identity and manages the image of the organisation in its role as an employer. It is an organisation’s promise as an employer. It conveys to potential employees the overall culture, beliefs, goals and practices of the organisation. Internally, it helps to clarify brand behaviour, aligns HR practices with brand delivery expectations and builds cohesion.

We develop internal brands because employees are your most important asset (sorry about the cliché; we saw it coming but couldn’t get out of the way). People need special attention because you want to attract the best candidates and then keep and grow them. And along the way, you'll empower them to be passionate and reliable brand representatives and advocates. 

Building internal cultures that perform requires a focus on purpose, values and behaviours so people have a road map that enables them to live the values and fulfill the organisational purpose every single day.

Strong internal brands use brand advocates to champion and reinforce the company culture and values. So, we workshop and train company activists to provide content, to emulate the behaviours that bring the values to life and to drive active and enthusiastic employee participation.

Strategy

UX and Design