Strategic Sense is a branding and marketing consultancy for companies needing rejuvenation or a 'jump-start' for their products. We work with small to mid-size firms to develop compelling marketing initiatives that engage customers and build sales.

Strategic Sense has a customer-centric approach to developing brands. It defines brands that resonate with the customer's needs and desires, are aspirational yet accessible, and draw upon believable and intrinsic aspects of the corporate culture and products.

We believe that powerful brands, even b-to-b, are fueled by emotional connections with their customers. Customers are people, whether purchasing for a business or for themselves. They are influenced by their perception of the brand and how their decision to become involved with a brand ultimately reflects on themselves.

At Strategic Sense, we have a streamlined, no-nonsense, brand strategy development process that relies on intensive, qualitative assessments of customers and our client's culture and vision. Our research is more deep than wide, enabling us to get a profound understanding of customer motivations that we align them with a unique and believable brand message. We bring together analytics with experiential sense to define and market brands that sell.

Our methodology is particularly effective with enthusiast brands/products, i.e., considered purchases for which customers tend to be more passionate and more involved with the nuances of a product or type of product, and therefore more able to be engaged.

Frances Wu, founder and strategic director, has over 25 years' experience conveying brands worldwide in a range of industries and across multiple media. Her passion is to discover the subtleties that influence audiences and leverage that knowledge in marketing content.

Frances' expertise in branding and content management developed through her work with strategic design firms including WalkerGroup (environmental design), Donovan and Green (brand consultancy), and MarchFIRST (internet professional services) and ad agencies including Ogilvy & Mather. She has led projects ranging from the launch of Netfolio, a pioneering investment website; to a global internal communication project with the Chairman of Zurich Financial Services; to the definition of celebrity Naomi Judd's brand, which became the foundation of her highly successful infomercial for Esteem skincare products.

Frances studied engineering at M.I.T. and marketing at Boston University, where she received her BA, magna cum laude, in mass communication.

Strategic Sense partners with other brand-minded firms for design, writing, research, or other creative/strategic support as needed, ensuring our Clients receive a complete brand picture and understanding of how to continue to build their brand for success. Strategic Sense also can provide ongoingBrand Management using our Clients preferred vendors, if desired.

Key Partners:
Saltworks
Red Square Design
Soulellis Studio
Rosman Research