Designed to uncover ways to maximise brand ROI.
How can we test your current and future strategies? Let’s talk.
A unique platform for evaluating brands as a means for determining resource allocation.
Emerging from a history of successful brand transformations, Lab was born to aid organisations in finding clarity at a time when investment in business change is necessary, but are uncertain where to begin.
How Lab works
Strategy workshop.
A roundtable workshop with our brand strategy team.
By following our tried and tested process, our brand strategy team conducts a two-hour workshop to extract the information that truly matters to the success of your brand and organisation.
Survey insights.
Insights from key stakeholders via tailored brand surveys.
Your leadership team won’t have all the answers, that’s why it’s important to gain valuable insights from additional stakeholders including your board, your team and at times, your customers.
Deep assessment.
An internal cross-disciplinary analysis of our findings.
Our team will carefully analyse and assess not only the results of the workshop but theorise potential strategic scenarios for your brand across multiple performance metrics.
Roadmap report.
An unbiased, zero-obligation brand report and roadmap.
The culmination of our research is provided in a detailed, customised performance report outlining insights, opportunities and future recommendations on how best to strengthen and grow your brand.
Lab agenda
Workshop programme and timeline.
Discover the key steps and phases involved in the workshop process.
Planning
The first phase in the workshop journey introduces you and your team to the broader strategic process, helps plan and structure your objectives, and then answers any questions along the way.
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Video call | 15 mins
Before we can get started, we need to select a suitable workshop for you and your brand, so over a quick Zoom call, we’ll introduce the products you can choose from and agree on the best path to take. Ensuring the selected workshop aligns with your goals and budget criteria is crucial to a successful outcome, so we’ll answer any questions or concerns you may have along the way. Once decided, we’ll engage in a sign-off, and the process will begin. -
Video call | 30 mins
Congratulations! You’re signed off and ready to go. The next step is to delve deeper into your brand and organisational objectives. We’ll schedule a Zoom meeting to discuss your company’s present standing to better understand the context of your brand’s current position. This meeting aims to uncover anticipated pain points to help us tailor a customised framework for your workshop. Doing so will help us address potential solution pathways and sharpen our approach. -
Video call | 30 mins
Having explored your goals and objectives in detail, we take the conversation in-house and expand on them further to develop a workshop framework best suited to your needs. We carefully evaluate the topics and questions relevant to your situation, particularly those that will unearth the answers required to shape our recommendations. With the optimal framework in place, we arrange a final Zoom meeting to share and approve our proposed approach.
Workshop
In the second phase, we conduct a deep examination of your brand in a workshop format, build strategic scenarios in light of your responses and present our conclusion via a roadmap.
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In-person | 2 to 3 hours
Welcome to the workshop! Here, we delve into the particulars to help assist in crafting actionable strategies for your brand and organisation. Often conducted in person, this meeting tackles a wide range of thought-provoking topics in a roundtable format. Our questions are intended to ignite rich discussion rather than provide definite answers. Amidst these conversations, crucial insights about your brand, personnel, customers, and competitive landscape are unveiled. Typically spanning two to three hours, our workshops are designed to facilitate deep exploration. -
Questionnaire | 30 to 60 mins
At times, valuable insights still remain unexplored after our workshops. To bridge this gap, we often send tailored surveys to leadership teams and staff to complete. Surveys are essential in providing unique data to help validate discussions and enhance our grasp of organisational hurdles. Occasionally, we extend surveys to vital client accounts, enhancing our understanding of service quality. Utmost confidentiality is maintained to encourage candid responses and as a means to offer anonymity throughout the process. -
In-person | 2 hours
The big reveal! With our roundtable and survey findings at our fingertips, we take this data in-house and get to work. Our initial step involves structuring these findings into essential frameworks to evaluate and scrutinise gathered information. Recognising that valuable discoveries reside between the parts, we engage in strategic brainstorming and careful consideration, iteratively refining our ideas to enhance our recommendations. Ultimately, we formulate a thorough assessment and business case to maximise ROI for your brand. Subsequently, we arrange a follow-up in-person meeting to present this roadmap to your team.
