FOCUS: BRAND CLARITY ISSUES | AUDIENCE: EXPERTS WITH IGNORED BRANDS
BY: SHOBHA PONNAPPA | BRAND BREAKTHROUGH STRATEGIST | 45 YEARS | 125+ CLIENTS
I helped an office décor consultant realise that her premium expertise lost clients … because of her budget look.
This office décor consultant had carved a strong niche designing ergonomic, stylish, and productivity-driven workspaces for mid-sized corporates. Her projects involved high-end furnishings, custom lighting, and premium designs that justified a five-figure consulting fee. Yet her physical and digital presence told a very different story. Her office and website used muted stock images, faded colours, and an outdated logo, giving the impression of a budget interior hobbyist.
The mismatch was obvious to prospects. Corporates searching for premium consultants saw her website and workspace and assumed her services were entry-level. She attracted small clients with limited budgets who were unsuitable for her expertise. The absence of brand clarity meant she wasn’t ignored for lack of skill but because her brand look repelled the very audience she wanted to engage.
My diagnostic showed that her challenge was not what she offered, but how she looked offering it. In a field as visual as décor, prospective clients equated brand look with capability. A consultant who promised cutting-edge office transformations could not afford to have a bland and incoherent online and offline identity.
The deeper insight was that her visual identity carried more weight than her pitch deck. Corporate clients made snap judgments from her physical and didgital look long before they ever booked a call. Her ignored status was the direct result of her shabby facade, not her actual expertise. To win attention, she needed her brand identity to radiate the same polish as her interiors.
My breakthrough brand idea for her was to align her brand look with her premium consulting offer. Instead of generic images and mismatched colours, the strategy centred on a sleek, sophisticated, and minimalist digital identity. Her new website would function as a showroom, with photography that mirrored the elegance of her actual projects.
The brand idea positioned her as a luxury office transformation expert rather than just another interior decorator. Every touchpoint … from the website’s typography to her LinkedIn banner … was reimagined as part of a premium experience. The message was clear: her expertise created corporate spaces that elevated both aesthetics and productivity.
I helped her craft a new online strategy where design met credibility. A professional photo shoot of her own powerfully refurbished office and her best projects were captured in high resolution. A portfolio section highlighted case studies in a story-driven format. Social media posts moved away from generic décor tips to curated insights on productivity, culture, and workplace wellbeing.
Her LinkedIn presence was redesigned to speak to corporate decision-makers. Instead of listing services, it showcased bold visuals, authoritative thought leadership, and a confident personal narrative. This strategy meant that her 360-degree identity finally mirrored her premium offer, sending the right signals to the right audience.
Here are 10 strategic ideas developed (and several executed) to support the new brand direction:
Showcase Portfolio Website: A redesigned website acting as a digital showroom with full-screen visuals of completed makeovers … of her own office and those of clients.
LinkedIn Carousel Series: Professionally designed carousels conotrasting ‘before and after’ transformations of corporate spaces.
Instagram Case Study Reels: Short video reels highlighting design choices, with voice-over commentary connecting aesthetics to productivity.
Pinterest Inspiration Boards: Curated boards themed around ergonomic office trends and luxury workspace inspirations.
Thought Leadership Blogs: Articles on how décor impacts employee wellbeing, retention, and efficiency, boosting her authority.
Client Testimonial Videos: Authentic on-site recordings of corporate clients discussing the tangible business benefits of her designs.
Quarterly Digital Lookbook: A downloadable PDF cataloguing her latest projects, distributed through email campaigns.
Webinar Series: Online sessions educating HR and operations managers on the ROI of workplace design, framed with strong visuals.
Photography-First Instagram Feed: A grid layout focused exclusively on premium-quality project photography for immediate impact.
Email Newsletter With Design Tips: Monthly insights with rich visuals, blending design inspiration with calls to action for consultations.
Website visits increased by 142% after the redesign, with average time on site rising from 40 seconds to 2 minutes.
Corporate client inquiries grew by 61%, with three enterprise-level contracts closed within the first quarter post-rebrand.
Social media engagement tripled, with Instagram Reels reaching over 25,000 views per month.
Consultancy fees increased by 28% as her premium positioning allowed her to command higher prices with confidence.
CONFIDENTIALITY CAVEAT: This case study represents a confidential engagement. For privacy, specific brand identifiers, campaign names, and project phases have been withheld. It has been shared with permission while preserving client discretion.
If you’re brand owner or manager seeking stronger brand performance, this Case Study Post I wrote could interest you: “The Textiles Brand That Wove Employee Rosters Instead of Culture.“
If you’re an investor seeking momentum for your portfolio brands, this Case Study Post I worked on may resonate: “When a Founder’s Loud Voice Drowned Out the Brand’s Sedateness.“
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