Brand Agency

In an era of big brand agency networks and conglomerates, Marshall Strategy stands out. A privately-owned brand agency with a senior team of experienced and passionate professionals, we collaborate closely with our clients from beginning to end.

We take brand and identity strategy seriously, working with leadership to understand the fundamentals of who they are, why they matter, how they compete, the audiences that are critical to their success and the opportunities for brand success. We use this knowledge to develop relevant brand and identity strategies that guide operations, communications and culture – purposefully and effectively.

Organizations come to us when they need to respond to marketing, competitive brand and communication challenges quickly and powerfully. This includes turnarounds, mergers, company or product launches and relaunches, and new initiatives.

When an organization knows clearly who they are and why they matter, business moves effortlessly. Employees and stakeholders are inspired to do the right thing and are rewarded for fulfilling their purpose. Culture thrives. Customers and investors come to them for the right reasons. We facilitate these results through our focus on brand strategy fundamentals, through thoughtful listening, and by developing big, galvanizing ideas.

We work with a range of organizations, from start-ups to multinational giants, governments and non-profits, in a variety of industries and sectors. Our cross-industry exposure keeps us vigilant to changing circumstances and emerging trends.

Keys to a Successful Brand Agency Relationship

Our clients often ask – what are the keys to a successful brand agency relationship? We believe it takes three things: The commitment of senior leadership to a differentiating and meaningful purpose; the dedication of the time and resources to complete a disciplined process; and a big idea that will inspire, motivate and galvanize the organization. At Marshall Strategy, we succeed because we remain focused on these three goals.

Our Approach to Branding

We seek to understand the true brand essence of any organization. It is the platform upon which we build your story.

We are committed to the idea that a clear, compelling identity can enable breakthroughs in corporate performance, employee engagement, and audience perceptions.

Our approach is hands on and in-depth, using traditional and new methods tailored to each engagement. See our Brand Strategy process.

Branding Services

Our branding agency is focused on the core principles of brand value, including positioning strategy, brand architecture, messaging, naming and corporate identity. These strategic foundations enable and inspire resonant, coherent and appealing communications across touchpoints. We deliver our services individually or as part of an integrated effort, depending on each unique client need. In every case, we take a rigorous yet tailored approach, to ensure that we cover the unique challenges of every assignment. Because we work across industries, we are able to apply best practices and lessons learned from one positioning, naming or brand architecture assignment to another, without resorting to homogenizing formulas. Our senior professionals are committed to each project we take on, from beginning to end.

Positioning Strategy & Brand Positioning

We have proven success in positioning companies and brands for competitive advantage.
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Brand Naming Strategy

We have a successful track record for creating compelling names and cohesive naming systems.
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Messaging Strategy

We support strategic positioning with relevant messages relevant to key audiences.
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Brand Architecture

We rationalize brand portfolios for clarity, effectiveness and impact.
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Identity and Brand Strategy

We have created some of the world’s best regarded corporate and brand identities.
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Brand Research

We use qualitative and quantitative research to gain strategic and creative brand insights.
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Leadership Team

Philip Durbrow

Philip is one of the world’s leading authorities on corporate and brand identity. He provides leadership for our firm and strategic and creative guidance to high level corporate, government and non-profit clients.
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Ken Pasternak

With a diverse background in writing, education, music, film, television and digital, Ken directs strategic identity and branding programs for Marshall’s global clients.
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Elaine Stern

Elaine is a market research subject matter expert bringing new and valuable insights into our engagements. She has extensive experience leading the Customer Insights function at technology companies.
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We are committed to the idea that a clear, compelling identity can enable breakthroughs in corporate performance, employee engagement and audience perceptions.

Our approach is hands-on and in-depth, using traditional and new methods tailored to each engagement.

Strategic Partners

We marshal and manage world-class resources to ensure our clients success. Our industry partnerships include:

Public Relations
Web Development

SEO/SEM
Intellectual Property Law

Marketing Plans
Design

Content
Advertising

The brand launch was a huge success. Everything came together beautifully and made such a powerful, cohesive and authentic statement. It’s not often that you know you have picked the right partner from minute one.
- John Watts, Jr.
From the start, the Marshall Team understood our needs and developed a plan to achieve our goals of rebranding and renaming our company. Their team is of the highest integrity. They truly cared about us and made us feel our project was very important to them.
- Steve Lanzel
Marshall is a true thought partner, and very effective in creating clear and compelling positioning.
- Chief Marketing Officer
“Super Deluxe is building a new-model entertainment company that hasn’t existed before. Marshall Strategy was incredible in partnering with us to define our vision and communicate our achievements in a clear and compelling way.”
- Arthur Wang
Every professional I’ve ever met who’s worked with Marshall Strategy says the exact same thing: “They’re the best at what they do.” Indeed they are. Whenever I'm faced with a branding and strategic hairball that needs to be untangled and beautifully straightened, they’re my first call.
- Salesforce
I absolutely consider Marshall the experts in this field and I'm always on the lookout for opportunities to work with you again.
- Salesforce
Alignment and embodiment of the new identity and brand strategy has been taking hold throughout the university, and we’ve already seen a great deal of improved interest and engagement from our social media followers and prospective students.
- University at Buffalo
I have worked in Adobe Legal for 18 years and have supported the Acrobat business for most of that time. A brand that has shared the phenomenal success of a product that has continuously evolved through more than 20 years of innovation - a rare feat in the industry, as you know.
- Adobe
We had a complex, future-forward product story to tell to a conservative banking audience. Through a streamlined process, Marshall uncovered the heart of our value proposition, and helped us simplify and sharpen our brand strategy. They balanced market insights with a deep understanding of our business to build a customer-oriented promise, enduring brand attributes and a sustainable brand architecture. With Marshall's help, we've struck a powerful chord with the market. Our brand's new clarity and efficacy shows in our sales results and customer feedback.
- Ripple Labs, Inc.
"Marshall brings a depth of experience and creativity that helps clients achieve breakthrough solutions. They provided us with a positioning platform, tools and strategy that resonate with our stakeholders now, and have longevity. The team is adaptable, unflappable, and a pleasure to work with."
- UC Berkeley
"Your work has been spot on and very energizing. Your professional engagement with our broader organization, and your approach to dealing with our culture. I’ve never seen our leadership so impressed with a small consulting group."
- ICF International
"This effort to focus on the basics of identity really has earned some traction, and Marshall was a critical success factor. I’ve come to expect great successes and near miracles from the branding activities we’ve partnered on."
- Caltech
"A smart and talented team that hit the ground running, worked quickly, and executed perfectly – Marshall Strategy delivered in weeks what others would have taken months or years to do."
- Allegheny Health Network
"We needed an open, transparent process that would prompt a campus-wide conversation, and we sought a partner who could guide us through a process of self discovery and lead us to an identity system that reflected the community. I can’t imagine better partners than the team at Marshall Strategy."
- Yahoo
"Working with Marshall Strategy has been incredibly satisfying. I have full access to the firm’s principals, and to their experience. Their solutions bring business to the next level."
- Symantec
"This effort to focus on the basics of identity really has earned some traction, and Marshall was a critical success factor. I’ve come to expect great successes and near miracles from the branding activities we’ve partnered on."
- Boeing