The market for brand consulting has been fuelled by the influence of successful brands, the growing demand for branding services by SMEs, and the increasing focus on global marketing. Further, factors affecting this growth include use of M&A strategies for top branding talent and key clients, marketing agencies, management consultants’ acquisition; and Covid-normalized WFH routine, amongst others. Singapore-based Aago Consulting is an example of one such company that has leveraged this growth and continues to revolutionize companies, with the “use of brandtech, emotional and experiential branding towards building strong interactive customer relationships for omni-channel marketing”, says Jean Tan, Founder at Aago Consulting.
Aago is a one-stop integrative branding, marketing and communications consultancy with an interdisciplinary approach; experienced with MNCs and SMEs in multiple sectors and across multiple geographies. “Our services range from brand and business strategy consulting, marketing development, brand story creation and narrative writing, branded design, brand training to public relations messaging”, informs Jean.
Building Brands
With an interdisciplinary approach, “we research, empathise and analyse to uncover our client’s human story and understand the customer insights and hard data of their business. Then, we position their competitive difference, create a strong brand messaging platform, scale, expand and accelerate their market reach, and manage their reputation – all whilst meeting their business goals and attracting grants and investment”. “Our strength is our ability to quantify the science and draw out the art of branding to arrive at an unassailable brand positioning and differentiation, allowing the brand uniqueness to emerge through its products, internal and external company behaviour, physical environment and communication”, adds Jean.Aago’s USPs include firstly, its interdisciplinary approach in building brands as valuable assets, towards meeting business and financial objectives. Secondly, its 20+ years’ experience launching brands in global markets.
Thirdly, its cross-sharing advantage having worked with clients from multiple sectors, allowing application of learnings, with time and cost savings. Fourthly, its certification status qualifying it for Singapore’s Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) projects which help fund Aago’s clients’ internationalization. Fifthly, adept at working with SMEs or MNCs – its ability to adapt corporate best practices (having had 20+ years of branding experience in MNCs) for SMEs. And lastly, the company’s practitioner’s experience and skills transfer methodology which brings real-world lessons into classrooms for upskilling of business owners and marketing professionals, speeding up acquisition of practicable skills.
Delivering Success since Day One
In 2008, the team at Aago secured a client, SATS FOOD even before the company was formally established. Aago was then quickly incorporated to start helping local companies. Soon, work from overseas started coming in – brand positioning for a UK retail credit brand, investor branding for an African hospitality client followed by the branding, marketing and public relations messaging of the first-ever Africa-South East Asia Business Forum in Singapore.
With An Interdisciplinary Approach, Aago Researches, Empathises & Analyses To Uncover Its Client’s Human Story & Understand The Customer Insights And Hard Data Of Their Business
Headline-crafted by Aago as “The World’s Final Frontier Is Now Open For Business” this 2010 MICE event which gained global press coverage, brought together 100+ of the who’s who in Africa and 100+ of top potential investors from South-East Asia, spinning off trade missions into Africa and launching the Africa South East Asia Chamber of Commerce in Singapore in 2013. Work has taken Aago regionally, from Indonesia, branding a 30-store beauty business to United States, positioning mobile homes.“We are agile in how we work. I recall launching a press campaign in 2019 for a Singapore Fintech, working from New York City and clicking “send” to media targets, the Press Release at 8pm Eastern Standard Time (9am, Singapore) in the depth of winter!”, adds Jean.
Onward & Upward
“Branding has evolved from where it started 5000 years ago, for instance, as mere marks of heraldy stating social identity, hallmarks revealing origin, burning iron marks on livestock proclaiming ownership – to the Brand as trademark, with the first trademark legislation in England in 1266, to the Brand today, in the digital space, virtual space, experiential space, and inevitably, the meta space”, reflects Jean. Aago’s responsibility as Brand Consultants extends beyond branding for market leadership. “The future of a brand we help to build mandates that we ensure the brand assumes a greater responsibility – as custodian of our society and protector of our Earth. Because, with success comes accountability. Beyond shareholders, investors and employees. And, for Aago, beyond clients”, concludes Jean.
Jean Tan, Founder
Jean Tan is a branding and marketing specialist who has worked across 20+ countries, launching 200+ successful marketing campaigns. Jean’s experience transcends sectors including Artificial Intelligence, Biotech, Consumer Goods, Healthcare, Hospitality, Real Estate and many more. She is a certified Management Consultant, recognized by more than 80 countries.
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