Focus On Brand

Cuttlesoft is a creative product development agency crafting beautifully designed and highly scalable software solutions. We kicked off our work together in November of 2020, after Cuttlesoft realized the limitations of their previous brand. Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with Cuttlesoft co-founders Emily Morehouse and Frank Valcarcel about their rebrand and the challenges of balancing your opini...

The Audience Messaging Framework is a jumping-off point for all the stories a brand can tell. But importantly, and maybe surprisingly, it doesn’t include any actual messages themselves. So what is it? In today's episode, brand writer Sebastian Fryer tackles exactly that question in his article, “What Is the Audience Messaging Framework and How Do I Use It?" - Focus Lab is an established B2B brand...

We had to opportunity to chat with Tango's CEO Ken Babcock about the Tango rebrand several months ago, but this time around we're focusing on the why. Tango invested in their brand before their product launch - a novel strategy for lean startups - and saw unexpected positive returns on their growth. Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with Tango co-founder Daniel Giovacchini about our work together an...

In the Debrief, we ask past clients about their experiences going through a rebrand: the surprises, the learnings, the challenges. At the end of each episode we ask "If you had one piece of advice for someone considering going through a rebrand, what would it be?" Here are their answers. Featuring excerpts from our Debrief episodes with Kion, Locally, Marketo, Tango, Salesloft, Luminate, and Focus...

What's the purpose of a purpose statement? Because purpose statements are so powerful, they're vulnerable to bloat and buzzwordery. Focus Lab's Genina Ramirez reads, "How to Write a Purpose Statement That Actually Matters" by brand writer Idoia Gkikas. - Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in brand...

Focus on Brand is the podcast from Focus Lab - a global B2B brand agency with over a decade of insights to share. Our weekly-ish episodes range from quick digestible readings of our blogs, interviews with Focus Lab team members — aka our boots-on-the-ground brand experts — and unfiltered honest conversations with our past clients, giving them the opportunity to share their rebrand experiences; fro...

As the #1 Sales Engagement solution in the market, Salesloft is beloved by its users, but the previous brand lacked energy and prominence. It was time for the world to immediately understand its distinction. Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with former Salesloft CMO Sydney Sloan about our work together and how you can never invest too early. And this episode marks the end of Season 2! We're taking...

Skinny jeans are out, or are they back in? Trends are common in fashion, but trends ripple through the world of design and brand too. This week on 10 Minutes On Brand, Focus Lab’s Will Straughn and design director Natalie Kent chat about trends they've noticed in the world of branding lately. - Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful c...

Formerly P-MRC Data, Luminate approached Focus Lab as it was undergoing a reorganization and rapid growth. The previous brand portfolio lacked meaning and was scattered across legacy and adjacent brands, and the future identity needed to be direct, memorable, and future-facing. Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with Luminate CEO Rob Jonas about our work together and the importance of a good foundati...

We all want to have the winning formula. For those going through a rebrand (and in most other competitive environments), it's crucial to know who else is competing. Knowing where you fit among direct and indirect competitors can help you win customers and brand loyalty. Focus Lab's Genina Ramirez reads, "How To Identify Your Competitive Landscape" by brand strategists Jason Garvale and Anna Beyerl...

We frequently encounter people with different definitions of a “rebrand” and a “brand refresh.” At Focus Lab, a rebrand involves significant changes to your brand and is often appropriate when something has shifted within your business, ie. you’re targeting a new customer, breaking into a new market, repositioning, etc. Whereas a refresh is a more of an evolution of your existing brand elements. T...

Over a year ago, Focus Lab embarked on a rebrand. As a branding agency that's handled hundreds of rebrands for our clients, we had a lot of thoughts. In this episode of the Debrief, Genina Ramirez sits down with our three partners — Bill Kenney, Erik Reagan, and Will Straughn — to talk through the project, the hurdles we faced, and how everyone's feeling a year out. Check out our case study to see...

Traversing hundreds of clients over 12 years in the branding space, we’ve experienced the mission-critical importance of defining a key leadership role within each rebrand project. At Focus Lab, we call this mission-critical role the “Driver.” Focus Lab's Genina Ramirez reads, "Who's Driving Your Rebrand by Bill Kenney." This article was originally published on BrandersMagazine.com on Februar...

It's a special Halloween episode of 10 Minutes on Brand! And what keeps a brand agency up at night? Brand launches gone awry. Focus Lab’s Will Straughn and Bill Kenney discuss some infamous brand launches and how to get through it.   0:00 - Intro 0:57 - Brand Leaks 4:13 - Public Pushback 8:11 - Logo Comparisons   The ground rules for 10 Minutes On Brand are simple: we'll discuss one spec...

Branding is a critical aspect of any business. It’s how you communicate the unique value that your product or service offers to your customers. It’s what makes you stand out from the competition and drives customer loyalty. When done right, branding can make or break a company—especially during an economic downturn when everyone’s spending is down or being more closely scrutinized. Focus Lab'...

Locally helps connect local retailers with online shoppers. After roughly seven years in business, the brand had become disjointed and lacked scalability. Focus Lab worked with Locally on their rebrand to prepare them for that next phase of growth. Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with Locally Founder and CEO Mike Massey about our work together and how the final direction almost didn't make it pass...

A recession is the time to buckle down and invest in the foundation of your company—your brand—so you can take full advantage of the brighter skies ahead. Focus Lab's Genina Ramirez reads, " How Your Brand Can Build Resilience During a Recession by Bill Kenney ." This article was originally published on Fast Company on August 25, 2022. - Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes,...

We speak to many B2B startups in early funding stages, and we hear one question time and time again: “Is now the right time to make the investment in my brand?” Truth be told, there is no prescriptive, one-size-fits-all answer. But we have a few points of consideration to help determine if your organization should invest in branding sooner rather than later. Focus Lab's Dahlia Arado Lilleslåtten r...

This week on 10 Minutes On Brand, Focus Lab’s Will Straughn and brand strategist Haley Bridges chat about brand attributes. Brand attributes are the traits that guide our work towards a true manifestation of our clients’ identities.   0:00 - Intro 0:54 - What are brand attributes? 1:22 - How do we use them as part of our branding process at Focus Lab? 4:10 - What makes for an effective attrib...

Archetypes are iconic narratives representing a prevailing experience, developed by psychologist Carl Jung. This week on 10 Minutes On Brand, Focus Lab’s Will Straughn and brand writer Idoia Gkikas discuss archetypes as they apply to brands.    0:00 - Intro 0:58 - What are brand archetypes? 1:51 - Do we help our clients land on what their archetypes should be? 2:42 - What are some exampl...

Rebrands are an exciting time for a company and employees are going to be particularly invested. When is the right time to share a rebrand with the internal team? This week on 10 Minutes On Brand, Focus Lab’s Will Straughn and Project Management Director Charisse Bennet discuss the internal brand launch.   0:00 - Intro 0:57 - When should a company let their employees know they're going throug...

This week on 10 Minutes On Brand, Focus Lab’s Will Straughn and Devin Richards chat about Focus Lab's new division specifically tailored to branding early-stage B2B companies. Start-ups, angel, seed, and pre-seed stage B2B technology companies have specific challenges and opportunities when it comes to a branding project.    - Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, w...

People expect utility from products, but they look for connections from brands. Luckily, one thing that already exists at every company is its essence, ethos – those seeds of personality that feel individual. We call them brand attributes. Focus Lab brand strategist Haley Bridges reads her article, "Brand Attributes: Quality Ingredients for Your Identity." - Focus Lab is an established B2B br...

Welcome to Focus Fireside; a series where we sit down with a Focus Lab team member to learn more about their role, their perspective on branding, and important lessons they’ve learned. Today Genina Ramirez, the Business Development Manager here at Focus Lab, chats with Brand Writer Wade Livingston. - Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most succes...

This week on 10 Minutes On Brand, Focus Lab’s Will Straughn and Shabnam Gideon chat about a big topic in creative communities: market research. When is market research helpful during a branding project, and why doesn't Focus Lab do focus groups?   0:00 Intro 0:35 What does "market research" mean? 3:37 Why does Focus Lab not do market research during branding engagements?    7:40 Any...