Implementation
Though not a prerequisite for engaging in a workshop, we build and navigate brands through tailored implementation programs should you plan to explore this offering in the final phase.
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Video call | 30 mins
After assessing various routes for maximising brand ROI, you and your team now have the opportunity to delve deeper into actionable strategies. Orchestrated by our design team, they possess the capacity to oversee the next phase of your brand if you so desire. We can aid in defining both immediate and future goals, outline implementation requirements and frame them within strategic projections and budgetary constraints. Ultimately, we propose a broad set of deliverables that will inform the ideal pathway for your future brand journey in accordance with your strategic roadmap. -
Video call | 30 mins
Let’s build a plan! With a clear understanding of delivery expectations, we can establish a comprehensive schedule for your brand. We’ll address and approve timing, define project management expectations, and align collaborators and requirements relating to key decision-makers. Leaving no stone unturned, we’ll answer any questions or concerns you may have along the way. Once all is confirmed, we’ll proceed to final approval, marking the initiation of your new programme. -
Video call | 30 mins
With your approved programme in place, our design team will be raring to go. We work closely with your internal teams to determine personal schedules and structure weekly WIPs, then take the agenda in-house to develop individualised plans spanning all stages of the implementation process as determined by your approved programme. From refining brand purpose to enhancing visual identity, crafting touchpoints, and executing online campaigns, it all starts here, and we’ll orchestrate it all. With an extensive track record in brand management, let us make your success story the next one we tell.
Stories
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Lauren McCormack | McCormack
Once deciding to rejuvenate its brand and communications strategy, McCormack sought a partner that didn’t hold back in highlighting the necessary changes it needed to make.
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Robert Goodwin | Cube
Quietly thriving for years in commercial finance, Cube decided it was time to develop a new vision for its brand and embark on a transformative journey into the next decade.
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Nathan Krneta | Krneta
Dedicated to setting a new standard in certification and compliance, discover how Krneta gained the strategic guidance necessary to take its brand to the next level.
Team behind Lab
Driving real-world business results.
Born of a desire to help businesses achieve clarity when brand change becomes essential.
Diverse and experienced
Lab has been curated by brand strategy duo, Samuel Dugan and Darcy O’Sullivan. While some design ideologies focus exclusively on either business or beauty, they believe in embracing both. Knitting brand strategy, creativity and design into a systematic formula to drive real-world business results for their clients, they implement a highly considered approach and help navigate brand success in all fields.
Purpose and performance
Emerging from a history of successful brand transformations, Lab was born of a desire to help businesses achieve clarity surrounding their brands at a time when investment in change is necessary, but are still determining where to begin. Lab has been curated to fulfil this need by offering a strategic lens to evaluate your brand’s current position and provide as a business case to help allocate valuable resources.
We’re forever refining, ten years in the making.
Watching our clients succeed off the back of a well-executed brand strategy. There’s nothing better.
Samuel Dugan
An experienced individual in brand strategy, Samuel provides a strong balance between analytical thinking and creative direction. From brand positioning to brand experience, he is a strategic lead with a passion for solving real-world business problems that are both meaningful and measurable. He loves a challenge and isn’t afraid to ask the questions that others tend to avoid to ensure no stone goes unturned.
Darcy O’Sullivan
Darcy is passionate about the power of brands and their ability to drive economic impact. Merging brand strategy with business strategy, he understands the key role brand plays in achieving corporate objectives and solving problems for both B2B and B2C enterprises. With the ability to analyse outcomes from both business and audience perspectives, he brings a unique approach to brand strategy and planning.
Why invest in your brand?
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Brands with strong recall yield widespread recognition, even among non-customers, amplifying their impact.
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Brands that communicate effectively achieve boosts in consumer engagement and nurture stronger relationships.
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When brands deliver on their promises, they benefit from stronger referrals and increased conversion rates.
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Consumers are less sensitive to cost if they hold a brand in high esteem, allowing for premium pricing opportunities.
