Services
Wherever You Are, We'll Meet You There.
Every business starts in a different place. Whether you need clarity, a brand that finally fits, a steady hand through change, or a marketing leader in your corner, every engagement is shaped around your size and your stage.
Start the ConversationOne Path, Five Steps.
Most businesses start with Decode or Define. Some come to us midway. Wherever you begin, each step builds on the one before it.
01
Decode
Brand Diagnostic
02
Define
Brand Foundation
03
Express
Identity & Launch
04
Activate
Go-to-Market Kit
05
Evolve
Fractional Head of Brand & Marketing
Decode · Brand Diagnostic
3 to 4 weeks
Know Exactly Where You Stand.
This is for you if something feels off with your brand, but you're not sure what, or where to start.
You'll walk away with a clear picture of how your brand is seen inside and out, and a plan with priorities in order, whether or not we work together on the next step.
What's included: conversations with your leaders, team and a few customers · a brand and competitor review · a findings report with clear priorities
Define · Brand Foundation Signature
6 to 10 weeks
Get Crystal Clear on Who You Are.
This is for you if your team describes the business five different ways, or you're about to invest in a website, rebrand or campaign and want the foundation right first.
You'll walk away with one story everyone can tell, built with input from your leaders, team and customers: a brand playbook your team, partners and vendors can use right away.
What's included: purpose, vision, mission and values · ideal client profiles and personas · positioning and value proposition · brand promise and messaging framework · brand story and voice guidelines
Express · Identity & Launch
About one quarter
Look, Sound and Feel Like Who You Are.
This is for you if your look and voice no longer match the business you've become, or you're launching something new, like a name, a merger or a new division.
You'll walk away with a brand your people helped shape and are proud to stand behind, so it shows up in every interaction.
What's included: a verbal and visual identity, created with trusted design partners · a brand standards book · team input along the way and an internal launch · an external launch plan
Activate · Go-to-Market Kit
4 to 8 weeks
Step Into the Market With Confidence.
This is for you if your foundation is set and you need the tools to start telling your new story.
You'll walk away with a ready set of materials that all sound and look like you, so every conversation moves people to act.
What's included: every kit is built around what you need most. It could include website messaging and page structure · a sales deck and one-pagers · tradeshow and event materials · a launch campaign · a 90-day content plan · a thought leadership program
Add-On · Employer Brand & Culture Alignment
Build a Team That Believes in What You're Building.
4 to 6 weeks, on its own or alongside Define or Express
This is for you if you're hiring, growing or going through change, and you want your people to live the brand, not just hear about it.
You'll walk away with a team that understands the brand, sees their part in it, and shows it every day.
What's included: every program is built for your team. It could include values and behaviors · an employer value proposition and careers messaging · an onboarding story · tools that show each role how it delivers the brand promise · an internal communications plan · a team workshop or manager toolkit
Not Sure Which Service Fits?
Answer fifteen quick questions and see which area of your brand needs attention first, along with the service that fits. About 3 minutes.
Evolve · Fractional Head of Brand & Marketing
Have a Senior Marketing Leader in Your Corner.
You've outgrown doing it all yourself, but a full-time marketing executive isn't the right fit yet. Summer joins your team part-time to set the direction, build the plan, and make sure it gets done, including managing the freelancers and partners who carry it out.
Summer has built marketing functions from the ground up twice, including one that scaled across 20+ locations.
This is for you if you don't have a formal marketing department, or you have people doing the work but no one leading it.
You'll walk away with marketing that finally has a plan, a leader, and results you can see.
Every level includes: a marketing plan and priorities · brand stewardship · vendor and freelancer management · a simple monthly scorecard
Advisor
About 2 days a month
For teams that can do the work but need senior direction. Monthly strategy sessions, plan reviews and feedback on work in progress.
Partner
About 4 days a month
For businesses building their marketing function. Weekly check-ins, campaign and launch planning, sales materials, and hands-on messaging and content direction.
