Overarching Perspective
Marketing works best when ideas, strategies and tactics are intertwined under a comprehensive umbrella of unified messaging and purpose.
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Brand consistency becomes second nature – externally and internally
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Decisions about where and how to spend become much clearer
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Measurable results multiply
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Parasol Consulting helps companies like yours create and strengthen your strategic marketing umbrella. Decades of marketing leadership and know-how, innovative methodologies and no-nonsense engagements help you rapidly go from a scattered status quo to unprecedented alignment and results. Find out what Parasol can do for you.
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Better marketing begins with Parasol.
Brand Compass™
Great brand journeys begin with the right compass
Strategy
The power of insight from the outside looking in
Execution
The tactical capabilities to achieve marketing objectives
“The Brand Compass methodology was crucial in encapsulating who we are as a company, and revealed some hidden gems that are helping us rise above the dull hum created by competitors. It provided the framework for an extremely firm foundation and consistent story as we rapidly ramp our business going forward.”
- Leif Hartwig, President & CEO – Bolste
BRAND COMPASS™
No matter how technical a purchasing decision is, 95% of the decision-making process is driven by emotion. So why do B2B brands so often try to “logic” buyers to death? Great brands are balanced – rational and emotional – with both tangible and intangible attributes.
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The Brand Compass™ methodology was designed to capture the essence of a corporate or product brand in a matter of weeks, not months or years. Brand Compass ties to long-term strategy and serves as a reliable reference for everyone throughout an organization. For companies serious about making sure everyone is singing the same tune, here is your
brand hymnal.
More value. Less cost. Accelerated speed to impact. It’s the branding and messaging exercise for people who have had it with typical branding and messaging exercises.
Is your brand currently suffering from one of these common syndromes?
The Adolescent Brand
(The “Time To Grow Up” Syndrome)
Early stage companies often rely on a founder or core leadership team to define the original brand and messaging. But that only gets them so far. At some point, they need a more refined brand and a crisper messaging platform.
The Over-Thought Brand
(The Dusty 3-Ring Binder Syndrome)
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Typical brand exercises take months. And the deliverable is a 3-ring binder filled with information that never actually make it to the rest of the organization. You may have a new logo, but your messaging remains inconsistent and your binder simply collects dust.
The Antsy Brand
(The "We're Bored With It" Syndrome)
It’s been 18-24 months since your last brand tune-up. Sales are lagging a little and people think it must be because the brand is getting stale (even though research repeatedly shows that it takes customers a much longer period of time to get sick of a brand or campaign).
The Tired Brand
(The "Truly Outdated" Syndrome)
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Times have changed but your brand hasn’t. The company is seen as being out of touch or as a dinosaur. You need to make a strategic pivot and your brand needs to catch up to reflect and reinforce the new direction.
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Get Brand Compass™. Only from Parasol Consulting.
Strategy
Some consultants want to be the smartest kids in class. Frankly, we find that annoying and counter-productive. Instead, Parasol knows that its clients’ internal teams are highly informed, engaged and insightful. Parasol adds perspective informed by experience – perspective that drives break-throughs that often couldn’t have happened otherwise because the internal team was too close to the problem – and the solution. But Parasol also recognizes and leverages all of the great thinking going on within a company that may have just needed a little extra spark.
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Strategy does not occur in a vacuum. It’s a collaborative process to distill vital factors and arrive at actionable truths that will yield superior results. From refining or defining core imperatives to establishing metrics to crafting new multi-layered campaigns designed to accomplish specific goals, Parasol has the knowledge, experience and capabilities to help you get to strategies that will positively affect corporate outcomes and define destinies.
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What is your organization struggling with? How about a straight-forward, introductory call to discuss where you want to go – and how Parasol can help you get there – without all the pretense?
"Mark has a real gift for marketing strategy. He did a stellar job of leading us to understand and implement a successful strategic vision for our company. He does a great job of blending the ability to 'see what could be' with dispassionate realism. He's a rock star without the ego."
- Ric Pugmire, COO – GarageFly, Inc.
Execution
Brand and strategy can only take you so far. In the end, both are only as good as the execution. In today’s business environment of doing more with less people and resources, you need a reliable partner who can help you get the right things done. On-time. Within budget. Beyond expectations.
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With decades of experience across digital and traditional channels, and dozens of local/national/
international awards, Parasol has the know-how to develop compelling programs, campaigns and content that drive uncommon results. Having held senior leadership roles on both the advertising agency and client side of the B2B equation, Parasol has the global expertise to know what works and how to fully amplify results.
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Use Parasol Consulting for:
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Creative concepting and ideation
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Digital and traditional advertising
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Integrated, multi-touch/multi-channel lead gen campaigns
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Marketing automation strategy, persona development, content flows
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Demand gen content and programs
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Metrics and analytics
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Internal/external communications messaging
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Long-format thought leadership content creation/writing
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Board reporting, positioning, presentations
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Sales enablement tools
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Channel programs
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Marketing collateral
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Website copy writing
"Mark is an incredibly smart, strategic and creative marketing executive. All you have to do is
look at his work. Some of the best I've seen. That doesn't just happen. Smart strategy followed by focused execution."
- Bill Hankes, Founder & CEO – Sqoop, Inc.