We solve difficult marketing problems, identifying ways for our clients to grow the value of their brands and businesses.

Clients turn to us for help on tricky questions, which other people don't know how to answer. These can take multiple forms:

• Quantifying the value of a brand and identifying the sources of that value
• Providing the financial rationale for creation of a new brand identity
• Identifying whether or not to keep a brand that has been bought
• Licensing a brand in new product and service categories
• Prioritizing investment across the different elements of the customer experience
• Creating a new marketing strategy which will resonate with target customers
• Measuring the value that corporate reputation adds to the business
• Uncovering the secrets of how great brands build value

How we work as a team

We usually work in teams of three to six consultants, collaborating closely with the client's team.

The first step on any engagement is to meet with the client to get a fuller briefing on the brand and the business, and understand what data they have available. That allows us to develop hypotheses and design a framework and work plan that will produce the results the client needs.

The work is likely to include:

• Interviewing clients, customers, suppliers and others
• Analyzing existing market research and customer data
• Auditing brand and marketing communications
• Conducting new primary and secondary research
• Designing, populating and running financial models
• Seeing patterns through the data—developing insights
• Debating and challenging ideas within the team and with the client
• Synthesizing conclusions and recommendations
• Writing and delivering presentations to client executives
• Assisting in implementation

While we interact very frequently with the client, we do not generally camp out at their offices, as the traditional management consultancies do. This is because our work is "outside in". It is more important for us to understand customers and the market than the client's internal organization. We need to be "out and about".

In many of our engagements, we continue working with the client after the initial projects, helping them implement our recommendations. The real reward of our work is seeing a positive impact on the brand and the business—in terms of sales, profit and business value growth.