WHAT WE DO

We are a strategic consultancy that specialises in helping businesses establish a leadership position through leveraging the power of their brand.

We work across all aspects of brand development including strategy, architecture, identity, product development, brand based initiatives, content, communications, leadership and culture. Our experience spans a wide range of sectors including retail, property, health, fashion, music, philanthropy, education, sport, finance and politics.

Alongside the consulting work we do we are involved in a range of ventures, research initiatives and voluntary projects in sectors including retail, leisure and property development.  The work we do here gives us experience and learning that feeds our consultancy practice and vice-versa.

GET IN FRONT, STAY IN FRONT
“Get in front, stay in front” is an emblem inspired by Aesop’s story of the tortoise and the hare, designed to capture the spirit of the two aspects of thinking we believe need to combine for companies to successfully lead through leveraging their brand.

GET IN FRONT

The “Get in front” aspect of the task of brand development is relatively quick. It is represented by the hare. It’s outwardly focused, it’s ambitious, it’s energetic, it’s entrepreneurial, it’s visionary, it’s fun! It’s about looking at the landscape, identifying your strengths, setting the goals, developing the products, having the ideas, knowing where your edge is: figuring out what kind of race you want to run and on what terms you want to win.

STAY IN FRONT

Once out in front, there is no time for complacency (we know what happens to the hare). Businesses need more than than a robust plan, a well thought through brand and some good quality products in order to sustain their lead: they also need a culture that is capable of maintaining the energy and momentum required to keep up the pace within a constantly shifting landscape.   The work required to “Stay in Front” (represented by the tortoise) is less visible, more intangible, more inward looking and less ‘exciting’ on the face of it…but if you’ve read the story…you know who wins.

SERVICES (& DEFINITIONS)

Below are some of the strategic services we offer and our definitions of these terms.

BRAND DEVELOPMENT

The task of creating and/or nurturing the intellectual and philosophical DNA of the organisation: responsible for driving culture, behaviours, ideas, product development & communications.

In the process of brand development, this thinking is then typically distilled into a ‘platform’ that expresses what the business wants to be known for and understood as – either within their sector or society at large – together with a core set of values, hallmarks, principles and behaviours that can help to embed that idea culturally within the organisation.

BRAND ARCHITECTURE

The system you use in order to structure your offer(s) to the market in order to facilitate effective navigation by your customers.

The ‘right’ brand architecture system should give a company the freedom to develop its business in an entrepreneurial manner (adding new products, going after new markets, etc), leveraging its existing brand equity to grow, whilst maintaining an overall coherence that protects the value of its existing brands.

BRAND IDENTITY

The elements (name, logo, colours, fonts, graphics, imagery style, content, messaging, tone of voice, etc) that together reflect, symbolise and help to communicate the platform and give cues to what you stand for and want to be known for.

The process for creating these elements considers a combination of what is ‘true’ of that organisation and its DNA, together with what is attractive to the target audience.

BRAND EVIDENCE

What a company is ‘doing’ as well as what it is ‘saying’ to support the brand values, ethos and spirit it wants to be known for. 

There needs to be real evidence of the philosophical position, values and ideas the company holds – born out through the products, activities and brand-led initiatives it develops – to result in the company being able to lead through the brand and genuinely stand for something in the minds of its audiences.

A PLATFORM FOR COLLABORATION

Adventure projects require skills sets and knowledge to be drawn from a diverse range of disciplines including research, strategy, planning, writing, design, product development, culture change, leadership and more.  No two projects are the same and the team selection each time must be ‘tuned’ towards the specific task in hand.  We believe in true collaboration as the way to answer problems – both with our clients and our own network of specialists. Adventure acts as the platform that brings everyone together, combining our own skillsets with our clients and their existing agencies skillsets, and then supporting that team through our network of specialist partners to create the blended expertise needed for each project.

FOUNDER BIO: LOU DAWSON

Lou is the founder of Adventure and has spent more than twenty five years as a consultant working with large organisations including Nike, Orange, Nationwide and Channel 4, as well as smaller, privately owned businesses, start ups, not for profits and campaigning organisations.  She leads the consulting offer at Adventure (in collaboration with many others) she is co-founder of Hollow Rocks, a sports and social club and co-founder of Neighbourhood, a development innovation company.  She is a qualified community mediator and ‘equine facilitated learning’ coach, and researches horse and herd behaviour.  Her training and experience here influences many of her ideas.

WHY THE NAME ADVENTURE

“Adventure” is a word that captures the idea of embracing the unknown in a positive and exciting way. Our work is about setting out on journeys together with others to find the answers as we go along, adapting and evolving what we think, or thought we knew, in light of new information.  There is a lot of pressure on people in business generally to appear to have all the answers, to stick to a plan, to always know what to do. In reality, the context is always changing, ideas are always evolving, culture is always developing. It’s not really possible to ‘know’ or to chart an exact course, but experience will guide you and together with others, you will find the way… (and as with any adventure, it’s the element of the unknown that is what makes it fun).

ENDORSEMENTS

“Insightful, incisive and intelligent: a perfect mix of foresight and pragmatism”.

JEZ FRAMPTON

Former Global CEO, Interbrand

“Lou is a pioneer who understood the need for companies to evolve immediately, embrace disruption, lead with values and think differently long before these concepts became fashionable. Her honesty, passion, vision and ability to think big and small are refreshing. She doesn’t think “out of the box”; her strength is that she has always looked at the box from the outside, and created ropes to get others out of the box and into the future. I’m obviously a huge fan”.

SETH ELLISON

Former President, Levis Europe & VP, Nike Inc.

“From my first meeting with Lou 20 years ago when she was a junior exec at Nike, I could see her intuitive marketing approach, ahead of anyone in her team and most of her superiors. Her ideas have always been unique and consumer driven and have been proven to work multiple times for various companies”.

LINDSEY HAYES

Former VP, Nike Europe & VP, Timberland

D&AD award for advertising

Campaign Big award for live events

Architectural award (with Neighbourhood)