Bill Kenney 👋

Focus Lab

Focus Lab propels organizations to be their boldest, most original selves. It's my job to make sure we maintain focus, stay hungry, evolve the value we deliver, and build an agency unlike the majority.

Partner, Chief Executive Officer

Conquer Your Rebrand is the most complete brand-building playbook you’ll ever read. It addresses the “why” of B2B branding and, more importantly, the actionable details of “how.” Know how to prepare and what to expect when embarking on your rebranding journey. Learn to recognize and avoid common pitfalls. Discover what matters most in your agency partner, how to plan for your brand rollout, and everything in between.

Author: Conquer Your Rebrand

We work with companies that mean the world to their people but need our help to mean something to the world. For more than a decade, our all-senior team of brand designers, strategists, and writers has helped organizations unlock their fullest potential with purpose-centered positioning and identities. We specialize in B2B Tech vertical, but happy to work with great people from a variety of businesses. 

Featured clients include 👉 Marketo, Outreach, Shopify, Braze, Twilio, Adobe, Heap and more.

Services offered:
Brand Strategy
Brand Positioning
Brand Writing (Communications)
Brand Identity (Visual Identity)
Brand Support (Retainer)

Partner, Chief Creative Officer

Odi is a B2B brand agency serving the unique demands of angel, pre-seed, and seed-stage startups.

Partner

Exit Five

The leading community for B2B marketing professionals. Join 3,500+ members at exitfive.com

Member

AIGA New York

Mentor

Fast Company Executive Board

Serving as a leading voice on branding, its undeniable impact on today's businesses, and more specifically within the B2B Technology space.

Fast Co. Executive Board / Branding & Business Growth

University of Tampa

Designed a variety of items from local ads, to large promotional brochures. The highlight was crafting the Tampa Film Festival's visual identity.

Graphic Designer

In 2009, I co-founded an agency with zero agency background but a hunger to deliver great work. 

Since then, we've achieved...

👉 Growing into a team of 25+ driven individuals 
👉 Working with some of the largest brands in the world (Marketo, Netflix, Adobe, Zuora, Luminate)
👉 Rebranding the rising organizations of the future (Braze, Salesloft, Launch Darkly, Tray.io, Kion, Tango)
👉 We've seen 18 clients achieve unicorn status post-rebrand
👉 We've seen our clients raise $5.1B in capital post-rebrand
👉 We've become Workhuman Certified for an exceptional work environment  
👉 Authored a book: Conquer Your Rebrand

Learn more about me and what our team is building:

B2B Branding for growth-stage companies  →  www.focuslab.agency
B2B Branding for early-stage companies  →  www.odibrand.agency

I'm an open book. Shoot me a message, let's chat.

Humankind. Be both.

Brand Architecture: Protecting your brand from chaos. 

Four paths to brand clarity...👇👇👇👇

If your brand architecture is creating confusion in sales, marketing, and customers' understanding of who you are and what you do, here are four main paths to clarity.  

𝟭. 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
• Parent brand encapsulates all company offerings.
• The strength of the parent brand identity carries sub-brands, ensuring a seamless brand experience.
• Example: FedEx.

𝟮. 𝗦𝘂𝗯-𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
• Sub-brands are extensions of the parent.
• Typically, they share a common lead name followed by a qualifier.
• Sub-brands retain the parent brand's typeface and tone for faster trust and adoption.
• Example: Apple.

👆 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚...
Both structures simplify overall brand management. They focus brand efforts on a single, in-line system. A consistent experience at all brand touchpoints limits the risk of audience confusion or alienation. Built-in equity of the parent name influences faster adoption.

Note: A bad experience with a parent or sub-brand can negatively affect the entire company's offering. The strategy must avoid dilution from sharing overly broad brand positioning across too many categories.

𝟯. 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴/𝗣𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
• Multiple freestanding brands with no obvious relationship under one parent brand.
• They likely operate in different industries with vastly different identities.
• Unique differentiators and messaging.
• Example: Unilever with Dove and Ben & Jerry’s.

𝟰. 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
• Sub-brand identity comes first, but is attached to the parent brand.
• Commonly in an endorsed logo lockup.
• Sub-brands adopt their own distinctions while backed by the parent.
• Example: Intuit with TurboTax and Mint.

👆 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚...
The advantage of endorsed architecture is flexibility without causing confusion. Parent brand inclusion adds authority and trust to lesser-known brand names, boosting market image and reputation. 

