International Brand Strategist
New York / London / Sydney
Now Melbourne & Europe
Unlike most consultants, Clinton actually chooses a direction, writes copy, and directs the outcome.
Clinton Barnes is an international brand strategist who has worked with multinational businesses, multimillion-dollar startups, and the world’s premier thought leaders.
He’s worked in New York, London, and Sydney, and now splits his time between Melbourne and Europe.
But he really just wants to work with real people who want something real to happen.
Businesses come to Clinton with a product and an idea of who it’s for and why. He’ll probably tell them they’re wrong.
Usually because they are trying to be something they’re not when what they are is pretty great.
A lot of businesses pursue the part of their product that isn’t what people really like about them; it’s hard to read the label from inside the bottle.
He has told vodka companies to charge more because their cheap-as-possible price didn’t make sense with the amount of thought and care they put into the production.
He’s told a bank that they’re not in financial services. They’re in luxury, and they just happen to do financial services. The result was a beautiful and consistent design schema for their social media, forever changing the billion dollar brand’s presence online.
“You described me better than I could’ve described myself.”
Clinton has worked with CEOs, authors, and world-leading experts to uncover what they’ve been hiding under a bushel. The most common feedback he gets is, “you described me better than I could’ve described myself.”
It’s a sort of superpower that comes from what people don’t do much these days: listen and notice. The thing holding most people back from success is not having someone explain clearly why the way they are is actually pretty special and should be how they show up. Along with peeling away the inauthentic parts they’ve added on to try to fit in.
This isn’t to say everyone’s natural state is perfection. Because he does a healthy dose of mapping out the current context, competitors, and the audience you’re trying to reach to frame your best attributes for connecting with them.
He starts with a kick off workshop. Then interviews with a range of people around the business or the person.
He presents all that back to you. Clients find it particularly great to hear what people think about them behind their back.
This is where Clinton explains your position and what you need to do to make it work.
Book in a quick chat, pick my brain, run something past me, and other euphemisms which mean you won’t be charged.
1 hour meeting, talking about your presence, personality, powers, position and proposition. Afterwards, a written assessment of what’s working, what isn’t, and what you could consider doing.
The complete process set out above. The kick off workshop, the interviews with the people around you or around the business, the findings presented back, and the direction that says what to do and, better, what you don’t have to.
“Clinton is exceptionally good at what he does. His process is thoughtful, intelligent, and consolidates so many moving parts into something coherent and elegant.”
Alix Dunn — Tech Leader“I absolutely feel seen by the feedback you gathered. What you presented made me feel comfortable, like the brand was the truth, just elevated.”
Executive — Google“He took a lot of care and consideration for the industry we’re in, which is mental health. We felt like he identified with us and our problem.”
Lauren Elliot — Candlelit Care“The clarity Clinton brought inspired my own creativity. We created a website that was true to me and it’s already paying dividends.”
Chris Ryan — Broadway Actor“I’ve never seen a company so completely comprehend the tone and story, and convert that so seamlessly into a logo and a brand, in the first pitch.”
Eric Holmes — Broadway Writer“It’s been really rich and rewarding. I feel well set up to build the massive profile I can now envision.”
Michelle Meagher — Author“Really felt he got who we are and what we’re about, and was really thorough in conducting the research.”
Alice Cheng — Alice.CPA“He truly became such a trusted partner in a matter of days; he felt like part of the team.”
Jason Scott — Five Two FiveHe’s available for corporate bookings. Just make sure you clarify if you’re booking him for a consultancy or comedy.
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