Brand Strategist at Winkreative.

Led the experience strategy for a multi-billion dollar luxury development in Japan. Introduced new ways of working for the agency. Regularly presented to the client, senior stakeholders, and CEO.  

• Conducted research and generated key insights.  
• Defined and developed concepts and operational modes.  
• Defined experience signatures, key features, and programming.
• Created value propositions for multiple development sites.
• Developed zoning plans for multiple sites.  
• Crafted customer journeys.  
• Defined core design principles.  
• Briefed senior members of the design team on design direction and the wider strategy.

Brand Strategist

Brand Strategist for Google/House of Greenland, Catch A Fire Agency, and Lyra Modest.

Client: Google/House of Greenland

Developed global case studies highlighting Google's largest product offerings to businesses.

• Crafted strategic narratives for Google's flagship products
• Aligned the objectives of Google, key partners, and users
• Interviewed startup founders
• Researched products and key partners
• Defined key insights informing the structure
• Regularly presented work to the Google team


Client: Lyra Modest

Lyra Modest is one of the fastest-growing apparel brands in the UK. I was appointed to define their brand strategy in preparation for their upcoming growth initiatives.

• Conducted a comprehensive brand audit and stakeholder interviews to gather insights.
• Facilitated workshops with founders and leadership to define brand values, character, and tone of voice.
• Mapped customer touchpoints to enhance the customer experience.
• Integrated outcomes into customer support and marketing operations, significantly improving brand consistency and customer engagement.


- Client Testimonial -

"Insanely knowledgeable, charismatic, and humorous, with a whole lot of passion.  Tom is the final piece to the brand strategy puzzle we all need. Asks the right questions, suggests the right things, and helps you come to the right conclusions. Felt like one of our own. Thank you for all your magic and we look forward to working with you again in the future!" - Team LYRA


Client: Catch A Fire Agency

Collaborated with the Head of Strategy to craft pitch materials for a strategic campaign and brand development initiative, aimed at launching two leading global audio brands across the European market.

• Conducted competitor research and analysis to identify market trends and opportunities.
• Developed customer personas
• Crafted compelling pitch materials 
• Mapped customer behaviour

YourStudio - Strategy & Experience Design Agency

Worked as a Creative Strategist for Nike on projects including the Women's World Cup, global retail reset initiatives, and trend research.

• Executed a brand activation project for the Women’s Football World Cup, devising strategies to captivate customers through comprehensive experiences across Nike’s global fleet of stores and online platforms.
• Enhanced brand communication and customer engagement through innovative online and offline initiatives, boosting brand loyalty and interaction.
• Led a comprehensive trend research project, conducting fieldwork to gather primary data, deriving key insights, and presenting strategic recommendations to the head office.

Creative Strategist

Studio Bennu

Led comprehensive branding projects, delivering brand strategy and visual identity design. Achieved notable recognition with features in the press including in Design Week and Creative Boom.

Engaged with clients including businesses, agencies, and multi-million dollar funded startups in the UK, USA, Nigeria and Australia.


Notable Projects

1. LeapFrog Design & Alder Agency

I partnered with Alder Agency in Portland to create a brand strategy for the newly funded startup: LeapFrog Design. The project resulted in increased funding and business growth for LeapFrog.

• Conducted primary, competitor and market research 
• Designed and facilitated client workshops
• Established a distinctive brand tone of voice
• Formulated value proposition statements and key messaging
• Developed positioning statement
• Established brand architecture


2. Critics' Club

Critics' Club is a social enterprise that partners with schools to introduce young people to the world of art and cultural spaces. I was appointed to create their brand.

• Conducted customer and competitor research
• Developed the brand's mission, purpose, and values
• Utilized reviews from young critics to inform the messaging strategy
• Developed brand positioning statement
• Led brand strategy and design presentations
• Designed the brand’s visual identity, marketing assets & website


3. Kuko

Kuko is a startup that sells learning material for young children in Nigeria. I was appointed to define their brand strategy and design their visual identity.

