Great companies- great ideas, technologies, and products – need great brands. When we speak to people at young companies, in particular, what we hear the most is the need for resources in brand and marketing. Whether it’s an idea or a fully built enterprise, marketing is a crucial part of the whole.

If it’s an idea, the idea requires at least messaging, and a simple, easy-to-communicate explication of its purpose and value (the “elevator pitch”). It may also need a name, and maybe a logo.

Realized technologies and products need more: brand strategy; a great, unique, and strong identity; market research and analysis; and a plan to bring the technology, product, or service to market with an eye towards existing or possible competition and a goal to create individuality in the space.

Something you won’t hear a lot from agencies and consultants is that restraint is also required from the marketing side. You had an idea, a technology, an invention, and that inspiration sprang from somewhere. Our job is to amplify that, not to interfere. Some things are just fine left alone. We never made significant changes in the Napster logo: it has its backstory, and it fit the brand (and still does).

Our experience is that many companies reach a stage where they find themselves much further developed in technology, product, or service than in brand and overall marketing strategy. Too often these companies find themselves in the marketplace without a finished brand and marketing approach. Our goal is to give young companies the major advantage of a fully realized brand strategy when entering initial financing, a funding round, a beta stage, the commercial market, or any other critical juncture. Our ideal process allows you to focus on your core business without pressure to build out a team prematurely or under time constraints.

We’re startup veterans. We’ve been there. We have experienced successful and unsuccessful companies. We’ve seen every step of the process, we get it, and we’re here to help. We are team players and are happy to work with and transition to existing and incoming in-house marketers.

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