A meaningful brand story for a public relations expert
From uncertain to elevated: Creating an inspirational vision for the future
Tiffany Eurich is a gifted public relations expert who, after many years of experience in the corporate and academic world, took the leap into entrepreneurship. But after two years of growing her client base and suite of services, she was feeling stalled and a little worn out. Her long-term strategy didn't feel sustainable, and the spark she’d begun with had gotten lost in the hustle.
Our goal for her Brand Retreat Day was to give her a crystal clear vision for the future of her brand — one that would reignite her passion for her work, focus her decision-making, and speed up her progress towards her business goals. With that in place, we wanted to translate that vision into key brand messages and visual direction that would elevate Tiffany's brand and allow her to connect with clients in a deeper and more meaningful way.
And we wanted to do it all in a day. Keep reading to see how we got on!
Services
Brand Retreat Day
Strategy
Messaging
Creative Direction
Strategy
As we poured our first coffees it quickly became clear that while Tiffany is deeply passionate about using her extensive PR expertise to help entrepreneurs tell their story, her sense of purpose was getting lost under the weight of day-to-day decision-making and project management. Our first order of business for the day was to re-establish a sense of clarity around her goals and mission, narrow in on a focused target audience that she was excited to serve and help, and better understand what sets her apart from other PR pros in a competitive online space.
Tiffany combines genuine warmth, kindness and empathy with a deep commitment to excellent work (Exhibit A: she has a PhD!) and a desire to help her clients be recognized for their expertise and accomplishments. We identified her dream clients as entrepreneurial thought leaders ready to tell a bigger story on a bigger stage — a perfect fit for her "never settle" approach and belief that high-quality PR should be accessible and sustainable for small businesses.
As we layered in Tiffany's teaching and media training background (a big differentiator for her), her brand's core narrative and position became clear: sustainable and transformative PR strategy, training and consulting that transforms brands from best-kept secret to in-demand expert. This approach weaves training and teaching into the DNA of her services, maximizing her educator skillset and focusing her efforts on clients who want to learn about PR, not just outsource it.
The transformation here didn't come through a massive pivot or shift. Instead, we focused in further on what was already there, clarifying the elements that were unique to Tiffany's experience and perspective on how PR should make a difference for her ideal clients so she could let go of everything else. That deeper sense of focus and purpose infused meaning into her strategy. The next step was to transfer that meaning into her brand message.
Messaging
Having a short, clear set of documents that capture what you are all about on paper is so essential to consistent implementation across your brand. It means you're not constantly reinventing the wheel when it comes to your messaging, and it allows you to hand it off to team members or contractors so that they can get up to speed on your brand quickly.
I spent the bulk of the afternoon focused on translating Tiffany's refined strategy into a set of clear messages that she would be able to use in her marketing and refer to on a daily basis. These were:
An elevator pitch / “about me” statement that captured the heart behind Tiffany's brand, her vision for her clients, and why they should choose her as their public relations partner and strategist.
An audience profile that captured the insights we'd uncovered that morning, identifying their deepest needs and articulating the transformative benefits of her work on their behalf.
A brand personality and voice brief to help her connect consistently and effectively with her target audience.
Creative Direction
Before the day ended, I incorporated high-level creative direction on how Tiffany's brand strategy and message could be extended through her visual brand identity going forward. The question is always, how does this brand need to feel for the perfect client or customer to take notice? My goal at this stage is to provide a short brief that connects any design projects back to strategic objectives without being overly restrictive or limiting creativity on the part of any designers or photographers who will be working with the brand.
In this case, deep emerald and navy are a beautiful reflection of Tiffany's expertise and confidence, while subtle textures and gold accents add a luxe touch that speak to her warmth and elegance. The feeling is timeless and sophisticated, but also joyful and welcoming — just like her.
Final words
Brand Retreat Days are about stepping back — away from the rush of the day-to-day grind — but also about focusing in. They're equal parts vision-setting and practical action, and in this case it was just what Tiffany needed to re-ignite the spark that inspired her to take the leap into entrepreneurship to begin with. I've shared her kind feedback from the end of our day below, and I'm so excited to see where she takes her brand in the future!
“I was walking around in circles beating my head against a wall, and now I’m walking away feeling like a million dollar brand. You’ve helped me see what my brand could be and what has been itching to get out all along. It takes the pressure off my shoulders to try to do and be all things to all people, and has profoundly simplified my marketing strategy going forward. Thank you!!”
