The problem I'm handed usually isn't the real problem.

Hi, I'm Russ. I find what's holding the business back, figure out what the audience needs, and turn that into a clear strategy. Research, strategy, creative development, launch. I can write it, build it, and defend the investment, so I stay close through it all and make sure the work that goes live still speaks to the people it was built for and still moves the business.

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Headshot of R Rickey
Architectural descriptive image of the inside of a modern building

What I do

Brand and marketing strategy for businesses with complex offers, crowded categories, or growth problems framed too narrowly.

Define the problem

What gets handed to me usually describes a symptom. I get inside the business, market and customer evidence before deciding what problem needs solving.

Audience research

Segment size tells you who is biggest. I want to know who can actually be moved. They are rarely the same people.

Direction and creative

I set the direction, then stay through development. I was a creative director before I became a strategist, so I can pressure-test an idea without confusing strategy with creative direction.

Positioning and launch

The brand story, how it goes to market, and the case your team needs to secure support and defend the investment.

About Me
  • Large digital billboard displays a message saying, 'DEAR CANADIAN EXPORTERS, NOTHING CAN CONTAIN US,' in bright white letters against a dark background.

    Export Development Canada

    Canadian exporters losing their biggest market and we couldn’t name the cause

  • ATCO Energy

    ATCO Energy

    Two brands. One company. Competing for the same customer

  • A vinyl record and its cover art titled 'Roots Remastered' by SmartStax PRO on a golden background.

    Bayer Crop Science

    A product that works where nobody can see it
    ‍ ‍

  • Multiple electronic devices including a monitor, tablet, and smartphones displaying Blue Shield of California website and app screens.

    Blue Shield of California

    Four million members and nobody could find anything

  • Triple electronic devices showing AT&T website and service options: a desktop monitor, a tablet, and a smartphone.

    AT&T Mobile

    Ten pages between wanting a phone and owning one

Where this usually starts

A campaign in market that is not moving the business. A launch that needs a story before it needs media. A pitch or board presentation that has to land. Brand architecture that stopped matching the business three acquisitions ago.

Start with an introduction. Most of these turn out to be a different problem than the one on the page, which is usually the interesting part.

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