Ash Rathod

You already know storytelling is essential for your business and brand. But storytelling is much more than the words on your website, content and other communications. The right narrative can inform your short and long term strategy, help align your team, outmanoeuvre the competition and build a tribe of ambassadors.It can help you attract and retain the right customers who are willing to pay you more for a longer period of time and tell others to do the same.It's about high level performance. ie. increasing profits for the business and providing unique value to the people you serve.I specialise in guiding businesses do exactly this. My philosophy centres on a "Story-First Approach," a method that has proven to be the missing link for many who struggle with brand identity and growth.The challenge most people face when building a brand is twofold: either they're paralysed by indecision, never taking the first step, or they jump in headfirst, producing content without a coherent strategy. Both paths lead to a stagnant or unclear identity. The root cause? A lack of strategic direction.  I can help with that.---I studied media and communications specialising in script-writing, where my love for storytelling started. I worked in TV media alongside the London arm of global ad agencies such as StarCom, OMD, PHD Media and many smaller DRTV agencies. My portfolio stretched across global FMCG, (P&amp;G and Unilever) and automotive (Ford and Toyota) brands before moving to Turner Broadcasting (now Warner Bros. Discovery) to work on kids brands (such as Mattel and Hasbro). As the online world began to grow, I moved into Digital Marketing where I helped scale the Manchester office of a Bournemouth based media agency, going from media owner to client side, which consisted of a team of 20+ designers, marketers, copywriters and BDMs.Then after a short sales role at BT, I decided to start my own creative agency, to help start-ups to SMEs with with their communications online.This was almost 16 years ago. I'm proud to say I still run and I own that brand consultancy and design studio in the UK which has focused on serving start-ups to corporations over those years. Right now my focus covers:L&amp;D Training (1:1 &amp; Corporate teams)Speaking at eventsBrand Strategy workshops for start-ups and SMEs.None of these are an overnight fix.But if you are serious about shaping and growing your brand, I can help you do this faster than most.NB. My profile picture has been touched up with AI to change the colour of my shirt and  background

Brand Story Strategist | Managing Director

A brand strategy + design collective specializing in creating compelling content for digital communications. We work with forward-thinking founders, c-suite stakeholders, and marketing teams who passionately strive to lead the change in making the world of work a better place for all.

Our capabilities include:

Brand Strategy

  - Storytelling for brands 
  - Storytelling for leaders

Activation

  - Content Production
  - Media Planning

Mike Verret

Fix Your Pitch

No matter how good your solution is, if you can’t get your audience to perceive it the right way, it doesn’t matter.

100% of what you do is important to you as a business. But only 5% of that matters to your audience. How do you find that 5%?

You need an outside perspective. A way to see what your audience sees.

Here’s a hint…the only thing that an audience remembers is what is First, Best or DIFFERENT.

You need to be different. And I can help.

Schedule a free Clarity Call to find out what your audience sees.

That is what I provide. In three weeks and three meetings, we give you ONE WAY to talk about YOU to your Audience.

Hasbro

It seems Fate had a plan for me. Because after 10 years of having them a client, HASBRO HIRED ME.

I entered a world of Product Manufacturing, multi-million dollar marketing campaigns and a true Fortune 500 lifestyle.

And I was NOT comfortable. I was surrounded by Masters degrees and Type-A personalities driven by one thing: Getting to the top.

I was interested in playing with toys and “Making Childrens’ Dreams A Reality.” (Plus playing with vehicles that turn into robots 😊)

My first brand was a dream come true. 

TRANSFORMERS! My favorite childhood brand became my marketing purview.

For 2 years

Face of Hasbro Games

UPROAR!

Customer Insight is essential to Success.

You need to connect YOUR head with your customer’s heart.

At UPROAR!, this was ALL I did.

When you know what your audience wants, the language they speak, and the order to present your solution... they buy.

Once again, I was working with Hasbro. (I am pretty sure they were stalking me at this point…)

They had an AMAZING opportunity to turn Transformers into a Movie Franchise. Hollywood, here we come!

BUT, their vision of what the audience would like was off.

❌ They wanted DARK and DRAMATIC.

✅ The audience knows vehicles that turn into robots.

❌ They wanted huge story lines and multiple worlds.

✅ The audience just wants vehicles that turn into robots.

❌ They wanted huge names to voice the characters.

✅ The audience still wants vehicles that turn into robots. (Look at Bumblebee, doesn’t even HAVE a voice)

I knew what they wanted to because I WAS their audience. I grew up with Optimus Prime and the Autobots as my heroes.

And now I was in a position to tell HASBRO exactly what that audience craves.