Freestanding is the least strict architecture, allowing for variation within brand architecture. Brands can enter new markets and experiment with launches with less risk, and acquisitions cause less confusion. 

Note: This requires much larger investments of dollars and time, as each brand is created and managed independently. 

P.S. There is a fifth "blended" brand architecture path but these are your four primary paths. 

If you’re struggling with diluted brand efforts and disjointed marketing, treat the work above as essential infrastructure, not a nice-to-have.

#brandarchitecture #b2bbranding #brandagency

Author of Conquer Your Rebrand / CEO of Focus Lab

This was the Microsoft logo from 1980-82. I'll just leave this here for your colorful commentary. 🤘 Rockware > Software.

Brand alignment isn’t aesthetic, it’s structural. 🪜

(Hint: built from the bottom up)👇

Brand alignment isn’t a one-time project.

It’s a system.

𝗧𝗟'𝗗𝗥

• Purpose gives you direction.
• Strategy gives you focus.
• Identity gives you recognition.
• Activation gives you consistency.
• Reputation gives you trust.

---

✅ 𝗣𝗨𝗥𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘: Why do you exist? Dig for the belief that drives your business beyond features?  Everything in your business spawns and rallies around this point.

Canva – Clear belief in creativity for all and a purpose anchored in removing barriers to design.


✅ 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗚𝗬: How will you win? Build your strategy around crystal-clear positioning, audience, and differentiation. Without it, alignment suffers no matter how sexy your visuals are.

HubSpot – Singular focus on Inbound and a strategy anchored in earning attention, not demanding it.


✅ 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: How do you look and sound? Your visual and verbal system turns strategy into something people recognize. This is where clarity becomes tangible.

Gusto – Cheerful color palette, people-first voice, and light-hearted animations that conveys care and optimism.


✅ 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: How do you show up across all channels collectively? Website, campaigns, content, and culture. This is where consistency is proven or lost and has profound implications on trust.

Liquid Death – Flawless activation of irreverent tone, consistent humor, and new campaigns all point back to their identity, strategy, and purpose.


✅ 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗨𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: What do customers say about your business behind your back? Reputation is the compounding result of alignment over time. The proof that everything is in alignment. Earned slowly and lost quickly, reputation turns alignment into credibility and credibility into trust.

Shopify – Empowerment of entrepreneurs. Reputation for dependability, partnership, and platform strength.

---

Don’t chase brand alignment.

Build the system that creates it.

#b2bbranding #brandingagency

Sometimes your product is stronger than your identity. 

That gap limits your potential. 👇

Zengines came to us with bold tech, a strong mission, and a growing team—yet their brand didn’t reflect those realities. 

Branding is about clarity. 

It’s a reflection of your organization, for better or worse.

It's either pulling you forward or standing in your way.

As Zengines expanded its capabilities from AI Data Migration to include Mainframe Data Lineage, it became clear that its brand needed to reflect the sophisticated technology and trusted expertise it brings to complex data challenges.

They've also built a serious client roster of Fortune 500 financial institutions, global wealth managers, and leading technology providers.

✅ Their new identity now aligns with the power of their platform and elevated customer base. 

✅ As well as their future vision. 

💪 Branding building in action. 

😍 I'm still drooling over the new identity system. 

---

Congratulations to the entire Zengines team. We're proud to have partnered with you on your brand journey. 

#b2bbranding #brandagency

What's your logo meant to achieve??

Less than you think... 👇

Your logo is an identifier. 

It's not meant to articulate your brand story. (read this twice)

Sometimes it can support the story, but it's not the story driver.

Your logo's primary purpose is to serve as a visual cue, to drive recall and recognition.

It's one element that helps customers distinguish your company from others.

Over time, your logo will acquire more and more meaning to the people around it. This is when the magic starts to happen.

Perceptions of your business, good and bad, get baked into your logo.

Even if your logo is meant to be literal, this is still true. 

Consider Nike: their "world-class brand" didn't spawn with the swoop logo. 

Now, that logo embodies the clout of a world-class brand. 

The Nike swoosh is now tightly associated with Nike's powerful storytelling, the athletes they sponsor, and the alignment they create with their customers, year after year. 

👆 This is how brands are built. 👆 

👆 This is where logos become more than a shape 👆 

So, afford yourself the time and patience for this outcome. 

Don't kill yourself on finding the "perfect" logo.

Fun fact: Phil Knight's first words about the Nike logo...
 
“I don’t love it, but maybe it’ll grow on me." 

