From Brand Insight to Winning Game Strategy
Aligning the worlds of: insights, strategy and activations into Winning Game Strategies that build brands, for real people in the real world.
I specialize in turning insights into strategic assets, crafting brands that stand for something, igniting enthusiasm, and capturing hearts and minds.
GAMEPLAN:
Trend, consumer Insights and positioning
Unveil Your Brand's Future: We dive deep into trend insights and value changes, equipping your brand with the knowledge it needs to stay ahead of the curve.
DIRECTION:
Strategic Direction, Advisory and concepts
Charting Your Course: The strategic direction is a compass to communicate your brand's DNA with consumer centric positioning, and strategic direction.
DEVELOPMENT:
Brand Activation and Winning Game Strategy
The Winning Game: Aligning the worlds of: insights, strategy and activations into Winning Game Strategies that build real brands, for real people in the real world.
INSIGHTS, BRAND STRATEGY AND ACTIVATION
FREELANCE AND INTERIM CONSULTANT
I have +20 years of experience working with brand strategy and activations, mainly within fashion, outdoor, sports and food & beverage.
With Above The Clouds, I offer a service as freelance consultant, specialised in aligning the three worlds of: insights, strategy and activations into "Winning Game Strategies". By genuinely accelerate the flow between these three worlds, i create actionable strategic concepts that build real brands, for real people in the real world.
I offer this on interim, project based or billed by the hour. It depends on your need and resources.
STRATEGIC DIRECTION AND ADVISORY
SERVICES
I offer a freelance or in-house / interim service where you get the benefits of in-depth expertise across a number of specialty areas within brand strategy, Go to Market Strategy, marketing strategy and PR strategy.
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Winning Game Brand Strategy
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Target audience, brand; positioning, personality, messaging, and how we build engagement, concepts and storytelling.
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Storytelling Playbook
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Strategic approach to 360 storytelling, based on a set of story pillars, formats, channel strategy and KPI's.
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Marketing Strategy
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Marketing concepts, Marketing mix, funnel optimisation, sales and distribution channels, customer engagement.
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Communication Strategy
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Communication matrix, PR-toolkits, PR-messaging, channel strategy, support messaging, journalist relationship
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DEFINING A SUCCESSFUL BRAND POSITION
BRAND POSITIONING
Probably the most important part for a brand to succeed is to genuinely define and position the brand distinctively.
For a position to be authentic, there needs to be a credible correlation between what we promise to fulfil and how we position ourselves on the market and in the head of the consumers.
I start my projects with a workshop session, defining global long lead trends, competitors and why we are in business. Then we go through our brand soul, personality and how we act on that to differentiate our values but more importantly to be distinct in what we do over time to earn our position in the head of the consumer.
A HANDS ON APPROACH TO BRAND STRATEGIS
A STRATEGY TO WIN
THE CONSUMER GAME
The Winning Game Strategies are a strategy-approach that i have developed over many years. It comes from the frustration from seeing massive brand documents being produced and then never activated.
The WGS is a way to align insights, strategy and activation into a document, based on defining the most important parts of the brand, how these are activated in target audience layers, turned into concepts and storytelling playbooks for activation. By using this hands-on-approach to brand strategy, we increase the possibility of succeeding with a strong brand reshape and activation.
There are no shortcuts to a successful brand positioning. There is only a roadmap of strategic, creative, and actionable brand decisions that, if implemented consistently, lead a brand towards cultural status, consumer excitement, and business success. My Winning Game Strategies is a tool to execute this with perfection.
TO EARN VALUE, WE MUST CREATE VALUE
THE POWER OF STORYTELLING
In a digital era where attention is the new currency, your brand's story is the strongest differentiator to guide the audience through the noise. I focus the playbooks on how to master the narrative based on a set of story-pillars, that fuels formats and creates building blocks for the funnel and always on layers.
Key benefits with a agile storytelling playbook are to secure a cohesive story that drive brand distinctiveness, commercial impact and social engagement.
FUTURE FOCUSED BRAND STRATEGIES
CREATING AUTHENTIC BRAND CONNECTIONS
My approach is grounded in understanding trends and cultural manifestations to craft strategies that are built for the real world, rooted in genuine insights and context.
