We work on a range of marketing capability and marketing strategy initiatives, across our 3 key areas of process design, learning and catalyst workshops. Take a look at some of our work below.
Kellogg Europe wanted to evolve their approach to experience planning to signal a shift in mindset and reduce complexity to provide a straightforward, flexible process for teams to follow across a range of different activation needs.
Developed a new 4-step brand experience planning process and set of tools that balanced simplicity and rigour, establishing a common and consistent language for the region
Created a new name and visual identity
Launched the new approach at an in-person event with 150 marketers from across Europe
Created a comprehensive and intuitive guide as an on-the-job reference
Designed and delivered a 1-day workshop for 50 central marketers and agency partners, to be immersed in the process and to kick off the thinking and planning for their agency briefs
Developed a new 4-step brand experience planning process and set of tools that balanced simplicity and rigour, establishing a common and consistent language for the region
"Reef quickly became part of our team and were able to navigate all the complexity to design a straightforward, flexible process that everyone in the marketing function could get behind. The feedback has been exceptional and we couldn’t have done such a fantastic job without Ed’s guidance, calm head and positive spirit at all times. Excellent and transformational work.”
Chris Wildish, European Director Brand, Content & Digital
"By far the most robust but simple marketing process from strategy to execution I have seen. It was brilliantly deployed with the right level of detail but also loved the opportunities to connect and discuss. Really looking forward to adopting the new tools and getting stuck in; I will be sure we embed and champion it fully!”
Tracy Murphy, VP Salty Snacks Europe
Cheez-It, the US snacks brand, has a history that goes back over 100 years and sales of $1bn in its homeland today, but it has only relatively recently started to expand into new global markets. As part of that journey, the team needed to immerse new cross-functional colleagues into the world of Cheez-It, equipping them to build and grow the brand effectively.
Created a 1-day Cheez-It Academy experience for cross-functional colleagues to learn about the brand, the product, the manufacturing, the marketing, and most importantly – the obsession with cheese
Integrated ideation into the day to generate concrete actions for follow-up
Incorporated a short eLearning module to prime participants on the key landmarks in the brand’s history
Produced a Facilitator Toolkit to enable local markets to set up and run an Academy day, co-facilitated with Reef
Created a 1-day Cheez-It Academy experience for cross-functional colleagues to learn about the brand, the product, the manufacturing, the marketing, and most importantly – the obsession with cheese
“Reef worked brilliantly with our cross-functional experts to create an immersive program that is as much a brand experience as a learning experience. The Cheez-It Academy has the perfect balance of education, inspiration and interaction, and I’m excited to see the impact it will have both for our teams and the brand around the world.”
Dave Pearson, Cheez-It Global Brand Director
Brands are the cornerstone of Kellogg’s business, with an enviable portfolio of the Kellogg’s cereal brands alongside a host of others including Pringles, Pop-Tarts, Nutri-Grain and Morning Star Farms. In order to enable more consistent growth and performance from their brand-building initiatives, Kellogg wanted to establish an ongoing skills programme to elevate this capability.
Created a virtual learning program as a series of facilitated sessions and small group challenges over the course of a week
Blended video, eLearning and Leader engagement sessions into the overall program
Developed a new brand-building framework and suite of tools focused on brand positioning and identity, insights, experience planning and creative evaluation
Created playbooks for each area made available on the internal Academy site
Created a Knowledge Assessment, enabling participants to gain certification at the end of the program
Created a virtual learning program as a series of facilitated sessions and small group challenges over the course of a week
“Brand Building Fundamentals has continued to be one of our marquis global capability programs since its launch in 2020. The program has been a critical enabler in sharpening our brand building & creative processes, tools, and ways of working, both internally and with our agency partners. Today, the program continues to inspire our teams and serve as the foundation to deliver world class brand building work.”
Desiree Benson, Senior Director Global Creative Effectiveness
"Brand Building Fundamentals has become a foundational program, driving our mission to build iconic global brands. Under Reef’s guidance, the program has not only taken root but thrived, evolving over time to incorporate latest industry thinking and best practice tools. Reef have been instrumental in the upskilling of our global marketing organisation to drive sustained brand growth across our biggest brands.”
Brendan McGinn, Global Marketing Capability Director
UK Vein Clinic, the UK’s leading varicose vein treatment specialist, wanted to build a patient engagement strategy to increase awareness and consideration of its state-of-the-art treatment technology and rapidly expanding network of clinics.
Designed and facilitated a Catalyst Workshop for business, medical and marketing leaders to map out their patient journey from disease awareness to post-treatment, identifying patient insights and goals at each stage
Uncovered the different emotions patients experience at each stage of the journey and the implications for messaging
Co-created a patient engagement strategy and plan, including content themes and messaging across paid, owned and earned media channels and touchpoints
Designed and facilitated a Catalyst Workshop for business, medical and marketing leaders to map out their patient journey from disease awareness to post-treatment, identifying patient insights and goals at each stage
“Reef have been an invaluable strategic partner for our business, helping us to think through and articulate our patients’ journey in a deeper and more meaningful way. Ed brings a thoughtful and structured approach to our working sessions that always brings the best out in our team. Today our brand messaging is tailored to the different stages of patients’ decision-making and we are seeing growing demand for our treatment as a result.”
Jason Powell, Co-Founder UK Vein Clinic
Kellogg developed a strategic growth framework underpinned by an analytical dashboard to help marketers identify where to Recruit, Retain, and Reclaim buyers across the full funnel. To bring this framework to life, they needed a comprehensive training program that would equip marketers not just to use the tool - but to build and execute stronger strategies, sharpen decisions with data, and accelerate impact.
Created a modular, high-impact training program spanning strategy, execution, and measurement
Designed to shift mindsets, the training grounded marketers in growth planning while embedding analytics into everyday decision-making
Launched globally across four regions, enabling broad capability-building at scale with over 100 marketers participating
Achieved immediate business impact: Special K applied the framework to identify new growth audiences and personalise creative. The campaign reduced media waste, delivered more relevant content, and achieved a sales lift and brand consideration shift 3x the industry benchmark
Created a modular, high-impact training program spanning strategy, execution, and measurement
“That was the best training I’ve ever been to. Loved the sessions, they were very interactive, the content was great and easy to understand, and I enjoyed the breakdown of the framework alongside the group check-ins. I feel very well equipped to apply the 3Rs to my work now.”
Program participant
Kellogg Europe wanted to optimise aspects of their commercial process to better join up the different functions and workstreams, and to ensure the best possible in-market execution with retailers and shoppers.
Designed a Catalyst Workshop for cross-functional European commercial colleagues to evaluate and optimise the full end-to-end commercial process across a 24-month timeframe
Facilitated the workshop, helping to guide the collective conversation across each functional area, ensuring recommendations were aligned and captured
Wrote up and refined the workshop outputs into a full set of recommendations for each aspect of the integrated commercial process, which was subsequently approved for implementation
Designed a Catalyst Workshop for cross-functional European commercial colleagues to evaluate and optimise the full end-to-end commercial process across a 24-month timeframe
“Reef was the ideal partner for this project, helping us to step back from the day-to-day complexities of our commercial process to see the bigger picture and the opportunities for better integration. The design of the workshop, along with the planning and preparation for it, was exceptional, and the facilitation on the day flawless, showcasing Ed’s expertise and dedication. Furthermore, the continued support and follow-up after the project's completion has been invaluable.”
Shauna Lenagh, Marketing Director UK&I
Ed has also led capability initiatives over the course of his career with a variety of leading companies and brands, including:
