Shaping a Standout Brand

Guinness Ventures seeks to define its brand so that it stands out from the parent GGI and the competition. The challenge is to create a compelling brand for investors and founders to attract capital and investment opportunities in a relatively commoditised market. Our Brand Sprint, followed by a set of targeted sessions, develops your brand identity and message in a swift and focused manner and lays a solid foundation to deploy your brand.

Tasks: (1) define the brand platform (identity and positioning), (2) develop the brand strategy, and (3) apply it to brand messaging. All based on the comprehensive Brand Strategy Brief from Guinness Ventures, January 2024.

Requirements: Short and sharp, we will replace presentations with conversations. So, close collaboration and brief exchanges rather than one or two presentations with ‘big’ reveals. The bulk needs to be done by the end of March 2024 to begin work on Guinness Ventures’ website in Q2 2024. Moreover, the core elements of the visual brand expression are given and don't need to be considered for now.

Proposal for

Hugo Vaux

COO Guinness Ventures Ltd

c/o Guinness Global Investors 18 Smith Square London SW1P 3HZ

For questions, please get in touch with Stephan Hammes at 079 6619 5576 or mail@stephanhammes.com

01 Brand Sprint

Outcome: initial positioning identity and core idea

1. Research briefly the competition and assess their brand expressions.
2. Hold a Brand Sprint* and determine the brand fundamentals in a four-hour session.
3. Draft the positioning, identity and core idea based on the session's insights.

The Brand Sprint is a set of intense half-hour segments touching on the brand fundamentals to pinpoint gaps and opportunities. It would be held in person at the Guinness Ventures’ offices with three to four leadership team members, ideally including one customer-facing person. Here is a typical Brand Sprint agenda:

02 Brand Foundation

Outcome: robust brand platform (positioning and identity) and clear strategy (values, vision, purpose, brand personality and audiences)

1. Finalise core idea, positioning statement and identity based on the outcome of the Brand Sprint
2. Define values and vision so that they are clear, inspiring and shareable.
3. Write a purpose statement that spells out why Guinness Ventures exists.
4. Establish the brand attributes and how they underpin and inform Guinness Ventures’ actions and appearance.
5. Define the value proposition and messaging house for each ICP (start-up ecosystem and investors/financial advisers).
6. Write two elevator pitches aimed at founders and investors, respectively.
7. Tweak and finalise the brand identity and strategy to communicate how Guinness Ventures is different and distinctive
8. Agree and sign off on the brand foundation before the next phase.

In up to six follow-up calls, we will work together to clarify and refine any outstanding issues. Our goal is to create a distinctive identity and an inspiring strategy—comparable to “putting a man on the moon”—that ensures impactful messaging.

03 Brand Messaging

Outcome: brand voice and main brand copy assets

1. Create the brand narrative, the proposition fleshed out as an external-facing manifesto.
2. Write the brand statement as the external facing tagline.
3. Define brand drivers, i.e. four media-agnostic messages.
4. Develop boilerplate copy for press releases and the website footer.
5. Write a brand copy piece that can include any KSPs, e.g. About Us on the website.

Please note that given the pragmatic approach, a Tone-of-Voice guideline document, additional website copy, a sales deck, and advertising messaging are not included at this point and would be extra if required.

Successful Collaboration

For the successful development of the brand identity and brand message for Guinness Ventures, open and trusting cooperation is crucial and required. That also means that all shared information and developed results are treated confidentially. Due to our close and regular collaboration, it is only necessary to document the essentials and not create any further reporting. Any postponements or additional work will only take place after consultation.

“Stephan Hammes is all about clarity. To that, he adds a superb depth of perception. The two years we’ve worked together have been both a pleasure and an education. His thoughtful deconstruction of our ideas led us to an atomistic understanding of our offer, from which he built our brand. … Always calm, always on the money, always on the company’s side by thinking on the customer’s side. You may think you know your company now, but the design confidence and message precision you’ll get from Stephan’s work is of a significantly higher order.” — Bill Brannigan, Entrepreneur

Estimate investment for Guinness Ventures’ brand identity

Each phase builds upon the previous one; they are not standalone options.

Total of £8450. All prices plus VAT

The estimated prices for each phase include all research, strategic and creative work, and project management. Third-party costs such as additional copywriting, illustration, image licences, photography or printing, and travel outside London are extra and agreed upon beforehand. Full terms and conditions

Preliminary Timing

The aim is to deliver the brand identity and brand message for Guinness Ventures by the end of March 2024. Given a swift agreement at each step, the delivery could be as follows

With a robust foundation and a compelling narrative, Guinness Ventures is ready to create a website in Q2/2024 and stand out in the market alongside Guinness Global Investors. The distinctive identity and messaging will attract both talent and capital.

Next Steps

1. Stephan presents the proposal to ensure all is clear.

2. Once the scope and timing are agreed, you get a formal estimate.

3. Pick a date, ideally a Friday, to hold the Brand Sprint.

If you have questions, please get in touch with me.

Warm regards Stephan Hammes

Testimonials from Brand Sprit participants

Attendees rated their Sprint experience 8.8 out of 10 (Net Promoter Score). Here are some quotes from the feedback questionnaires:

Brand development overview

An overview of all the aspects ideally covered in comprehensive brand development. However, the degree and depth to which they are tackled can vary.