BRAND STRATEGY FOR BRANDS THAT WANT
TO DEFY THE ODDS
Defiant is an independent brand strategy agency based in London.
We help ambitious brands find new opportunities for growth, sharpen their positioning and build strategies that give them an unfair advantage.
Because the best brand strategies don't simply help you compete. They change what you're competing on.
We bring together senior strategists from some of the world's leading creative agencies to work directly with founders, CMOs and leadership teams — without the layers, handovers or junior teams of a traditional agency.
BRAND POSITIONING / BRAND PURPOSE / AUDIENCE STRATEGY / MARKETING STRATEGY / GROWTH STRATEGY
BRAND STRATEGY
THAT CREATES
AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
Most brands don't have a strategy problem. They have a sameness problem.
We find the opportunities your competitors have missed, then turn them into a distinctive position your brand can own.
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We uncover the cultural, consumer and competitive shifts creating new opportunities for growth.
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We build distinctive brand positioning, propositions and purpose that give people a reason to choose you.
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We translate strategy into creative platforms, marketing principles and ideas that can actually live in the real world.
STRATEGY THAT
CHANGED THE
ODDS
We don't make strategy to sit in decks.
We make it to change what happens in the real world.
BEAVERTOWN
FROM CRAFT CHALLENGER TO MAINSTREAM CONTENDER
Over 90% of Beavertown's sales came from one product. The brand was distinctive, but had never clearly defined what it stood for.
We went back to its roots and found a brand that had always been fearlessly different. Discovering this we crafted a new purpose “Fuel Fearless Self-Expression “ and creative platform “Never Normal”.
THE RESULT
Record-breaking Neck Oil sales
Record-breaking awareness growth
Best-performing brand campaign in Heineken UK's 25/26 portfolio
BRAND POSITIONING / PURPOSE / CREATIVE PLATFORM
HOMEAWAY
OUTSPENT 19:1. SO WE CHANGED THE BATTLEFIELD.
HomeAway had lost global leadership to Airbnb and was being outspent 19:1.
Research revealed that people's number-one reason for taking a holiday wasn't simply getting away. It was getting away from other people.
Unlike Airbnb and hotels, HomeAway offered whole properties. So rather than imitate the sharing economy, we challenged it.
THE RESULT
Overtook Airbnb in five major markets
$100m+ earned media
Acquired by Expedia for $3.9bn
GLOBAL RESEARCH / BRAND PURPOSE / POSITIONING / CREATIVE STRATEGY
BARCLAYCARD
TURNING A CREDIT CARD INTO A CULTURAL BRAND
Barclaycard operated in a category dominated by functional messages about rates, rewards and financial products.
The opportunity was to give the brand a much bigger role in people’s lives — moving beyond what a credit card does to what it enables.
We helped develop a strategy that connected Barclaycard with entertainment, experiences and culture, creating a more distinctive and emotionally engaging role for the brand.
THE RESULT
A brand platform capable of stretching beyond financial services and into culture, helping Barclaycard build greater relevance and fame.
BRAND STRATEGY / POSITIONING / CREATIVE STRATEGY
GOT A BRAND PROBLEM WORTH
DEFYING?
Whether you're launching something new, repositioning an established brand or trying to find your next source of growth, we'd love to hear about it.