• Conducted and analyzed market and customer research
• Developed a new brand name
• Crafted value proposition statements for each target audience
• Performed an in-depth analysis of the customer journey & identified pain points
• Translated customer pain points into a design system
• Formulated the brand's purpose and mission
• Designed the visual identity and marketing assets

Brand Designer & Strategist

adidas

• Collaborated on exclusive ranges, such as Pharrell Williams Tennis Hu, for key accounts including Footlocker, Courir, JD, and Office.
• Conducted extensive research on current and emerging trends, informing product development strategies and ensuring market relevance.
• Developed sneaker packs tailored to various distribution channels and price points, optimising product offerings for diverse customer segments.
• Researched and developed material innovations for products
• Worked on and supported the team over four seasons - FW17, SS18, FW18 & SS19

Assistant Footwear Designer - adidas Originals 

• Led the photography and video efforts for a Berlin-based consumer research study conducted by the young athlete's team.
• Collaborated with the senior design community on an exhibition project showcasing the creative direction for 2019.
• Organized and facilitated regular events with the VP team including design functions to foster a sense of community, encourage idea-sharing, and promote collaboration initiatives.

Global Design & Creative Direction

Donk Clothing

• Co-founded Donk Clothing, a surf and travel brand, in 2013, achieving remarkable growth and expanding sales to 22 countries.
• Garnered attention and featured in targeted blogs such as "Drift Surf" and "Blue White & Grey," amplifying brand visibility and reach.
• Received recognition for excellence in product offerings, with the brand's bestselling t-shirt being featured as one of the top ten products for the summer in Wavelength magazine's curated selection.

Co-Founder

Büro North

• Designed, prototyped & produced promotional gift illustrating the design capability of Buro North.

Industrial Design Intern

Richard Shed Studio

• Worked with Richard exclusively on a flat-packed children’s toy project & presented designs to various clients.

Strategist

Brand Strategist with six years of diverse experience across strategy, design, and research, focusing particularly on brand strategy and development. Notable achievements include brand activation, communication, and retail strategy for Nike as well as developing global case studies for Google and its partners.

Extensive experience at award-winning agencies in both the UK and America has honed my skills in facilitating workshops, crafting compelling pitch presentations, and leading projects. I have consistently earned positive stakeholder feedback and surpassed objectives. My efforts have not only led to successful outcomes but have also been recognized with features in leading industry magazines.

Agency Experience:
Winkreative, House of Greenland, Catch A Fire Agency, Don't Panic Studio, YourStudio, Alder Agency, Richard Shed Studio and Büro North

Brand Experience: 
Nike, Google, adidas, Global Witness, LYRA Modest, LeapFrog Design, GeblerTooth, K. Tahta School, Critics' Club, Kuko, Credit Kudos, Hop Stuff Brewery, WildAcre Studio, GTM, Haig Barrett, The Brand Education and Florence

Q2 is done, let's recap. 🎉


I started by finishing up the narrative strategy project for Google.

Then, I went straight into a bigger project: experience strategy for a luxury client in Asia.


It's been great to work on a large scale project with some amazing people.

Lots of learning, presenting, and bringing ideas to life.

Thanks to the guys at Winkreative.

Roll on Q3!

Tom Berry

The most common colour in Fortune 500 companies is blue.

Every colour has connotations associated with it.


There is a reason why fast food logos are bright and investment banks' logos are more monochromatic.

Seeing so many logos all at once puts it all into perspective.

Naming must be one of a brand's hardest elements to get right.

Research and testing are the best ways to get close to a winner.

It's surprising to see so many brands with names that can't be pronounced or remembered.

When names are complicated, the cost of building equity in the market goes up.

It pays to have a good name.

I love this.

Not just for the kick and what it did for England

but also for a brand reason.


It's so refreshing to see a brand play with its identity in such a creative way.

👉 Capturing a moment

👉 Connecting it with the brand

👉 Showing that the brand is flexible and agile


Visual identities don't need to be static for years and years.

Playing around with them at the right time can be super exciting.

///

Everyone has a brand identity. 

The difference between good and great lies in the elements.


A great logo? Yes!

Brand colours? Check



What about sound or smell?

We all know the Netflix "Ta-Dum" sound. 

What about the smell of Subway sandwiches? 

Or the minimalist layout of an Apple Store.



Great brands are a mix of unique experiences that, together, make the brand what it is. 

Together, they become the "Apple way" or the "Nike way" of doing things. 

We know what to expect from them at every stage.



Don't limit your brand to just a logo and a colour. Think about ways to create your own unique customer experience.

The more similar you are to your competition the more you will compete on price. 

Happy Thursday people!