My strategies include various insight elements, including Target audience description, consumer archetypes and insights, global drivers and long lead trends, strategic positioning in consumers' minds, brand ecosystems for community and collectives, messaging, and attributes.
These components come together to create a future focused strategy that build genuine engagement.
SUSTAINABILITY FOCUSED BRAND STRATEGIES
BRAND STRATEGIES FOR PROGRESSIVE BRANDS
An important challenge for anyone who wants to drive consumption in a more sustainable direction is how to position their brand responsibly and spread their ideas and initiatives while still being relevant and attractive to the consumer.
I’m specialised in consumer centric sustainability and help brands understand global drivers, value changes, and macro trends and how that could be defined into their strategic platforms, brand promises and turned into a roadmap of strategic sustainability actions.
Random Mix of Work
ONGOING WORK: GLOBAL BRAND STRATEGY - HOUDINI
HOUDINI: GLOBAL BRAND,
WINNING GAME STRATEGY
As a strategic brand consultant i am now creating a new Winning Game Strategy for the Houdini Brand Globally. The work is carried out together with Houdini and include Brand DNA and foundation, target audiences, consumer archetypes, customer key needs, communication and messaging, our approach to brand marketing and a new storytelling playbook for activations.
This project will carry on until mid October.
And until then i'm fully booked.
CASE: GLOBAL WINNING GAME STRATEGY, VÉLOSOPHY
VELOSOPHY: GLOBAL
WINNING GAME STRATEGY
As a brand strategy consultant for VÉLOSOPHY, my objective was to create a Winning Game Strategy with a purpose to reignite the brand globally. By conceptualising the brands DNA through the "Part Bike - Part Philosophy" approach, a storytelling playbook, and a new brand marketing approach with campaign building blocks.
Vélosophy isn't just a bicycle brand; it's a philosophy and a movement celebrating creativity, sustainability and social responsibility. Vélosophy aims to be the most beloved philosophy-driven bicycle brand, deeply connected with the creative generation with a mission to put life in motion and inspire others to care for people and the planet.
CASE: GLOBAL BRAND CONCEPT - WEEKDAY
WEEKDAY: GLOBAL
BRAND CONCEPT
As a brand strategy consultant for WEEKDAY, my objective was to create a Global Long Lead Brand Concept, to be activated for a broad reach target audience, based on the direction of Weekday The Creative Collective. The concept should be based on real insights about Gen-Z relations to street fashion and trend drivers.
The concept i created act as a long lead direction with a strategic framework to build distinctiveness and recognition but also open for freedom of seasonal creativity.
TRETORN GLOBAL BRAND CONCEPT SUSTAINABILITY
SAREK ECO APPAREL & NIGEL CABOURN CO-LAB
CASE: GLOBAL BRAND CONCEPT - TRETORN
TRETORN: GLOBAL BRAND, SAREK ECO-APPAREL
As Creative Director for Tretorn Europe, I led the development of SAREK Eco-apparel category within the Eco-Essentials Initiative (which i also developed). The goal was to create a symbolic action within sustainable innovation, appealing to international audience, targeting both lifestyle and outdoor consumers.
My role was creating the concept, directing design, styles, assortments, and develop a new visual identity, including logotypes, photo shoots and brand narratives. I set up the GoTo Market Strategy with collaborations, strategies, trade show setups, and served as the spokesperson for the concept and sustainability.
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CASE: GLOBAL BRAND CONCEPT, TRETORN
TRETORN: GLOBAL BRAND, SUSTAINABILITY CONCEPT,
As Head of Marketing and Creative Director for Tretorn Europe, I created and led the development of The Eco-Essentials Initiative, a strategic brand initiativ with the objective to reposition the Tretorn brand globally.
My role was creating initiative and strategic sustainability platform with purpose statement, vision and manifest. Creating a new identity, logo's and on product branding. Setting up new product and category development.
We launched the initiative through social campaigns, PR, collaborations and retail activations. I managed sales training and set up European GoTo market strategies.
