The approach
Building the brand around a clear proposition
We began by helping Traditum clarify its positioning and evolve its brand identity, creating a stronger foundation from which the business could grow.
As the proposition developed, we acted as brand guardians, working closely with the executive team to ensure new opportunities, services and communications remained consistent with what Traditum stood for.
We provided CMO-level input to the CEO, contributing to executive thinking as the business evolved rather than simply responding to briefs.
Each year, we worked with the CEO to understand the business objectives and translate them into a marketing plan balancing commercial priorities with longer-term brand awareness. This created a clear link between business strategy and marketing activity, ensuring the function was focused on the opportunities that mattered rather than simply maintaining activity for activity’s sake.
Finding a different route to a private audience
We recognised that conventional acquisition tactics were unlikely to work with Traditum’s audience. Rather than trying to find and target HNWIs directly, we looked for the places, relationships and trusted environments where the right people already existed.
We identified partner brands with complementary values and audiences and developed opportunities for Traditum to reach their networks through mutually beneficial relationships.
We then created and managed a programme of owned events, bringing together Traditum, selected partners and their guests. The events became an important route to brand awareness and consideration. They created an environment where introductions could happen naturally, allowing the client services team to develop relationships rather than simply generate leads.
Every detail was carefully considered. HNWIs have high expectations, so the events needed to reflect the quality and discretion of the Traditum brand, from the guest experience through to the smallest physical touchpoint.
We extended this thinking through premium, discreetly branded merchandise including hip flasks, decanters and leather-bound notebooks – useful objects designed to reinforce the brand without feeling overtly promotional.
The result was a more appropriate acquisition model for Traditum: using relationships, relevance and experience to open doors that conventional marketing could not.
Creating a credible shop window
We recognised that Traditum’s digital channels were unlikely to be the primary point of conversion. Their role was different: they provided prospects with reassurance and evidence of credibility when they wanted to find out more.
LinkedIn and the website therefore became Traditum’s ‘shop window’.
We established a consistent drumbeat of LinkedIn communications and developed richer editorial content for the website, using both to demonstrate expertise, thought leadership and credibility.
We also created a substantial library of high-quality motion content, managing the entire process from scripting through to on-location production. This gave Traditum a richer and more engaging way to communicate its expertise across the website and social channels.
As the business became more sophisticated, we redeveloped the website three times, each iteration reflecting the changing proposition, offer and customer journey.
We also created a suite of premium brochures to support the client services team in conversations with potential investors and investees. Designed as a cohesive suite, each brochure worked independently while collectively communicating the breadth of the Traditum offer.
This ensured that when a prospect wanted to validate the business, the brand experience they encountered online and through supporting collateral reinforced the same proposition and level of expertise they experienced through personal contact.
Building a marketing function that could evolve with the business
Over five years, our role extended across the full marketing mix, effectively operating as Traditum’s outsourced marketing team.
We managed strategy, brand guardianship, partnerships, events, PR, social media, website development, blogs, motion content, brochures, merchandise and a wide range of other initiatives, including developing a board game as an innovative onboarding tactic.
The breadth of activity was underpinned by a consistent planning process. Each year, we translated the CEO’s business objectives into a marketing plan, then developed a communications plan and activity calendar to deliver against it. This ensured the business maintained a consistent drumbeat of communication while remaining relevant to seasonal moments and key dates in the HNWI calendar.
We worked deeply within the wider business, operating with a high degree of autonomy while remaining accountable for marketing performance to the CEO.
As Traditum grew, so did the sophistication of the marketing function. Processes, planning disciplines, brand foundations and ways of working were established that could ultimately be transferred to an internal team.
The impact
Over five years, we helped Traditum evolve from a business with a requirement for marketing support into an organisation with an established, strategic marketing capability.
The brand was repositioned and strengthened, the proposition evolved alongside the business, and marketing became a consistent contributor to both brand awareness and commercial development.
Most importantly, we created a model suited to Traditum’s audience. Rather than relying on overt acquisition tactics, marketing created familiarity and credibility, opened doors through trusted partnerships and events, and gave the client services team stronger foundations from which to develop relationships.
Traditum has since doubled in size, with significant deals completed and a pipeline of key prospects identified and nurtured.
The final measure of the work is perhaps the most significant: as the business continued to grow, the time came to transition the marketing function in-house. We had helped build the foundations, processes and capability required to make that possible, allowing Traditum to take its marketing reins internally from a position of strength.
Results
- Five-year strategic marketing partnership providing outsourced CMO and marketing leadership.
- Traditum doubled in size during the period of our engagement.
- Brand repositioning and refreshed identity established a stronger platform for growth.
- Three website redevelopments delivered as the business, proposition and customer needs evolved.
- Owned events and strategic partnerships created new routes to reach a highly private and difficult-to-target audience.
- Significant commercial deals completed, with a pipeline of key prospects identified and nurtured.
- Consistent LinkedIn and thought-leadership programme established to build credibility and provide a digital ‘shop window’.
- Substantial library of high-quality motion content created for use across digital channels.
- Premium sales collateral developed to support client conversations with potential investors and investees.
- Marketing planning and communications processes embedded around annual business objectives.
- Marketing function, processes and foundations developed sufficiently to enable a successful transition to an in-house team.
