Right Brand, Wrong Problem
Right Brand, Wrong Problem
Right Brand, Wrong Problem
Role / Title
VP, Creative Ops & Special Projects
Company
Retrospect
Industry
Consulting
Year
2023
Project
Refresh & Market Extension
Role / Title
VP, Creative Ops & Special Projects
Company
Retrospect
Industry
Consulting
Year
2023
Project
Refresh & Market Extension
Role / Title
VP, Creative Ops & Special Projects
Company
Retrospect
Industry
Consulting
Year
2023
Project
Refresh & Market Extension
Execs wanted the rebrand. But it wasn't going to fix the sales process underneath it.
Retrospect is a Black-owned creative agency built by two founders, running brand strategy and creative operations for outside clients. It was scaling past founder-led, ad hoc processes into an operation that needed real systems to match its growth.
Retrospect was evolving, with an expanded leadership team, new services, and a shift in market positioning already underway. I stepped in as operating lead second to the two founders and led the rebrand end to end, from strategy and positioning through creative execution and go-to-market.
01.
Context
Retrospect had real work and real relationships, but positioning that reads as a small, founder-led shop doesn't win larger clients, regardless of the work behind it. The founders brought me on to lead a full rebrand and repositioning (credibility as much as identity) so Retrospect could compete for bigger business than it had been able to before.
02.
Problem
Getting the rebrand right wasn't the hard part. For a company still closing most of its business through inbound and founder relationships, a stronger identity was not going to be the highest-leverage fix. The real constraint was the sales process itself, no system for converting the credibility a better brand would generate into signed business.
03.
How I Moved the Org
I led the rebrand end to end: brand strategy and positioning, full creative direction, and the go-to-market work that carried it to launch. The founders were happy with the result, and sales conversations did pick up afterward (more inbound interest, more credibility in the room). But ultimately, a stronger brand doesn't fix a broken sales process. I said so at the time. The real leverage point wasn't the identity but what happened after someone showed interest. Retrospect laid off its team within six months of rebrand launching, and it was an incredible learning experience for me.
01.
Context
Retrospect had real work and real relationships, but positioning that reads as a small, founder-led shop doesn't win larger clients, regardless of the work behind it. The founders brought me on to lead a full rebrand and repositioning (credibility as much as identity) so Retrospect could compete for bigger business than it had been able to before.
02.
Problem
Getting the rebrand right wasn't the hard part. For a company still closing most of its business through inbound and founder relationships, a stronger identity was not going to be the highest-leverage fix. The real constraint was the sales process itself, no system for converting the credibility a better brand would generate into signed business.
03.
How I Moved the Org
I led the rebrand end to end: brand strategy and positioning, full creative direction, and the go-to-market work that carried it to launch. The founders were happy with the result, and sales conversations did pick up afterward (more inbound interest, more credibility in the room). But ultimately, a stronger brand doesn't fix a broken sales process. I said so at the time. The real leverage point wasn't the identity but what happened after someone showed interest. Retrospect laid off its team within six months of rebrand launching, and it was an incredible learning experience for me.
01.
Context
Retrospect had real work and real relationships, but positioning that reads as a small, founder-led shop doesn't win larger clients, regardless of the work behind it. The founders brought me on to lead a full rebrand and repositioning (credibility as much as identity) so Retrospect could compete for bigger business than it had been able to before.
02.
Problem
Getting the rebrand right wasn't the hard part. For a company still closing most of its business through inbound and founder relationships, a stronger identity was not going to be the highest-leverage fix. The real constraint was the sales process itself, no system for converting the credibility a better brand would generate into signed business.
03.
How I Moved the Org
I led the rebrand end to end: brand strategy and positioning, full creative direction, and the go-to-market work that carried it to launch. The founders were happy with the result, and sales conversations did pick up afterward (more inbound interest, more credibility in the room). But ultimately, a stronger brand doesn't fix a broken sales process. I said so at the time. The real leverage point wasn't the identity but what happened after someone showed interest. Retrospect laid off its team within six months of rebrand launching, and it was an incredible learning experience for me.
