The Next Us

Create positive system change

Synopsys Software Integrity

The Next Us worked with the Software Integrity business unit as an embedded team member to help the company position itself successfully in the application security market over a two-year period of rapid growth and expansion. We helped Synopsys integrate its storytelling and visual brand across all marketing and sales touch points and iteratively assimilate the assets of five major acquisitions: Coverity, Codenomicon, Protecode, Seeker, and Cigital.

During this engagement, Synopsys moved from a niche player in the application security space to one of the largest based on revenue, reputation and solution breadth. It also evolved its Software Integrity marketing approach from pure lead gen to a thoughtful mix of demand generation and brand-building at every step of the marketing funnel.

Responsibilities:

  • Onsite marketing lead responsible for all aspects of brand strategy and outbound marketing
  • Functional manager of all in-house creative resources and outside agencies
  • Development and management of all core Synopsys Software Integrity outbound communication tools, including platform and product positioning, messaging architectures, sales decks, tradeshow training materials, visual brand style guides and templates
  • Design of Software Integrity cross-channel brand campaigns
  • Liaison to Synopsys Corporate Marketing for the year-long redesign of the Synopsys.com corporate website, including referring the final selected design agency and representing all Software Integrity technical, marketing, visual design, and information architecture needs and requirements

  • Agency management
  • Campaign design
  • Consulting CMO
  • Creative direction
  • Positioning and messaging
  • Product UX design
  • Visual brand strategy
  • Website design

Small Magic

The Next Us has been working actively with Birmingham Talks since 2022 on positioning, marketing and communications strategy, development strategy, and brand. For the renaming and relaunch of the brand as Small Magic in January 2024, we led the content strategy and site map for the new website and referred Todd Schulte Design and CloudCatch, who led the exceptional design and WordPress development for the new site.

  • Content systems and training
  • Creative direction
  • Marketing strategy
  • Positioning and messaging
  • Website redesign

Zazzle

The Next Us worked with Zazzle as an embedded team member to help the company navigate a major transformation of its product, external brand, and internal culture.

In 2012, Zazzle was already a one-of-kind maker platform with a stellar track record and a bold vision for the future. The Next Us worked hands-on with the Zazzle leadership team on brand repositioning and served as interim Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for two quarters.

As part of this project, The Next Us consulted on brand identity redesign and product experience redesign, and led the cross-channel marketing strategy and creative direction for Zazzle’s 2012 holiday campaign, which exceeded revenue and profitability benchmarks.

  • Agency management
  • Brand positioning
  • Campaign design
  • Consulting CMO
  • Creative direction
  • Marketing strategy
  • Merchandizing
  • Messaging
  • Product UX design

Nextag

The Next Us worked with Nextag for 4 years as an external brand consultant and embedded team member responsible for all brand strategy and outbound marketing.

Nextag was an early e-commerce pioneer with an incredible track record for profitability and resilience. Since its inception in the late 1990’s, the company used its data science and lead gen capabilities to help thousands of retailers and content providers maximize their revenue across every device and digital ecosystem. During our engagement, the company also managed a network of over a dozen consumer e-commerce sites worldwide.

Major responsibilities:

  • Brand strategy, brand identity design, and messaging for all Nextag major consumer brands: Nextag, Wize.com, and Price Machine
  • Positioning, rebranding, site design, and launch for the Wize Commerce corporate parent
  • UX design consulting and ongoing optimization for all the brands above
  • Onsite Brand Director responsible for all aspects of brand strategy and B2C / B2B outbound marketing (1-year appointment)
  • Functional manager of all in-house creative resources and outside agencies

  • Agency management
  • Brand strategy
  • Consulting CMO
  • Creative direction
  • Outbound marketing strategy
  • Product design
  • Product development methodology
  • Strategic Planning
  • Vision

Community Youth Center San Francisco

The Next Us has worked with CYC continuously since 2019 as strategic advisor and consulting Head of Development and Marketing. Over the past five years, our key responsibilities have included:

  • Leading the rebranding, repositioning, website redesign, and messaging development for the agency’s 50th anniversary
  • Leading the design and execution of the Richmond Hub capital campaign
  • Creating serial cornerstone content assets, including multiple annual reports, Executive Director and board speeches, annual gala materials, and major donor brochures
  • Leading the business requirements, design, and/or configuration of key development and marketing systems: WordPress, Genesis, Classy, Slack, Constant Contact, Salesforce NPSP, iWave



  • Brand identity design
  • Capital campaign design and execution
  • Consulting CMO
  • Consulting Development and Marketing Lead
  • Events
  • Positioning and messaging
  • Website redesign and evolution

Coral Reef Alliance

For the CORAL website relaunch, The Next Us led positioning and messaging, sitewide content development, UX strategy, and WordPress development. Long-time partner Todd Schulte Design led the gorgeous visual design work. The new website helped CORAL break its online and general giving records for the 2021 annual campaign.

  • Board facilitation
  • Content strategy
  • Messaging
  • Positioning
  • UX Strategy
  • Values
  • WordPress development

[Confidential]

Over the course of 2021 and 2022, The Next Us worked with one of the largest and best-known investment firms in the world on a series of inter-related efforts, including vision, strategic planning, positioning and messaging, and values.

  • Messaging
  • Organizational evolution
  • Positioning
  • Strategic Planning
  • Values
  • Vision
  • Workshop Facilitation

OfferUp

The Next Us led positioning, messaging, brand voice development, and cross-channel content and editorial guidelines for this fast-growing, mobile-first P2P marketplace. OfferUp was named by Forbes to be one of the Top 5 Hottest Startups of 2015, and the company reached a $1B valuation in September 2016.

  • Brand voice
  • Content systems and training
  • Messaging
  • Positioning

Sundance Channel

The Next Us helped the Sundance Channel generate significant online buzz for its new environmental content and smartly test hypotheses about the company’s audiences and long-term growth.

The Next Us worked with Sundance Channel over a two-year period on strategic planning and digital media strategy. Highlights of this work included the company’s innovative buzz marketing efforts in Second Life, which were profiled in the Time magazine 2006 Person of the Year issue and the New York Times.

  • Buzz marketing
  • Innovation strategy
  • Strategic partnerships
  • Strategic Planning

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