Brand strategy agency

Great brands are built on great strategy.

Without a strategy, no one knows quite what your brand stands for – or where it's going. Internally, there may be as many opinions as there are employees. As your brand strategy consultancy, we’ll work with you to develop a lasting, intelligent plan for your brand; evidence-based, future-focused and ambitious.

3.5x better financial performance for brands with a clear strategy
Brand strategy - Culture, vision & values, positioning, identity, brand experience

We’ll work closely with you to get under the skin of your brand and your business, to help you maximise your chances of achieving your vision. We’ll also develop the simple, unique breakthrough idea which will grab attention, convey your brand value and deliver a guiding philosophy. We call this your brand DNA.

Find your breakthrough idea

Brand discovery & research

77 percent of marketing leaders say branding is critical to growth

Powerful brands know exactly what they are and where they’re going – because they’re rooted in evidence. You can’t build strategy like that without truly knowing your strengths and weaknesses, where the market’s going, how your brand and company are perceived (internally as well as externally), and who your competitors really are. Even successful brands sometimes manage without a strategy – so just imagine what they could do if they had one!

As a brand strategy agency, we’re experienced in comprehensive research which can uncover the insights needed to build your brand’s strategy together. We’ll examine your market, business, products and current positioning. And then we’ll use this data to fine-tune your brand, spot opportunities, and identify areas which need attention.

As part of this, we’ll talk to your stakeholders – from customers to employees and partners and investors – to gather their diverse perspectives. After all, your own perceptions of your brand may not match theirs. And through brand audits, we’ll clarify your brand’s unique essence.

Our customer research uses surveys, interviews, focus groups and user testing to discover what people really think about your brand. Our competitor research helps us spot challenges, opportunities, and shifts in the landscape, while our market analysis explores future trends. Bringing all this together allows us to create an effective, evidence-based brand strategy for you.

  • Brand audits
  • Market analysis
  • Customer research
  • Stakeholder consultation
  • Competitor benchmarking
  • Employee research
77 percent of marketing leaders say branding is critical to growth

Brand positioning

Strategy Director running a brand workshop

There’s a unique spot for your brand in the market – that might be as the leader overall, or leading a specialist niche. Finding that sweet spot, and getting you there, requires a clearly articulated proposition and plan. We help leadership teams to define that proposition and create a clear, enduring roadmap for their brand. One which engages with the right audiences, motivates employees, and guides strategic decision-making.

As a brand strategy consultancy, we have an acute understanding of brand positioning. Our methodology for developing this positioning is a stimulating collaborative process, built around bespoke workshops with your senior leaders. Each workshop is tailored to your unique needs: there’s no ‘one size fits all’. The insights and strategic decisions made during these sessions are invaluable, and clients often express how unexpectedly beneficial they are.

The outcome? Your Brand DNA – a comprehensive summary of what your brand stands for, its audiences, key messages, values, vision, purpose, and proposition. This document provides the springboard for your brand’s future, which may reveal new opportunities and strategies such as untapped markets, potential partnerships or innovative product ideas.

  • Brand vision & values
  • Brand positioning strategy
  • Proposition development
  • Brand narrative
  • Opportunity analysis
Strategy Director running a brand workshop

Brand architecture

68-percent-of-businesses-attribute-revenue

If you only have one brand, that’s more straightforward. It’s also uncommon. Most businesses have their company brand, product and service brands, and even their strategic people. Brands come about through organic growth, creating separate SBUs, and mergers or acquisitions. Sometimes legacy brands hang around longer than they should; other brands, with real potential, might be overlooked. We can help you rationalise your brand stable so they complement each other, don’t clash, and can perform at their best.

You may have more brands than you realise. There’s your business; then your products and services; plus any people who are highly visible in the market. These are all brands and sub-brands. There could even be more – like partnerships, or philanthropic activities. When your brands start competing against each other or get lost in the mix, it’s time for a strategic review.

Why is this crucial? Misaligned brand architectures can lead to chaos: products overshadowing each other without reason, sub-brands vying for the same spot, or customers getting confused about your offerings. Your brand structure might need a makeover, especially when expanding, launching new products, or navigating mergers and acquisitions.

We specialise in rationalising brand portfolios. Our expertise ensures that each brand is well-positioned, targeted, and complementary. With clear positioning and informed changes, we’ll help your brands coexist harmoniously and drive business success.

  • Brand & sub-brands audit
  • Opportunity & risk analysis
  • Brand architecture strategy
68-percent-of-businesses-attribute-revenue

ClarityLab™ – unlocking brand clarity

Step into Clarity Lab™ for a journey of discovery and brand strategy planning. Together, in a workshop format, we’ll delve deep – unearthing hidden insights and shining a light on everything that makes your brand distinctive and desirable. This extraordinary collaboration will provide the foundations for unlocking fresh ideas about business development and growth.

More about Clarity Lab

Unlock your brand’s full potential with a brand strategy that defines, positions, and strengthens its future. Let’s build your brand’s DNA today.

Let’s talk

They say it better than we do

We have worked with the Studio North team for over eight years, and can honestly say that their blend of free-thinking creativity, hard work and client-relationship warmth is the perfect mix.

Dan Cundill
Global Marketing Manager, Nordson

We have experienced a significant upturn in major contract awards within our traditional client-base, and in new complementary markets as targeted by our brand strategy.

Robin Whitehead
CEO, BGEN

Studio North helped plot a smooth course through the challenges of our merger process. Their expertise provided cut-through when we needed rapid decision-making.

Niel Bethell
CEO, NSS