The Challenge
Rapid growth, expansion across multiple continents, and a prolific acquisition strategy may appear to be an ideal scenario for shareholders and the C-suite. However, as with anything in life, there is a price to pay, and in this case they include organisational silos, wobbly culture, unclear brand direction and an under-pressure marketing team.
Argenta needed a structure that respected its history as a prominent player in animal health space but also enabled a future where brand, culture, acquisitions and business aspirations coexisted harmoniously.
The Solution: Brand as a single source of truth
We needed more than just a logo or corporate colours. We needed a brand system that united everyone, fostering collaboration, openness, and alignment with the business strategy. A brand that is an integrated system empowering culture, people, innovation, design, acquisitions, and business. One single source of truth for all new and existing people.
Here's how we did it:
The Audit
We started with a brand audit, a powerful tool to understand the brand's strengths, limitations, and potential. This collaborative journey involved partnering with internal teams and focusing on building the brand together. I always aim for a generative change and that’s why it’s fundamental that we understand what needs keeping. Promote 17 years of rich history and pave the future.
The Collaborative Workshop
Key players from around the world including strategists, executives, scientists, and designers, came together in London. Over two days, we collaboratively tackled challenges, aligned the organisation, drank a lot of coffee and crafted the brand's purpose, vision, mission, culture, positioning, and values. It was a departure from top-down approaches, embracing true collaboration and empowering Argenta’s people to build their brand, together.
"This is what brand really means then... nothing to do with logos and colours", said one of the group after the second day on the workshop.
The Strategy and Activation
A strategy is only as good as its activation. For Argenta, this meant:
Reinforce and own their positioning and uniqueness as the only animal-focused CRO & CDMO since day one.
Developing a seamless acquisition process.
Creating a global brand culture program.
Aligning the entire organisation with a single purpose.
My primary goal is always the same, to empower the internal team, enabling them to build and grow their brand effortlessly and efficiently.
By adopting this brand strategy, Argenta embarked on a journey to break down silos, foster collaboration, and drive its brand forward, ensuring a stress-free growth stage for the business.