Not sure why this is so common but please don't choose a brand name that nobody can read or pronounce. 😱

If in doubt clear is better than "clever"

User-generated content is one of the strongest tools for building a community around a brand.

• Airbnb
• Rhode Skin
• GoPro

Strong communities create iconic brands.

One super underrated element of a good brand strategy.


Knowing exactly when your brand will be used.


Some put it in the name:

• Breakfast Blend by Starbucks

• Morning Burst by Clean & Clear

• Night Nurse by GSK


Once you know when people should be enjoying your products, everything can become super targeted.

Brands that have loyal customers are loyal to them before expecting loyalty in return.

It starts with the brand putting something on the table first.

Different ways to connect with a brand also boost loyalty.

If people become connected digitally and in real life, they are more likely to be loyal.

The one thing small brands can learn from the best.

I've worked with iconic brands: Adidas, Nike, and Google.


They all consistently do one thing that small brands could do so easily.

Regularly talking to customers.

Sounds so easy, right?

Nice post, but I know this territory.


But I see it time and time again.

Small brands that haven't conducted customer research in years 😱

I've worked on these types of projects for the big dogs, and they are doing it all the time.

Pulse check on X. Let's see what they think about Y.

They throw time and money at these projects like there is no tomorrow because they make a difference.


It only takes a few key insights to change everything.

How do you think these brands stay on top?

How do they consistently deliver products and services we love?

Because they know us.

So, small brands, challenger brands, startups, scale-ups, and anyone else looking to start a brand:

Research is your friend.

Use it like your brand depends on it.

Because it does.

Everything is downstream of brand. 

That's why it's so important; it feeds into everything else. 


Get it right, and everything that follows will make sense. 

You know it's not working when everything that follows is hard and disjointed.

One of the fastest ways to grow a brand is through collaborations.

Using the brand equity that an established brand has in the market will benefit your new brand.

Trust is transferred.


Launching in a market where nobody knows you is hard.

Launching in a market with a trusted partner is a win-win.


Many of the reservations consumers might have disappear.

"If this new brand is good enough for the trusted brand, then it is good enough for me."

The hard part is finding a partner brand that shares your space but doesn't compete with you directly.

If I were starting a brand tomorrow, this is where I would begin.

Researching subcultures.

Everyone is a little bit geeky about something.

Some more than others.

When you reach a pro level, you start joining communities to connect with others who share your various passions.

Every brand exists in a world of culture.

Some are clear, and some are more discreet.

If I were starting a brand tomorrow, regardless of the product or industry, I would start looking at the subcultures that exist in that space.

Tapping into the expertise of others will provide us with a lot of answers.

These individuals will know the market, which brands are good, what works, and what they would like to see.

These insights are gold.

Enjoy finding your inner geek!

One of the hardest things for brands to do is to become multi-generational.

What one generation wants is often not what another wants.

Keeping a pulse on brand strategy has never been so important.

So many startups think they need to reinvent the wheel.

Sometimes just doing things better than before is enough.

The best lifestyle brands have a strong culture behind them.

Lifestyle brands lacking this foundation are tough to sustain.

Brands should focus on culture before demographics.

A strong community can support a brand forever. 

However, many brands get it wrong.


Customers don't join a community for nothing, and sustaining a 'community' with endless marketing and sales benefits is unsustainable for most.

Communities work best as a joint program where both customers and the brand are equal.

It's easy for brands to slip into thinking, 'Look how cool we are; of course, people will want to join a community if we start it.' 

But that's not the case.

Communities need to be built around something more profound than the product or offers; they need to focus on the brand's purpose.

People engage most when initiatives align with their values and invite them into something bigger.

Take the brand GoRuck, for example.

The brand is centred around Rucking - not just selling rucksacks.

Selling rucksacks is a result of their purpose.

Their events revolve around rucking and exercises: it's what they believe in.

This approach has been immensely popular; people aren't joining for the rucksacks but for exercise, sports, and connection. Purchasing a rucksack becomes a result.

Communities don't just benefit customers; there's a halo effect that these super fans bring to the brand. 

The brand begins to grow organically with the community at its core.
Communities need to focus on a few fundamental elements:

- Purpose over product
- Value over sales
- Connection over growth

Communities should be started and maintained for your fans, not the brand.

Even the best strategy in the world is time-limited.

It's imperative for brands to review regularly or risk falling behind.

Losing touch with a market, trend, or demographic can be fatal.

Taplio

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