Brand today is more than just design—it involves a deliberate approach to relationship-building that:

Produces clear business results
Informs every interaction with the outside world
Coordinates action across multiple internal functions and departments
Grows proactively as your business grows

A clear brand strategy helps organizations:

Maximize customer and stakeholder relationships
Right-size investments for short- and long-term benefit
Determine with certainty when to refresh or change a brand
Measure the success of brand-related activities
Balance brand concerns with other business concerns
Maximize brand assets (e.g., a high-profile CEO) most effectively
Anticipate brand backlash
Repair trust

We take the mystery out of brand-building and help organizations invest money wisely and align teams successfully so that your brand becomes a strategic business asset—not an expensive hobby or pure leap of faith.

Case studies

Brand voice Consulting CMO Content systems and training Creative direction Marketing strategy Positioning and messaging Website redesign

Small Magic

The Next Us worked with Small Magic (formerly Birmingham Talks) for a 4-year engagement on positioning, marketing and communications strategy, development strategy, internal capacity development, and brand. For the renaming and relaunch of the brand 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. The Next Us also assisted Small Magic with functional management of marketing and the optimization and integration of key operational systems including Asana, Salesforce, Slack, and ChatGPT.

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

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 six 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 Community 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: Asana, WordPress, Classy, Slack, Constant Contact, Salesforce NPSP, ChatGPT, iWave

Brand voice Content systems and training Messaging Positioning

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 strategy Innovation methodology Purpose and vision

Leapfrog Toys

The Next Us helped this beloved educational brand articulate a vision as bright as its past, and deliver strongly against that vision.

In 2007, Leapfrog had many successes to celebrate. But the electronic educational toys space the company once pioneered was now rapidly changing, with new technologies, market entrants, and consumer expectations. Over a two-year period, The Next Us worked with the Leapfrog executive team and across business units to revitalize its consumer value proposition. The long-term bets made during this project were re-evaluated three years later, and all were found to be fully correct and successful.

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

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 positioning Campaign design Consulting CMO Creative direction Marketing strategy Merchandizing Messaging Product UX design

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.

Scale good.

Write away.