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Brands with higher loyalty rates benefit from a significant increase in consumer spending and repeat purchases.
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Satisfied customers spread a brand’s story far more aggressively, fueling growth through advocacy and word-of-mouth referrals.
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Brands that are perceived to produce greater product performance acquire stronger reputations and benefit from higher margins.
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Loyal consumers of valued brands readily adopt and champion new offerings and are less affected by potential launch failures.
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Brands that nurture strong cultures keep employees engaged while building loyalty and improving retention.
FAQ
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Lab is for any organisation that takes brand value seriously and is committed to the ongoing growth and success of their business and team. Whether large or small, B2B or B2C, Lab is for businesses that want to grow their market share, increase their revenue, attract the best talent and communicate effectively to their audience, all while understanding how to get the edge on the competition.
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Lab is appropriate for any business, large and small, though we recommend those who participate have a minimum annual turnover of A$250K. If you’re interested in Lab, but this figure is a limiting factor, especially if your business is a startup, please reach out to discuss your interest further with our team.
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Lab has been uniquely curated with high-performing leaders in mind. Depending on the complexity of your programme, Lab requires a minimum of two in-person meetings that typically span 2 to 4 weeks. Staff and key accounts may also be required to fill in an online survey during the process at our team’s discretion. This survey will likely require no more than 1 hour per participant.
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Though we’ve all become accustomed to holding online meetings over the past few years, Lab finds that some aspects of your programme will be best conducted in person to get the absolute most out of the process. If this is a barrier for you, please get in touch with our team to discuss how we can accommodate your needs.
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Lab offers three workshop types that require one-time fees ranging from A$4,499.00 to A$7,999.00 exc. GST. Invoiced upon engagement and payable prior to the commencement of the workshop.
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Absolutely. Through the process, we will discuss confidential business information and understand the seriousness of this responsibility. We are happy to sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure your comfort and that your information will be treated privately and with respect.
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We’d love to hear from you. We find it imperative to discuss the process with each client prior to engaging Lab to ensure expectations and intentions are aligned. This process is part of a formal planning framework to ensure your programme is customised to meet your needs and requirements.
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Absolutely. Fundamentally, the workshop is an information-gathering roundtable session. At the culmination of both the workshop and the strategy work that follows, you’ll be presented with a detailed report featuring a comprehensive analysis, recommendations and roadmap as a business case to maximise ROI for your brand.
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We’ve spent years formulating a workshop format that ensures we obtain the most relevant information from each Lab participant. There are two in-person meetings involved in the workshop process. The first intends to capture essential details by igniting rich conversation and deep exploration. The second sees us present our findings, recommendations and roadmap.
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Not at all. You’ll be equipped with a detailed brand analysis, recommendations and roadmap. What you do with that information is up to you. Though the majority of participants choose to engage in further brand endeavours with our design team once Lab is concluded, there are no obligations.
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After conducting over 100 workshops to date, we’ve established what works and what doesn’t. We recommend no more than five members of your leadership team participate in Lab. This ensures focus and the ability to obtain the information needed to make lasting change. Still, valuable insights can remain unexplored due to a compact leadership team, so tailored surveys are sent to staff and key accounts when applicable to help bridge this gap.
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Ideally, Lab is conducted at our designated strategy space in the Melbourne CBD. On occasions, Lab can be held at the office of the participating business. Still, we can say with experience that participants are more engaged when they step away from their office and daily routine. Plus, lunch is on us, so who can argue with that?
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In short, no. Nobody knows your business better than you do. Rather than focus on what to bring, we ask that you focus on “how to show up”. That being said, we like to be prepared and recommend discussing your needs and expectations beforehand to establish a customised framework for your workshop. Outside that, leave the office behind and get in the zone because it’s time to work on your business rather than in it.
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Lab is conducted by the founding members of an operational brand design and communications team. We are equipped to deliver upon all recommendations made throughout the strategic process and provide a comprehensive fee proposal to outline how this might look upon the completion of the workshop process.
How can we isolate where best to allocate our resources? Let’s talk.