#brandagency #branding

I almost said 𝗡𝗢 to one of my favorite rebrands. 

...because of a logo. 😅👇

A few years back, TrustedSec hit us up. 

They were ready to evolve their brand.

In the brief, they had one clear ask:

👉 "The logo cannot change."

This alone isn't a non-starter for Focus Lab 

But when that logo is a smiley face with an eye patch, it puts people like me on my heels. 

I just couldn't see (at that moment) how we would retain it and pull the brand forward. 

Thankfully, I was wrong. 

Very wrong. 

✅ Takeaway 1: Just about anything can work when the founder has unwavering conviction in it. David Kennedy has that in spades. 

✅ Takeaway 2: Rebrands are a collective journey. Often, the best outcomes happen when you listen, let go, and let the team (client and agency) shape the result together.

Now I get to celebrate (and chuckle at myself) every time I see the TrustedSec logo behind Dave as he's speaking on CNBC or when it's displayed across the floor of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball court. 

Cheers to being wrong. 🍺

#b2bbranding #brandingagency

There’s a moment after your rebrand...

When your shiny "new brand" starts to dull. 👇

Consistency is essential, but over time, it can make your brand feel one-note even while it's still relatively new.   

Your marketing and creative teams grow a hunger for fresh assets. 

It's a natural moment. 

🫵 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀...

✅ Rely on your initial brand strategy and vision, which drove the rebrand in the first place. That's your north star. Relive those strategic decisions before creating anything new. This will ensure a solid footing and a throughline to keep you on brand. 

✅ Depth in your creative toolbox can be achieved without adding five new (conflicting) colors or three new (random) image styles. Start with a single additional color to the system, or evolve one additional visual language element inspired by a previous style or concept from your brand strategy. These elements should be a bridge forward, not a giant leap. Giant leaps are for rebrands. Think of it as adding an accessory to your outfit, versus changing your clothing style completely.

✅ Don't be afraid to consult the agency that built your new brand in the first place. Their opinions can save you a ton of time exploring and second-guessing. They can also step in and do short sprints to create assets for you. This is faster and costs less than you think.

Consistency is vital in branding.

Evolution is as well. 

This creates a natural tension. 

It's a fine line between getting stale versus shape-shifting every year.

Rest assured, it's possible to do both and stay ON BRAND. 

Our past partner Rows.com is a prime example. 

They continue to stretch the possibilities of their brand system. 

While maintaining consistency across the brand. 

Well done Henrique Cruz, Humberto Ayres Pereira
(and the rest of the Rows team) 

It's not an easy task, and you're crushing it. 

👏

#b2bbranding #brandingagency

Do you chat w/ your video editor while recording? 

Shannon Walter didn't fumble the opportunity. 🤣

And shout out to Natalie Kent for the AI country song at the end. 

Cheers to getting roasted by your team. 🍺

Brands are living systems, meant to breathe. 

Embrace consistency 𝗔𝗡𝗗 allow evolution 👇

It's essential for your brand to inhale 𝘢𝘯𝘥 exhale. 

𝗜𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 = 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆
Your inhale is what centers the brand. It’s the disciplined repetition of your identity, your voice, and principles. Each of these reminds people 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦. It keeps your brand grounded and focused. 

𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗲 = 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Your exhale is how the brand moves. The willingness to test, stretch, and adapt your system to meet new moments and audiences. Exhale is growth. It’s what keeps the brand human, current, and alive in the world around it.

You need to balance both.

👉 Too much inhale and the brand becomes rigid.
👉 Too much exhale and it loses shape.

Special shout-out to Dustin Haver VP of Brand at LaunchDarkly for sparking this post. He shared this thought a few weeks back...

"Testing variations of headlines, UI layouts, and CTA's in real time is a reminder that brand isn’t just about design. It’s about continually experimenting, learning, and anchoring your story in what really matters to your audience."

His words are an excellent example of their exhale. 

While also staying true to brand foundations that keep LaunchDarkly focused and recognizable. 

We had the pleasure of leading the LaunchDarkly rebrand in 2021, and it's awesome to follow along on their journey. 

Great job Dustin! 

---

Although this post is not just about visuals, I used the image to showcase the point. Their team has done a great job of leveraging the assets and concepts we created during the rebrand (seen at the top) in new and different ways since then. 👏

Still on brand. 
Still consistent. 
But not rigid or stale. 

