Building a brand when the product / service doesn’t exist (yet)

How do you build a brand when all you have is a concept, a vision and an unfinished technical facility whose operation is delayed by 18 months? Investor expectations are high, the market is impatient, and momentum is at risk of never even taking off.

This was exactly the challenge I faced taking on and leading communications and brand strategy for a cutting-edge R&I centre in the net zero space. Reputation was at stake. The value proposition was ambiguous. The message was failing to land with industry. And yet, this was an eight-figure investment that needed to prove its worth before doors even opened.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱
𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆: I redefined the brand identity and sharpened the messaging so that it spoke directly to the pain points and ambitions of our industry audience. Instead of generic “innovation” language, I articulated a clear, credible value proposition that felt relevant and commercially compelling.

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱: With no facility yet operational (thanks to Covid-19, building delays and contractor issues), I focused on the people. I positioned our experts as industry leaders, building authority for their technical knowledge and credibility. By doing so, we proved value long before we had walls, labs or equipment ready.

𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱: By putting people first and consistently communicating expertise, we built excitement, secured industry trust, and crucially, created a strong pipeline. So when the facility finally opened, Business Development was able to hit the ground running with confidence.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱
Good communications is not just about broadcasting; it’s about creating alignment. A brand only works if it balances ambition with credibility, vision with evidence, and long-term positioning with immediate audience needs. By anchoring messaging in relevance, we turned a potential reputational risk into a brand ready to scale from day one.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀
• Don’t wait until everything is perfect: You can start building brand trust and momentum before your product is “finished.”
• Lead with people, not just infrastructure: Facilities, platforms, or products might be delayed — but expertise, credibility, and human stories are always available.
• Clarity beats complexity: Define your value proposition in a way your target audience immediately sees themselves in it.
• Protect momentum at all costs: Once it disappears, it’s far harder to restart.

*Freepik