Why we're here
To survive and thrive in the world today, every brand has to be remarkable, regardless of the sector or category they’re in.
To be remarkable, brands need to be experience-centric and must define their entire brand experience in an inventive – yet considered – way.
When we say brand experience, we mean everything a brand does to connect with its audience – from the definition of the brand itself, to how it inspires, serves, or sells, across the entire journey and all channels.
We believe in the power of visionary thinking and bright ideas to help ambitious brands find their competitive edge, make emotional connections and grow.
Our approach
We act as the catalyst for brilliant new ideas: ideas that help create the most engaging and successful brands in the world.
To fulfill this vision, we provide insights and strategies that are simple, actionable and illuminating. Our creative ideas guide, inspire and accelerate the diverse projects we undertake.
We define problems worth solving and co-create effective briefs. We unite and engage our clients and teams to collaborate on the invention and reinvention of brands, experiences, spaces, services and enterprising new revenue streams.
As a team of strategic-creative hybrids, we integrate with D&P’s design teams across all of our projects, and work closely with our clients – in both lead and consulting roles.
We pioneer new thinking for the purpose, positioning and personality of a brand, and define how it can engage through immersive environments, inspiring narratives and digital and human interactions.
As part of our journey, we have created our own ‘Definition’ platform where any member of our creative studio can collaborate on shaping the next chapter for our clients - generating the brightest, most original ideas that will create the awareness, engagement, advocacy and growth that every brand craves.
Challenges we can address
Clients big and small, local and global, come to us with various challenges:
Through our unique approach to creative strategic direction, we provide them with solutions.
Brand invention
Over the years, we’ve invented and reinvented brands across a diverse range of markets.
We helped Korean group Shinsegae create Marie’s Baby Circle - a new baby brand in South Korea - as a hub for parents, gathering cultural and contextual insights to make sure the brand positioned and launched itself effectively in a market where most mums-to-be are first-timers with little experience and support.
Defining customer experience strategy
An actionable customer experience strategy can transform a brand and redefine its role within its sector.
Our recent work with Knight Frank has transformed the business from estate agent to a ‘vital property partner’. By conducting extensive market research, mystery shopping, shadowing and stakeholder interviews, we defined a vision for the brand that translated to a customer-centric concept that won four Golds and one Bronze award in the 2019 CXAs (Customer Experience Awards) and has revolutionised the way that Knight Frank operates as a business.
Pioneering research & insights
In crowded markets with declining customer engagement, brands must define audience needs and look out-of-sector for ideas and inspiration.
Volkswagen were struggling with a dip in consumer interest. Through research and insights, we identified that human stories beat tech specifications and explored ways for Volkswagen to put the joy back into car ownership, creating a brand experience that reminds customers about the fun side of owning a car, and moving away from driving performance cliches.
We also worked with Nike on their next generation of retail, redefining their urban audience and inventing an innovative new platform for on-demand, on-trend, and localised retail.
Revolutionising sectors
We love helping brands think outside the box and redefine their sector.
We helped Nationwide stand apart from the tired-old banks and embark on their journey of ‘building society, nationwide’. The market was missing a brand experience with a community-feel that took the stress and anxiety out of money management. Our strategic direction steered the brand towards a vision of being a ‘thriving connected community’ - and whilst bank branches across the country are closing, Nationwide is growing its presence, with branches acting as living billboards that increase market share and advocacy as a result.
We also helped O2 stand out in a crowded sector of commoditised competitors that have, arguably, only been differentiated by brand image and ad-campaigns. The 'Home of Connections' for O2 was an inventive brand experience concept that achieved its goal to become the UK's most-loved network, whilst future-proofing the business with new revenue streams and a better, more localised customer experience.
New experience concepts
Brands need to be increasingly inventive to stand out in crowded markets. Brands who make life easier and more fun will be the brands that thrive in the new economy. We worked with Google to help create the Google Digital Garage. This novel new concept helps the nation develop digital skills - from simply sending an email, to coding a new platform - and it’s completely free. We helped define the experience concept, from the audience needs, the journey, the narrative and ultimately the successful brand home where communities meet and knowledge is shared.
We've worked with many brands on their bold, differentiating experience offer, including Johnnie Walker, Lululemon, Missguided, Primark, Mamas & Papas, and Boots. Every project has its own unique challenges but share a consistent approach that blends insight, strategy and new ideas.
And that's us!
At D&P we believe that to survive and thrive in the world today, all brands need to insightful and inventive across the entire brand experience – defining the brand purpose, personality, places, processes, people and products. This holistic approach helps our clients create the most engaging and successful brands in the world. If this is something you'd like to do, please get in touch.