#b2bbranding #brandingagency

Shout out to Gurdeep Dhillon for recording a value-packed episode of The Debrief today. 👇

I love getting to lead these at Focus Lab 🙏

Unpacking an entire brand project from an insider's perspective is invaluable. 

And, I'm not recording these for me. 

They're for everyone about to embark on a rebrand.

They're for the marketing leader who wants to hear from their peers. 

People like Gurdeep Dhillon, Karen Budell, Will Devlin and Casey Carey to name a few. 

They're for founders of startups to hear from peers like Bob Moore, Philip Lakin and Jess Schultz 📣 to name a few more. 

These are the real-world learnings that a case study can't capture. 

The challenges, wins, AND boots-on-the-ground takeaways from each of their unique rebrand scenarios. 

That’s why I started this series three years ago.

Not for vanity. 

Not for “content.”

For you to get real value. 

And apply it tomorrow. 

---

My episode w/ 𝗚𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗗𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗻 drops in October unpacking the big Contentstack rebrand.🔥

Shout out to everyone who has joined me on this series to date. 🙏

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 👇

#b2bbranding #brandingagency

Brand ⇄ Perception ⇄ Product

To win, you need them to match. 👇

Our work with Voiceflow is a great example...

Designers loved Voiceflow; yet its developer community struggled to take it seriously. It didn't "feel" like a product for them from a brand perspective. 

Voiceflow needed to adjust this perception. 

They needed to be seen as a shared, collaborative platform.

𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆
• We defined a concept of “Yes, and.”
• This concept was inspired by improvisation
• It served as a metaphor for Voiceflow’s community
• Defined their archetype = Creator & Explorer
• This informed all the work below

𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆
• The logo follows the “Yes, and" concept = flow and flexibility
• The typography set brings personality and technical specificity
• The unexpected color combinations bring uniqueness, play, and sophistication
• ASCII art in the form of patterns and texture highlights technical precision
• High-contrast photography captures the authenticity of their community

𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆
• Conversation is at the heart of Voiceflows offering
• Brand language needed to be relatable yet specific
• Voice and tone became confident yet approachable

The result = a brand aligned to the power of their product and customers. 

A serious player who understands their place in the market. 

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ←→ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘪𝘯 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 ✅

👆 That's the winning formula.

#brandagency #b2bbranding

Find your B2B people. Connect with them. 

It’s the Exit Five way 🤙

Shout out to Matthew Carnevale and crew for putting on a great event in NYC this week. 

I look forward to more in person events Dave Gerhardt. I love that push y’all are making.

No alternative text description for this image

Some days I’m an author. Other days, a fake cowboy.

Last week I was both. 🤠 ✍️

Sometimes it’s not more data you need.

It’s more conviction. 🫵

Some orgs come to Focus Lab believing their rebrand solutions are hidden in the data. 

Hungry for deep market research. 
Hungry for customer opinions. 
Hungry for validation.

However, these businesses possess a wealth of knowledge, guided by individuals with powerful instincts. 

Sometimes what they’re missing isn’t data — it’s conviction.

Conviction in who they are.
Conviction in who they serve and why.
Conviction in where the market is headed. 

Data 𝘤𝘢𝘯 inform you.
Conviction 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 moves you.

#b2bbranding #brandingagency

Internal alignment isn't sexy. 

But it does deliver massive brand ROI👇

Most branding efforts get framed as a visual + verbal identity exercise.

Logos.
Colors.
Taglines.
Positioning statements.

The truth → those are just the outputs built on top of alignment.

Alignment = your brand foundation.

That’s where the hidden iceberg of brand ROI lives:

🔮 Clarity
💪 Conviction
🫡 Alignment 

What many miss: investing in brand delivers those three elements.

Not just logos and taglines. 

Your rebrand is not simply a cost in return for looking and sounding better on your website. 

It's an investment in shared understanding that gets every motion of your organization into alignment. 

What's the return on that? 

Your logo is a decal.

Alignment is your engine. 🫵

---

Shout out to Meagan Healey for joining our show and being such a great partner during the Dig Insights rebrand. 

#b2bbranding #brandingagency

Taplio

Bill Kenney 👋's Linkedin Analytics

What is Bill talking about?

's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Taplio

.css-1jgreyo{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39,43,72,1) 0%, rgba(33,47,183,1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Bill Kenney 👋's Linkedin Analytics

What is Bill talking about?

's Best Posts .css-qqfgvy{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);}(last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Bill Kenney 👋's Linkedin Analytics

's Best Posts (last 30 days)