Building brands that resonate by elevating purpose and human connection
Here’s a look at some of my work in brand strategy and execution.
Brand transformation
This growing B2B tech company was merging several brands and portfolios into one while transitioning to a new leadership team. During this challenging 6 month period, my team needed to deliver a new name, visual identity, positioning, narrative, marketing assets and website. I led C-level executives, product teams and creatives through bold change as we transformed them into Sinch. I personally developed the verbal identity (positioning, messaging, brand voice, etc).
We launched the new brand in Q1 2019, and Sinch’s success has been exceptional ever since. By Q4, they had 42% gross profit and 82% adjusted EBITDA growth.
Positioning & GTM strategy
Ericsson’s brief: “make managed services cool again.” Tall order! After months of interviews and analysis, we created an engaging concept to summarize a complex AI-driven offering while clarifying the value to customers. I guided sales & product teams and executives in simplifying their portfolio narrative, structuring dozens of tools and services into the “Operations Engine” concept. Then I led a cross-disciplinary team in executing the go-to-market strategy.
Our multi-channel global campaign, with films, interactive demos, and sales kits, helped Ericsson gain a number of 5G deployment contracts, and strengthened existing partnerships as well as the internal business unit.
Brand development
My two year long partnership with Oaklins, a global M&A firm, has been one of the most rewarding of my career. We helped them see their brand as more than their logo on a pen, but as the core of who they are and how they differentiate themselves in the market. I’ve delivered their brand positioning, message platform, evolved visual identity, new website and digital assets and strategy.
The 70 offices around the globe have found unity in their new brand and established a stronger, more united culture and more cohesive and powerful communications. They’ve been more successful in engaging each segment, including entrepreneurs, private equity and corporate clients.
“Corinne is both creative and strategic, humble yet assertive. She uses her expertise within branding & marketing to advise CEOs and CMOs, and her strong storytelling skills create engagement, motivation and inspiration for change.”
Brand management
It’s exciting to launch a new brand positioning, identity or campaign, but that’s just the beginning of the journey. I train brand managers, marketers and executives on how to see their brand as a living thing that needs cultivating.
With Oaklins (see above), as I have for many organizations, once we developed their new brand guidelines, I coached them on how to activate marketing content based on the new brand. It takes practice and persistence to learn to interpret the brand across touchpoints and craft messaging appropriate to each audience. I led a series of workshops and helped launch a brand manager program so that each office had a champion helping roll out the new brand and content. A modern brand should not be static, so innovation of format, agility of channel and iteration based on measurement and monitoring are essential.
Brand and portfolio architecture
An eye-tracking software and hardware company wanted to bring to market a new service business, called Tobii Pro Insight. This daughter company needed to look and feel distinct yet related to the mother company, Tobii Pro.
I developed a unique market proposition and message platform that still served the mother company’s brand promise. Then I restructured and named the entire portfolio to better engage their customer segments and clarify their offering. My design team set a powerful new visual identity that carried strong links to Tobii Pro, and I wrote all copy communicating their offering across touch points.