Our backgrounds are in the most sophisticated, successful clients and agencies, and we have worked on some of the most commercially successful and creatively admired brands of recent times:
Whether our clients are like that themselves, or whether their circumstances prevent them achieving those levels, we try and bring that background to bear on all our clients’ businesses.
Above: The Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin. The unusual venue of a conference we presented at recently. Great to look at, but the echo and the rain drumming on the roof didn’t make it a perfect venue. But very enjoyable all the same.
We are informal and collaborative:
We do want to add real value and so we will make clear what we believe is right but we accept that decisions are ultimately our clients decisions and so we won’t fall out if we disagree.
We see no substitute for knowledge of the best methods, rigour, and intrinsic ability:
Therefore, as a general rule we don’t like many of the proprietary models that are so popular in our world. Particularly those that dictate methodology. (And especially those that are followed by ‘TM’!)
But you will find us using one or two of a different sort on occasion. An example is HERE
Similarly we see many consultancies whose backgrounds are in one sector and they now operate in that one sector. Particularly if that sector is one that doesn’t have access to, or can’t afford the best methods: that can’t enable them to offer the best available advice, as their knowledge must be limited. We have a competitor who is specialist in one sector who describes one of the owners as ‘one of the UK’s leading authorities’ on a variety of strategic issues. They don’t have any experience or profile outside their sector and are by no means one of the UK’s leading authorities on the subjects described. But they probably do believe their claim.
To quote one industry expert:
Marketing is one of those sectors where specialism is a weakness: it’s a euphemism for limited knowledge
Our output is practical and actionable, not strategic theory:
We don’t believe that the strategy document is an end in itself. The target audience never sees our documents or research debriefs. They only see the executional consequences, which may be good, bad, or something in between. Our experience in former lives of managing brands in all their aspects and of developing communications in agencies means we are able to offer informed opinion and advice on the executional consequences of our strategy and research.
We want our clients businesses and brands to improve as a result of what we do for them. We’ll provide the inspiration for your brands to make them distinct and relevant. Inspiration that will be actionable and business building. You can find out a bit more about what we think on the homepage: ‘Why are you called Muse?’
Examples of our work
(Click on the image to find out more)
NESTLE
Nestle impress us. Of the multinational FMCG businesses it is the most flexible and adaptable, maybe along with Pernod-Ricard.
We were appointed to identify portfolio priorities and define key brand propositions.
MINETTE WALTERS
Our first publishing project.
Defining audience, brand, and communications plan.
Very successful.
STELLA ARTOIS
Stella Artois has long been one of Britain’s most successful beer brands. But it hasn’t always been plane sailing. It has gone through several periods of decline.
We got involved during the last one. A repositioning was planned. The ad agency wasn’t sure that was right. They suggested we have a look.
V&A
Big initiatives hadn’t resulted in big growth in visitor numbers.
We were appointed to find out why and propose actions.
About the title image:
The French Protestant Church of London (Église Protestante Française de Londres) is a Huguenot Protestant church in Soho Square.
It was founded by King Edward VI in 1550 and is the only remaining Huguenot church in London. There were once 23.
Soho is a place of religious diversity. On the opposite side of Soho Square from the French Protestant Church is St Patrick Roman Catholic Church, once the home of Casanova’s lover, Mrs Cornelys, and their daughter was conceived there. The Hare Krishna temple is nearby and there is a small Mosque on Berwick St.