👉 Vehicles that turn into robots, and battle in massive epic scenes.

👉 Quick changes from one mode to the other.

👉 Genuine characters from the franchise.

I had the solution immediately.

👍 Use Optimus Prime as the leader of the Autobots as the voice to the Audience (they even used the original voice actor from the 80s)

👍 Connect the audience to a MISSION.

👍 Bring them into the world of Transformers as part of the story.

We made the audience care about the vehicles that turn into robots. 
We forced them to see the importance of the film story by bringing them INTO IT.

And we made a lot of money selling vehicles that turn into robots.

I will take credit for the Audience insights that got us there.

But I will NOT take blame for Shia LeBeouf.

On-Site Account Director

Alloy Marketing & Promotions

Imagine this…you are an account executive managing events and promotions for your clients, and Hasbro lands in your lap.

What do you do?

Giant companies come with huge budgets and even higher expectations. 

They want BIG ideas, BIG events and BIG results.

So how do you deliver the results they want?

Step 1: Understand the expectations. You need to see what they see.

Step 2: Know the Audience. If you know what they desire, you can deliver the right message.

Step 3: Demonstrate your process for reaching the results. If they understand the full experience, they trust your services more.

Picture this…

Your client has a vision. They have images of Social Media Celebrities dancing in their heads. 

They hear snappy quips from a popular YouTube Star and want to be a part of that.

They feel that “Famous” means “BIG.”  

But “Famous” also means “BIG BUDGET,” which they lack.

Here’s what you do:

👉 Understand what is fueling their vision.

👉 Hone in on their audience. Their Language. Their Desires.

👉 Determine a REALISTIC path to SUCCESS.

This happened to me. 

The client wanted the “Hollywood Celebrity.” It wasn’t possible.

So we developed a plan.

✅ Leverage low-to-mid level influencers

✅ Cast a broader net.

✅ Promote through partnership marketing.

Guess what?

IT WORKED.

The results spoke for themselves. 

💰 Sales increased by over 20%

💰 Awareness grew exponentially.

💰 Demand increased.

The lesson…

I learned the value of understanding Your Audience. And that the right language, right image, and right connection means you can go further on a smaller budget.

Client Services and Strategy

Are you struggling with getting your customers to understand you?

Imagine this…You are making a Hollywood blockbuster, and you accidently name a major character after a well-known member of the Church of Satan.

Everyone searching for that character sees an image of someone with horn implants and wearing a menacing cape, every time they enter the name into a Google search.

How would a scenario like this affect YOUR brand? Think about it. It is hard enough to stand out from the crowd, never mind deal with a PR disaster.

Even though your product is superior, you just can’t get that across to your audience.

You lack the Power to Connect.

❗ That causes you Big Problems.

Talking about your business is hard. It’s not just about what you make, create or sell. 

It’s about your audience. For them, the only thing that matters is being First, Best or Different.

❌ If you weren't FIRST…you've got an uphill battle.

❌ If they can’t see why you are BEST for them…you are just a “lesser-than” option.

❌ If you aren’t DIFFERENT, you will lose business because you leave no impact on them at all.

The worst thing that can happen to your business is that you become just like everyone else. You aren’t memorable.

If you’re nodding along and thinking none of these three apply to you, it's a red flag that something is wrong with your message.

You are leaving a lot on the table.

Could you communicate with your audience any SMARTER? 💡

Most definitely. Get this.

❌ Messaging isn’t about you or your company. Its about your audience.

🔊 I show businesses how to talk about themselves to their audience. The right way.

🔊 I craft a message to connect to the person who is ready to BUY from you.

Closing the sale itself becomes far EASIER, because your audience know who you are, and you have what they're looking for - Before the conversation even starts.

“But Mike…that sounds too good to be true!”

I know. I hear this all the time.

And you’re right. You should NEVER trust the word of a complete stranger. Not without having a good reason, or PROOF, to do so. Especially not in business.

👉 Let's Clarify Your Message on a complementary 30-minute “Clarity Call” today.

I saved a Hollywood blockbuster from a PR Nightmare.

Just think what I will do for you.

No matter how good your solution is, if you can’t get your audience to perceive it the right way, it doesn’t matter.

100% of what you do is important to you as a business. But only 5% of that matters to your audience. How do you find that 5%?

You need an outside perspective. A way to see what your audience sees.

Here’s a hint…the only thing that an audience remembers is what is First, Best or DIFFERENT.

You need to be different. And I can help.

Schedule a free Clarity Call to find out what your audience sees.

That is what I provide. In three weeks and three meetings, we give you ONE WAY to talk about YOU to your Audience. 

taplio

The Battle

Ash Rathod

Mike Verret

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