I am not for everyone

…but a partner for brands and people on a mission.

No agency. No consultant – simply a real partner.

A partner that listens, thinks, debates, speaks plain text,

challenges norms, crafts brand narratives & strategies,

connects teams and helps building capability.

A partner that connects the dots

between strategy & execution,

creative & data, clients & agencies, ratio & instinct.

I take every project personal.

I am all in from the get-go and dedicated to bring in all I have.

I don’t leave after the theory is done but help you along the line

by developing potential within the team and connecting

with external specialists and partners

to execute the plans and implement processes.

I offer support and help – how?

Let’s talk about it and define this together.

I don’t care how big the project,

the company or the brand is – all that matters

is working on meaningful assignments that aim to drive change

and working with people who believe in the driving force

of strong teams and dare to make a difference.

experience

In the past 20 years I was fortunate enough to work for many large global brands and leading companies in different functions across countries. Building, leading and scaling agency units, partnerships, capabilities and multi-discipled teams.

The work on brands like Magnum ice cream, Langnese, Wella, System Professional, durex, Escada or Armani was thrilling and working for multi-national enterprises such as Unilever, P&G and Coty was invaluable. Big names, big thinking, big impact.

But there are also the smaller projects – those that came around spontaneously, without a large team and in direct collaboration – such as the development of a company concept for an innovative regional architecture firm, ‚Planwerk’.

Today, I use my expertise to partner with courageous entrepreneurs, ambitious businesses on a mission and people who want to build their personal brand, giving them relevance in an ever transforming world.For example, with a proactive CSR project for 2 big German publishing houses or the purpose development & positioning work for ‘Tailorstock’, a start up that supports rehabilitation patients or the future-forward positioning and website revamp for ‘The Shack’, a content creation company or consulting Germany’s most promising triathlete profi youngster on all aspects of branding, commercialisation & communications.

thinking

The digitalisation of all areas of our lives,

deep transformation of established social & economical eco-systems, the pace and endless choices we have today as well as the most current challenge of transitioning to the ‘new normal’ with the COVID pandemic – with all of it comes massive complexity, uncertainty and fear of the future. Brands are lighthouses of trust and the more choice we have the more important these lighthouses become. Brands simplify our lives, they are sense-makers and change agents – they give meaning and meaning means strength. So brands have a massive opportunity. Whilst some Marketeers see this as an opportunity, many struggle as it asks them to be brave enough to re-think, step-change and transform current Marketing parameters – from purpose work to brand experience.

When brand experience becomes a competitive driver, when purpose and meaning are key to accelerated growth, brand building and brand communications have to be completely rethought.  This in turn has an impact on organisational structure, corporate culture, collaboration, processes, budgets and recruitment – the traditional ways of how we work internally as well as with their agencies and how agencies work are over – as we simply cannot continue to operate in archaic silos.

Therefore we need partners who simplify complexity, who, with interdisciplinary expertise, brand and market understanding, instinctively feel what makes a brand purposeful, relevant and sustainably successful.

5

beliefs defining me

  • 1. Listen & simplify
    Simplifying complexities is key to understand today’s world and identify opportunities.
  • 2. Always talk plain text
    Truth, clarity and courage are the basis for honest relationships that drive fundamental transformation.
  • 3. Left brain rules
    Instinct is the best decision driver – data gives you the foundation but it can’t feel human behaviour.
  • 4. Connect with partners
    We are humans. We are not meant to do it all alone.
  • 5. From ego to eco
    You always have to do it for the greater good of the whole – otherwise you are not truly purpose-driven.

Service territories

  • 1. Audit
    Analyse data & status quo / Insight / Target
  • 2. Brand fundamentals
    Purpose / Mission / Vision / Culture / Character / Story
  • 3. Brand Acts
    Activation programs / Communication plan / Campaign platforms / Portfolio planning / Channel strategy
  • 4. Execute
    Connect with specialists / lead pitch / supervise execution / project management
  • 5. Build
    Organisational structure / Coaching/ Workshops

SD

…as a professional.

Started off in PR for renown fashion brands in Munich, Milan and NYC.

Then moved to one of the largest advertising holding companies, McCann Worldgroup for 9 years, based in Hamburg & London. From Account Executive to Global Account Director I learnt everything about brand & channel strategy, brand experience, B2B & B2C Marketing, global campaign execution & implementation, campaign glocalization and VisID.

Thereon approx. 12 years as Global Brand Director with an international Premium Brand Building Agency focusing on luxury, lifestyle & beauty brands, commuting between Hamburg & Geneva. There a strong focus on brand identity, cross-platform strategies, leadership, agency eco-system orchestration and in-house agency capability set ups.

Strong skillset on leadership methodologies, people management, corporate culture and sustainability

…as a person.

Unshakable optimist, driven thinker, writer, intuitive connector, instinctive decision-maker, solution-driven problem juggler and crazy pices who as to have 15 projects going on at the same time.

Born and raised in the Palatinate country-side, studied in Germany and the US, moved 12 times across 3 continents and based in Hamburg.

Believing that life itself is the best teacher and that minds can be convinced but hearts must be won.

Driven by strong values and these 2 guiding purposes:

1. “The more you experience in life, the more you have to offer to others’ by my late grandmother.

2.  “Listen now again” by polymath Seamus Heaney. One of the greatest gifts that we can give in life, to each other, and to ourselves, is to listen.

Reaching out...

Nothing can replace a meeting in person if you aim for a profound partnership. To find out if we can work together, if we want to work together.

Susanne Deobald
Gertigstrasse 10A
22303 Hamburg
+49 (170) 5456217
sd@susannedeobald.com