Embedded
About 8 days a month
For a growth push, launch or rebrand. A seat at your leadership table, full ownership of marketing, and support hiring your marketing team.
Starts with a three-month commitment, then month to month. Days and focus flex with what you need.
When Your Business Changes · Change & Transition Communications
Keep Your People and Your Customers With You Through Change.
Mergers, acquisitions, new leadership, a restructuring or a rebrand: change is personal, and how people hear about it shapes whether they stay. We help you communicate with clarity and care at every stage, so your team and your customers understand what's changing, why it matters, and where they belong in what comes next.
Summer guided a healthcare services company through 16 acquisitions. Employee churn had reached 117%. After the culture was aligned with the brand promise, 90% of employees stayed and every client renewed. She's also been the employee on the other side of the announcement, twice.
This is for you if you're merging, acquiring, being acquired, changing leadership, or going through a restructuring or rebrand.
You'll walk away with a team that stays, customers who renew, and one story that brings everyone together.
Phase 1
Before the announcement
Everyone hears the news the right way, from the right people.
Could include: a stakeholder map · key messages and leader talking points · FAQs · an announcement day kit for employees, customers, partners and the community
Phase 2
The first 100 days
Questions get answered before rumors fill the gaps.
Could include: an employee communications calendar · manager toolkits · customer retention messages · feedback channels
Phase 3
Bringing it together
Two cultures become one team with one story.
Could include: deciding how the brands fit together · a rebrand if needed · a shared story, values and behaviors
Single transition · support through one change, typically 90 days to 6 months
Acquisition Playbook · for several acquisitions, built once and used for every deal
With Evolve · pair with Embedded during integration
What It's Like to Work With Us.
Every engagement is guided by the same three values. They shape how we listen, how we build, and how we show up for you.
Be Curious.
We ask questions and listen to understand, so your strategy is built on what's true about your business, not on assumptions. Then we connect the dots you're too close to see.
Lead With Heart.
We look at every decision through the eyes of the people it touches: your team, your customers and you. Strategy that ignores people doesn't stick.
Create Connection.
It's about you, not us. We keep our promises and build relationships, not just deliverables. Success is your team owning the brand long after we're done.
The Work Behind the Results.
See All WorkChange & Transition
From Chaos to Cohesion
A multi-site healthcare services company was growing through acquisition and losing its people. Summer built one brand foundation from the inside out and carried it through 16 acquisitions.
90% employee retention · 100% client renewal · sales targets beaten by 50% in some markets
Read the storyExpress
A Rebrand That Brought the Right Clients In
A B2B professional services firm had outgrown its brand. Summer built its brand foundation from the ground up, with the team, and launched it to them first.
750% more inbound leads · 60% of new business from inbound
Read the storyChange & Transition · Define
Big-Bank Strength, Small-Town Heart
A Wisconsin community bank was acquiring a bank rooted in small rural towns, and the combined bank needed a new name. We built a strategy that kept their small-town pride and introduced new capabilities without it feeling like a big-city takeover.
The foundation and direction for a successful go-to-market
Read the storyChange & Transition · Define
A New Name, a New Home, One Clear Story
A B2B safety labeling manufacturer was acquired, moved from Pennsylvania to Minnesota, and renamed. A brand foundation built with its team set it up for a successful go-to-market.
One clear story under a new name
Read the storyFor Agencies · Strategy Partner
Senior Strategy for Your Team, When You Need It.
Great creative starts with the right strategy. When a pitch, an RFP or a new client calls for deeper thinking than your team has time for, Summer plugs in as your strategy partner. You keep the client relationship, and the work gets stronger.
Could include: research and audience segmentation · positioning and messaging · strategy sections for RFPs and pitches · brand strategy for client engagements. Available by project or on a small monthly retainer.
Wherever You Are, Let's Talk About What's Next.
Tell us where your business is today and where you want it to go. We'll help you find the right place to start.
Start the ConversationNo pressure, no pitch. Just an honest conversation about what's possible.
