NO NONSENSE PROCESS

YOUR CUSTOMER JOURNEY WITH #MBS IN FIVE STEPS

As senior experts for profile enhancement and positioning of corporate brands and smart leaders, we advise each client individually and truly tailor-made. Our promise is a positioning that really differentiates. As more brand strength and performance is highly specific, we never offer “pre-packaged” off-the-shelf services.

What you might expect from working with us – a proven five-step non nonsense-process:

Clarification of our assignment plus base lining

Every MBS project starts with a highly structured base lining.

Whether for a four-hour workshop, a four-month thought leadership campaign or a year-round brand sharpening. In balanced partnership of equals, we thoroughly evaluate:
What do you and your brand really need? And: How exactly can we support you?

What do we appreciate in this kick-off phase?
Decision-makers who are open to tackling brand and positioning issues together directly ‘at the root’. Experience has shown: We wouldn’t be the right choice for pure ‘surface cosmetics’ (e.g. PR without brand differentiating messages or news etc.).

Good to know:

If we are a great match and do trust each other, we will support you regardless of the size of the assignment. No exciting strategy project for your differentiation is ‘too small or insignificant’ for us!

Step 2: Strategy development

No trip – or customer journey – without a plan. All our projects start with “strategy first!

To define your brand essence and sharpen your differentiation in the long term, we develop an initial positioning proposal through research and discovery. Depending on the project, this can be done as  a pure desk research and comprise only one page. Or it may result in a comprehensive Power Point presentation based on strategy sprints lasting several weeks – usually via 1-1 interviews and workshops.

You will always receive your strategy outline or presentation before the start of our messaging work. This allows us to jointly discuss all the relevant cornerstones and then stick to it. Why? Your brand strategy should remain relevantfor a longer time and run like a ‘red thread’ through all further positioning work.

Step 3: Key themes and messages

We determine the core and content of your brand positioning.

Based on this brand strategy, we develop your core messages and central themes around your future positioning. Here, too, we determine the scope according to your individual needs and possibilities of your project. In any case, our strategic message house will provide you and your team with complete clarity about your future talking points. You will use them to sharply position and differentiate your corporate or personal brand towards all your diverse target groups (market, Tier 1-media, multipliers, top talents etc.).

Step 4: Campaign planning incl. brand communications roadmap

We meticulously plan your future brand presence.

Since key topics and core messages alone are usually not enough to differentiate you, the next step is the development of a clear brand communications roadmap. By the way, this always covers from start to finish – regardless of whether we support you all the way or you choose to implement parts of it with your in-house team.

Good to know:

Whether it’s an outline in bullets or a full-fledge presentation: You will never receive your strategy and content marketing plans “And just like that“! We will always discuss our findings with you in order to clarify all questions, queries and options.

Step 5: Implementation of your differentiating brand positioning

We implement your brand positioning.

Many clients ask us to stay on board after the strategy and planning phase. We then implement the defined marketing and communication measures directly for them. This way, they continue to benefit from our decades of experience on the front lines as international in-house marketing and communications experts with management responsibility at EMEA level.

The range of our tasks and responsibilities are broad here. They range from the strategy concept and implementation of long-running CEO/expert positioning and thought leadership pieces to leading strategic PR campaigns and pitch preparations (e.g. for presentations or new business).

Good to know:

Mathony Brand Strategists believes in “skin in the game“. We stand for mutual success and measurable impact of our joint branding and positioning work. That’s why we only implement strategy projects that we ourselves have been involved in developing.

“Do we fit together?” and other important questions from you

Q: What kind of services does Mathony Brand Strategists exactly offer?

A: Mathony Brand Strategists develops, sharpens and communicates the successful positioning of corporate, performance and personal brands. The international network of fourteen partners in eight countries across three continents specializes in sustainably differentiating brand strategy and communication. Our senior experts competently support you in the disciplines of marketing, communication, content, advisory and design with measurable success that endures.

