Strategic marketing agency in Milan Strategy & Advisory

Research: market, competitors, audience and brand

• Market analysis. Size, trends, sales channels and habits of the market you work in or want to enter. You get a picture of where there is room and where competition is already crowded.
• Competitor analysis. We study the market and your direct competitors to find where the brand can stand out. You get a map of how they present themselves, what they promise, who they talk to and where they invest.
• Brand audit. An analysis of the existing brand: how it is perceived, how it communicates and where it is inconsistent, before deciding the strategy. You get its strengths, the inconsistencies between channels and the priorities to act on.
• Consumer analysis. Who buys, how they buy and which media they use, with the reasons that lead them to choose or walk away. You get concrete audience profiles for the people who write the messages and plan the media.
• Audience strategy. Which audience segments to put first, which come second and what to say to each, so the budget is not spread thin trying to talk to everyone.
• Customer journey. The customer’s path from first contact to purchase, and the points where people drop off. You get a map of the stages and touchpoints, to decide where to act with content, the website or campaigns.

Brand strategy and positioning

• Brand strategy. What the brand stands for, for whom and how it is different. You get a document with the brand’s vision, values, personality and promise, which guides identity, content and campaigns.
• Positioning and key message. What the brand has to say and why people should choose it: it is also the basis for the brand identity.
• Value proposition. The concrete benefit you offer, to whom and why it beats the alternatives, written in a few sentences that sales, the website and campaigns can use as they are.
• Brand transformation. When the company changes (a merger, a new market, a new offer) and the brand has to change with it. We decide what to keep and what to drop, and see the rebranding programme through, from positioning to the new visual identity.

Plans: launch, marketing and communication

• Go-to-market and launch strategy. For a new brand, a new product or a move into a new market. You get the launch plan: starting audience, messages, sales and communication channels and the order of activities.
• Marketing plan and channels. Channels, activities, timing and measurable goals, the starting point for campaigns and for the work on the website and social media.
• Communication strategy. What to say, in what tone, on which media and in what order. It is the brief for social content and visibility on Google and in AI answer engines.
• Campaign strategy. Goal, audience, idea, media and budget of each campaign, decided before it is produced. Media planning is part of ADV and media, photo and video of production.
• Metrics and measurement. The indicators used to assess results and adjust the plan along the way. You get a KPI framework: which numbers to watch for each goal, which tools they come from and how often to check them.

Ongoing consulting and brand consistency

• Strategy workshops. Working sessions with your team to define goals, audience and positioning together. At the end you get a document with the decisions taken and the open points.
• Ongoing consulting for management. Month-by-month support beyond a single project, to follow the plan and adjust it, with an outside partner for marketing and brand decisions.
• Brand consistency over time. The guidelines applied across every channel and supplier: we review materials, the website, social media and stores and flag what to fix, so the brand stays recognisable even when many people work on it.
• Implementation and rollout. When a new strategy or identity arrives, we plan the order in which to update materials, channels and suppliers, and prepare the instructions for those who have to apply it.
• Brand review. A periodic check of positioning, messages and results, to decide what to keep and what to update before the brand loses strength.

Brand strategy, brand audit and go-to-market: short answers

What is a brand strategy?

A brand strategy is the plan that sets out what a brand stands for, who it is for and how it differs from competitors. It defines the brand’s vision, values, positioning, promise and personality. It is not the logo or a campaign: it is the base for the visual identity, tone of voice, content and communication choices, and it keeps those decisions consistent over time.

What’s the difference between marketing strategy and brand strategy?

Brand strategy decides who the brand is: what it promises, to whom and with what personality. Marketing strategy decides how to take it to market: which audiences to reach, with which products, channels, budget and measurable goals. The first rarely changes and holds for years; the second is updated more often, as the market moves. They work best when designed together, starting from the brand.

What is a brand audit?

A brand audit is an assessment of an existing brand. It looks at how the audience perceives it, how it communicates across channels, how it compares with competitors and where its materials contradict each other. The result is a picture of strengths and weaknesses, with the priorities to tackle first before a new strategy or a rebrand.

What is a go-to-market plan?

A go-to-market plan describes how a new product, a new brand or an existing offer reaches a market. It sets the launch audience, the positioning and message, the sales and communication channels, the order of the launch activities and the metrics that show whether it is working. It lets you launch in a clear sequence instead of trying everything at once.

Marketing strategy projects

We built the marketing strategy for Locanda Italia, HC9 and Boston. In all three cases the work didn’t stop at the plan: we also handled the brand identity, graphics and campaigns.

How we work

1. Discussion. Listening and briefing: we learn the company’s goals, budget and constraints.
2. Analysis. We study the market, the competitors and the audience to find the space where the brand can stand out.
3. Plan. We put positioning, messages, channels and timing in writing, along with the metrics to keep an eye on.
4. Support. If you ask us to, we follow the roll-out with you and your suppliers, track the metrics and adjust the plan.

What you get

• An analysis of the market and of your direct competitors.
• A profile of your audience: who they are, how they buy, which media they use.
• Your brand positioning and key message.
• The plan: channels, activities, timing and measurable goals.
• The indicators to track results and adjust the plan along the way.
• The brand strategy and value proposition, when the project includes them.
• The customer journey map and the go-to-market plan for a launch.
• With ongoing consulting: regular meetings, plan reviews and checks on brand consistency.

When you need it

• You are launching a new brand or product.
• You are entering a new market.
• Your communication costs money but does not deliver the results you expected.
• The company is changing (a merger, a new offer, a rebrand) and the brand has to follow.
• You work with many suppliers and channels and the brand no longer looks the same everywhere.

Who it is for: companies large and small that need to decide whom to talk to and where, before spending on creative work and media, and management teams looking for an outside partner for marketing and brand decisions.

Marketing strategy FAQ