It’s a big world, we help brands find their way around.
Every brand has its challenges, whether just starting out with big dreams and tight budgets or staring down fierce competition as an established yet no-longer-nimble brand. At Axe & Tiller we help to solve brand marketing and positioning challenges with a creative mindset. Our goal is to use our tools, talent and deep experience to deliver a unique brand positioning, strategy, or platform that is easy for the whole organization to embrace and drives business results.
Why Axe & Tiller?
First of all we’re outdoors people, we like wandering and sailing and finding things. And we wanted our organization to be a reflection of what makes us… well… us. And secondly advertising, brands, and products are often a metaphor-driven business and we said to ourselves: “Hey there’s a metaphor right there in who we are.” So the name was born.
The Axe: Sometimes you have to remove the obvious obstacles to get what you’re looking for. With an axe, you break down the biggest of challenges. When it comes to crafting insights and developing brand strategies that make a difference, we swing an axe into your market and when we hit something solid we know it.
The Tiller: And sometimes you have to find your way. Sailors know that the tiller, is also the most reliable way to set a direction and stay on course. Without proper steerage, marketers risk sailing in circles or aimlessly moving forward towards an unknown destination. Great brands can’t run on autopilot, they require hands on the tiller, so when marketplace and cultural forces change, adjustments can be made without losing site of where.
You can have all the (pie) charts in the world, but you still need to navigate.
How we get there:
We think of ourselves as a problem solvers who focus on brands and audiences. We fill in data gaps, help teams see the world through the lens of their audiences, ask the tough questions that help find and focus what a brand stands for, and figure out what comes next.
Because there is no standard brand issue, there is no standard approach to helping our clients. We come in ears first and mouth second.
Only after the problem has been identified do we dig deep into our toolkit, one that has been added to over more than 20 years of experience. If your challenge is truly unique, we’ll create a custom tool to suit the problem at hand.
Just some of the helpul tools we put to use:
Market research (quant, qual, ethnographic and everything in between)
Messaging and touchpoint audits
Brand architecture
Cultural contextualization
Competitive analysis
Brand archetype development
Case study analysis and authoring
Leadership insight and analysis
Naming development
Ideation brief development (creative, experiential, social, product)
Anyone can show you data. We’ll give you a unique point-of-view.
Brand and Industry experience.
If you have a challenge, we’re likely familiar with the ground. here are some brands we’ve guided.
Financial Services
Fidelity and Fidelity Labs
PeoplesBank
Eastern Bank
Bank Midwest
Education
Boston University
Columbia University
Berklee College of Music
City Year
Healthcare
Boston Medical Center
Partners Healthcare
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Consumer Goods
Oral-B
AXE
Right Guard
Pimacott
Beer and Spirits
Canadian Club
Coors Original
Jim Beam
Jack Daniel’s
Yuengling
Copalli Rum
Food
McDonald’s
On The Border
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Friendly’s
Publishing
Tribune Media Group
Harvard Business Review
Family
Toy State
Royal Caribbean
OTC
Alka Seltzer
Alka Seltzer Plus
Aleve
B2B
Meridium
World Business Council of Sustainable Development
Iron Mountain
Public Consulting Group
Fashion
Kamik
Talbots
Muck Boots
Non-Profit
Wide Horizons for Children
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Let’s get going.
Shoot us a note and let’s see what we can discover together.
