Welcome to a conscious process
for growing your business

Why Us?

In the creative departments of big advertising agencies, there’s a phrase for marketing that looks slick but is based on flawed strategy. It’s called ‘polishing a turd’.

Brand X is here to make sure that doesn’t happen to you. Because SMB and B2B companies can’t afford to waste money on marketing that doesn’t attract their most profitable prospects. And they can’t afford not to have a brand that defines their values and leverages the talents of their employees.

You’d be surprised

With the number of communications tools available today, it’s shocking how few companies take advantage of the most effective catalyst for growing their business: A focused brand.

A leading research firm, Brand Keys calculated that only 21% of brands in North America and Western Europe had any meaningful differentiation. The vast majority of SMB and B2B companies have brands about as strong as the proverbial 97-pound weakling.

What does this mean for your company?

You have a remarkable opportunity to grow your business, even in our over-heated communications environment. Because nothing cuts through the noise like a brand that differentiates itself by speaking directly to the pent-up desires of your ideal customers.

Who are your ideal customers? They are the 20% of your customers (and prospects) who consistently deliver 80% of your profits, growth potential and positive word-of-mouth. Fulfilling their desires is the key to your success, because they're 4 times more valuable than your average customer. What we do is help you define who they are, and uncover what drives their purchasing decisions.

It’s all about your brand

What does the word ‘brand’ really mean? I believe it’s the sum of perceptions and feelings people have about your company. But how can you leverage those feelings to grow your business?

I'm Jon Pietz, principal of Brand X, and I’ve spent a good deal of my adult life focused on that pursuit. Marketing is the territory of customer mind space. And surprisingly, in the SMB and B2B spaces, there's still plenty of virgin territory for you to claim.

• We helped Acopia Networks get acquired for hundreds of millions of dollars by creating a brand that clearly defined the feeling of freedom their product creates.
• We’ve helped Tom Irwin, Inc. foster a strong company culture and grow their market leadership position, against an army of sales people from major distributors.
• We helped ESG, a technology consulting firm differentiate their brand from well-known competitors and create an integrated communications program to promote it.

We can also help you discover the magic of a brand that will rally your employees, focus your operations, and attract ideal customers.

How we find the magic of your brand

It begins with a straightforward process called Brand Discovery, made to fit the budgets of small and medium enterprises. We use direct, personal conversations with your ideal customers to help you zero in on the factors that motivate their purchasing decisions. You'll gain greater insight into the overall experience they hunger for.

Metaphorically, we draw a circle around your company's products and services, and all the systems, beliefs and procedures that make you unique. Then, we draw another circle around your ideal customers—focusing on the needs and desires that affect their choices. Where these two circles overlap is where the magic of your brand exists.

Making it real

From this foundation, we construct a communications framework that promotes a repeatable and consistent customer experience, attracting more of the customers you want. Imagine your web site, your corporate identity, your presentations, advertising, content and product strategy—all aligned with your irresistible brand. It's a competitive edge possessed by the world's most successful companies, and it can be yours as well.

What I bring to the party

I started my career with 20 years in the advertising business—working as an Art Director and Creative Director in ad agencies of all sizes, and consulting for many others. They include Arnold Worldwide, Digitas, Deutsch and BBD&O as well as numerous medium-sized and boutique agencies.

Along the way I helped build a wide range of brands from Fortune 500 companies to guerrilla start ups. In 2001, I formed Brand X to offer my experience, mostly to small and medium enterprises who can’t afford big agencies, but who are ambitious about growing their companies and their market share.

Download my resume and profile

A creative SWAT team

When you work with Brand X, you'll have access to the talents of a hand-picked group of professional communicators who are tailored to each project we take on. They include writers, business strategists, photographers, developers, designers, social media mavens and production support. What you get is a creative SWAT team with just the right skills to fit your needs. And you pay for only what you need. With me functioning as creative director and key point of contact, you have ultimate control of the process .

If you’ve read this far, maybe you’re intrigued enough to give me a call at 781-367-3451. I’d enjoy having a conversation with you about what you want to achieve.