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Branding and Public Relations

Positioning, identity and the press coverage that makes people take you seriously. Built in that order, because a new logo cannot answer a question the business has not settled.

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Brand strategy and positioning work

What it is, and why it matters

Branding gets confused with decoration. A logo, a palette, a font pairing. Those are the visible part, but they are the last part, and applying them to a business that cannot explain why it is the better choice just makes the confusion look more expensive.

Positioning comes first. Who you are for, who you are not for, and what you are willing to be worse at so you can be clearly better at something else. That last one is where most sessions get uncomfortable, and it is the one that decides everything downstream.

Public relations sits on top. Coverage is easy to buy and hard to earn, and the difference shows. A journalist covers a story, not a company, so the work is finding the story your business actually has rather than sending a press release about a milestone only you care about.

Who this is for

A good fit if

  • You are entering a market, changing direction, or your category has moved
  • Leadership will sit in the room for the positioning work
  • You are willing to narrow, which is the only way positioning works
  • There is a genuine story: a launch, a first, data nobody else has

Probably not if

  • You want a logo by Thursday
  • Positioning has to be agreed by everyone with a title
  • You want guaranteed placements in named publications, which means paid advertorial
  • The product is not ready and coverage would arrive before it works

What is included

DeliverableHow often
Positioning workshop with leadershipOnboarding
Audience and competitor researchOnboarding
Messaging framework and proof pointsProject
Naming and tagline workProject
Logo and visual identityProject
Brand guidelines documentProject
Collateral and template rolloutProject
Media list and relationship buildingMonthly
Story development and pitchingMonthly
Press releases and media kitAs needed
Spokesperson prep and crisis messagingAs needed

How it fits together

CoverageIdentityPositioningMost briefs start hereand skip the two below
Coverage rests on identity, which rests on positioning. Start at the top and the work has nothing underneath it to stand on.

Your first 90 days

  1. Weeks 1 to 2

    Decide what you are

    A workshop with the people who can actually decide, followed by customer and competitor research to check whether what you believe about yourself survives contact with the market. It usually needs adjusting.

  2. Weeks 3 to 5

    Write it down before drawing it

    The messaging framework comes before any visual work: the positioning statement, the proof behind each claim, and how it changes by audience. Design decisions become much faster once this exists.

  3. Weeks 6 to 9

    Build the identity

    Logo, palette, type and the system that holds them together, applied to the things you use daily rather than to an abstract presentation. Guidelines are written for whoever has to apply them, including people outside the company.

  4. Ongoing

    Earn the coverage

    With positioning settled there is something to pitch. We build the media list, develop stories worth covering, and place them. This part runs monthly, because relationships with journalists do not work in bursts.

What you actually receive

The messaging framework is the document everything else is checked against. Positioning statement, the audiences, the claims, and the evidence sitting under each claim.

It is written so a new salesperson, a copywriter and an agency you hire in two years all describe the business the same way without being coached.

Brand guidelines and messaging framework
  1. The positioning statement, and what it deliberately gives up
  2. Each audience, and what changes in how you speak to them
  3. Every claim with the proof that supports it
  4. Words and phrases to avoid, including the ones competitors own

Metrics we move

  • Message consistency

    The first thing positioning should fix

    How your team describes the business, sampled before and after

  • Earned coverage

    Counted as placements, not press releases sent

    Published pieces, with the publication's own reach

  • Share of voice

    Tracked against three named competitors

    Mentions across press and search, quarterly

  • Inbound mentions

    The sign the brand is travelling on its own

    Coverage and mentions we did not pitch

Where this usually goes wrong

  • The usual mistake: Starting with the logo because it is the visible part and the easiest to approve.

    What we do instead: Settle positioning first. The design decisions then take a fraction of the time.

  • The usual mistake: Positioning that describes everyone, so it rules nothing out and means nothing.

    What we do instead: Name who you are not for. A brand that fits everybody is chosen by nobody.

  • The usual mistake: Sending press releases about internal milestones and calling it public relations.

    What we do instead: Journalists cover stories, not companies. Find the one you actually have.

  • The usual mistake: Paying for placements and reporting them as earned coverage.

    What we do instead: Label paid as paid. Readers can tell, and so can the search engines weighing the link.

Questions we get asked

How do we get started?

Book a free consultation. We look at where things stand today, agree what to fix first, and send a written scope before any work begins.

How is the cost decided?

Every engagement is scoped to your goals, the size of the work and your timeline. You get a written proposal after the consultation, so the cost is clear before anything starts.

How will we know it is working?

We agree the measures at the start, then report against them in plain language, with the numbers shown so you can check them yourself.

Who will we work with?

A named lead who knows your account, backed by the specialists the work needs. You always know who to message.

Do you work in Arabic as well as English?

Yes. Content, campaigns and reporting can run in Arabic, in English, or in both, depending on who your customers are.

Can you work alongside our own team?

Yes. We can take on the whole service or fill the gaps around your in house team, and hand over cleanly if that ever changes.

What do you need from us?

Access to the accounts involved, one person who can approve work, and an honest picture of what has been tried before.

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