Q: Why should I seek advice from you?

A: We claim to get clients to their goal – increasing their brand impact and performance – faster and more reliably than others. The reason? We combine our experience from more than two decades of strategic marketing and communications leadership with a proven approach to profile raising targeted brand positioning.

Q: What kind of clients do Mathony Brand Strategists (MBS) serve?

A: Medium-sized and large international companies place their trust in us. This is especially true for their CEOs and board members as well as senior decision-makers who act as thought leaders and aim to sharpen their personal brand.

The majority of our clients comes from the professional services sector, especially strategy consultancies and big auditing firms.

Q: Our company is not from Professional Services, like 80% of #MBS clients. Why should I still work with you?

A: Companies or CEOs and experts who do not come from Professional Services do choose us for three reasons.

1) “Strategy first”, the core competence of MBS is crucial in all industries.

2) They benefit from the fact that we work in Professional Services on the topics of the future such as transformation, disruption, international business or digitalization etc.

3) Core communications disciplines such as CEO positioning incl. the social CEO on LinkedIn or strategic PR work comparably in all industries. What matters here is expertise, experience and contacts. MBS do have these for more than two decades.

Q: What is behind the #MBS brand sharpening approach?

A: In a nutshell, it’s a curated compilation of tried and tested methods for carving out the brand essence and defining a razorsharp positioning. Depending on the project, we combine their components into a custom-fit mix that quickly deliver results that endure. This combination is based on our decades of experience as international in-house marketing and communication experts with leadership responsibility at EMEA level.

Q: What does the remuneration model look like?

A: We do not offer pre-packaged standard services. Hence you will not find ‘off-the-shelf’ prices on our website. Our fees are based on the specific project requirements and on the added value our clients achieve through their sharpened brand profile.

Basically, there are three remuneration models:

1) On an hourly basis – e.g. for coaching calls

2) Fixed fee – e.g. for strategy workshops, thought leadership projects or speeches

3) Retainer – e.g. for long-term PR or personal branding/CEO positioning mandates.

Q: As CEO, CXO, as a senior expert, I have very little time. How time-consuming is the cooperation with #MBS?

A: We do have the utmost respect for your busy schedule. But: In order to achieve the greatest possible success for your brand strategy and positioning, we still need some of your time. This is important both for defining key insights and for taking essential decisions. May we count on you for this?

Q: What are the benefits of your network or the #Ecosystem of Mathony Brand Strategists?

A: More than ever before, companies expect holistic solutions for brand projects across all disciplines. Our clients can rely on an expert network of fourteen partners in eight countries across three continents. We cover marketing, communications, content, advisory and design. Together, we are reliably attuned to each other through a wide variety of projects and clients – often for longer than a decade.

Q: How long does #MBS usually accompany its clients?

A: This very much depends on the task at hand. Some CEOs, board members or senior decision-makers only need three coaching calls before taking fundamental decisions for their brand. In contrast to this, for example thought leadership campaigns often last between three and six months. PR or personal branding/CEO positioning mandates might run for more than a year at the client’s request.

Q: When can I expect concrete results from working with Mathony Brand Strategists?

A: Possible obstacles and its root causes are usually already revealed during our clarification of the assignment; i.e. in step 1 described above. Depending on the scope of the project, our clients usually receive the core result of our work – the positioning strategy – after two to four weeks.
When it comes to sustainable differentiation and its implementation, the first successes are tangible after the first two or three months.

Q: Do you also take on interim mandates?

A: In principle, we are very happy to do so. We have excellent references here. Our premise: We believe in a cultural fit and the realistic chance of realizing this interim mandate on a part-time basis (max. 20 hours per week).

And: Do we match?

Why don’t you find this out easily and without any obligation? Let us have a free strategy talk!

  • Book an appointment with one click only
  • Have an expert talk for 45 minutes
  • Receive a first recommendation!