Tovera is the UK’s leading corporate brand and reputation strategy consultancy.
We advise on how to build strong corporate brands and reputations.
We know that both working together are powerful drivers of value and long-term success.
We use a unique methodology – the Tovera Brand & Reputation Model – which brings leading brand and reputation thinking into a single framework for analysis, insight development and strategy.
Our expertise and approach allows us to work above functional constraints, bringing various strands together for a holistic view of what’s required to build and protect brand and reputation. This ensures that ultimately, all brand and reputation activities work in support of the whole – building support and driving long-term value.
WHAT WE DO
Our entire focus is on understanding, defining, building and protecting corporate brand and reputation. Our founding partners – Ann Binnie and Spencer Fox – are leading thinkers in corporate brand and reputation strategy. We understand that successful strategies rest on expert analysis and insight development. That’s why – as well as being strategists – we’re also research experts, Certified Members of the Market Research Society with a carefully developed and tested research and analysis framework.
We provide brand and reputation audits and analysis, strategy development and advisory.
Research
We have a tried and tested research methodology based on the Tovera Brand & Reputation model.
Insight
We take insight development seriously and separate insight development from research for two reasons.
Strategy
Our approach at Tovera is strategic, always seeking to answer: what is going to make the biggest difference…
WHAT WE THINK
Protect and increase company value with a corporate brand and reputation strategy
Corporate brand and reputation are recognised as being where significant value is held in companies. On average, 90% of the […]
Brand and Reputation insight are core to high value Intelligence Capital
The MRS’s excellent paper on Intelligence Capital is something that resonates very strongly with us at Tovera. (https://www.mrs.org.uk/resources/intelligence-capital) We find […]
Communications Directors – you need to get a handle on Brand
An organisation’s Brand and its Reputation are both proven to contribute to its value and be fundamental to its long-term […]
It’s time to shift gear from tactical to strategic
After over a year of mostly tactical and reactive marketing and communications, you think you now know how the ground […]
Could Nicola Sturgeon’s fate prove that you win on brand but lose on reputation?
We have been musing here at Tovera at the apparent fact that corporates, businesses, brands, even politicians seem to win […]
When it comes to being authentic, Dolly knows best.
Dolly Parton embodies all that is good about America. A hugely talented singer-songwriter and musician; a 60-year career with global […]
WHO WE DO IT FOR
Problem:
Just Eat, a founding client of Tovera, made its IPO in April 2014. At that time the leadership recognised that the business would be held to higher standards and a higher level of scrutiny than it had been as a privately held entrepreneurial challenger brand. The company needed to create an effective corporate communications strategy.
Problem:
Pret had suffered the extremely distressing death of a customer following an allergic reaction to one of its products. In the midst of the crisis there was a need to get a sense of its impact and how best to reassure customers, partners and the wider stakeholder universe.
Problem:
Novartis Oncology (NO) was playing in the most competitive area of pharmaceuticals in the most highly regulated industry where there are immense societal pressures on companies to balance commercial imperatives with social impact.
Problem:
Qualicaps, the pharma devices arm of Mitsubishi Chemical, had a commercial strategy problem in that they needed to bring three separate divisions into one aligned entity. These divisions were in different markets and product sectors, and had brand assets in the form of manufacturing/assembling capability and trusted brand names.
It was also driven by a central operating philosophy, Kaiteki, Japanese for harmony of business and society, which gave it a potential purpose that was not being lived consistently.
Thus the – somewhat ironical – issue was these various assets were not working in harmony and in many cases were in conflict.
Intervention:
Tovera’s brief was to assess the various aspects of the brand and brand architecture and advise the client on how best to align the disparate elements, maintain and position those brand assets that worked to contribute to a defence against competitive threats, while maintaining the desired central purpose of Kateiki. We interviewed key internal stakeholders across the divisions and, working with leadership, created candidate architectures and helped guide a chosen direction.
Impact:
The ultimate deliverable was a new brand architecture for the business, with a clearly defined brand proposition working in harmony with its purpose: ‘Kaiteki. We continued to work with sub brands and helped in briefing for corporate identity.
HOW WE DO IT
We bring both brand and reputation teams through a single strategic planning cycle. In the Discovery phase analysing research of various methods, quantitative and qualitative, in stages we call the Landscape (an analysis of all available sources through the single lens of the Tovera Brand and Reputation model) and the Diagnostic (using the analysis and our expertise to reveal strengths and barriers to success).
The Definition stage is where we develop insights from the discovery stage to inform a holistic brand and reputation strategy, leading with a corporate brand positioning and direction for marketing, corporate communications, public affairs and senior leadership decision making on matters pertaining to corporate reputation.
We also advise on fit for purpose measurement systems that can include qualitative monitoring of senior stakeholders and/or quantitative measurement among larger groups such as employees, consumers and publics. Sometimes this is simply advising on improvements to existing programmes other times a full review and design of a new programme.
WHY WE DO IT
We take pride in doing good work. It’s the driving force in all we do at Tovera; we genuinely believe in our own core purpose.
Our Purpose: In advising businesses on how to build the strongest corporate brands and reputations, we’re helping them be the best they can be vis-à-vis their customers, their stakeholders and wider society. In our own small way, we are making the world a better place through improved corporate behaviour that benefits us all.
CORE TEAM
Below is our core project team made up of leading experts in fields of brand, reputation, data analysis and marcomms. We are supported by our Board of Experts as well as parters such as Dynata (large data collection company in the EU).
Spencer Fox: Spencer has over 20 years of experience in brand and reputation strategy and is a passionate advocate of brand differentiation. The early part of his career was spent in advertising and it was during his time at JWT that he first used the Thompson Total Branding protocol. He later founded Axis Communications, a consumer brand and advertising agency where he developed The Foundry, a brand positioning methodology working with clients such as Levi’s, ITV and Abercrombie & Kent. This work led him to pursue a role at Reputation Institute where he established the UK business and led major corporate reputation research projects for organisations such as IHG, Samsung, Tesco, AstraZeneca, Kellogg’s and British Gas. The combination of his brand and reputation experience led him to establish Tovera – the UK’s first pure-play brand and reputation consultancy. Spencer has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Cass Business School in London. He is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS).
Ann Binne : Ann is a highly regarded brand and research expert. She previously worked as Board Planning Director in three top London advertising agencies before setting up her own business, latterly in partnership with a fellow ex-planner. Client experience is extremely wide: Mars, E & J Gallo, News International , BBC Radio, Charities Aid Foundation, Barclays Wealth, Landor, The Reputation Institute, Ogilvy, and JWT are just a few examples. As an independent consultant she applies planning principles, consultancy, research and facilitation skills to strategy, positioning and communications development in the wider branding and design world, across sectors that include charities as well as commercial, international as well as UK. Ann has an MSc in Business and is a qualified Enneagram teacher. She is a full member of the Market Research Society, a member of the Marketing Society, a Fellow of the RSA and has made contributions to books on Design Agency management, acted as a judge on APA (now CMA) annual awards, taught on MRS Summer School and since 1995 has had an entry in Debrett’s People of Today.
Sarah Hornby : Sarah is a communications and corporate affairs professional, with 20 years’ experience across sectors, in areas including science and technology, healthcare, business and corporate responsibility. She helps brands craft their stories and communicate with impact. She has worked for companies like GSK, where she led media and communications activities for some of the company’s high-profile partnerships, including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and global partnership with Save the Children. In 2015, she spent 6 months working with Save the Children in Colombia, working on a health education programme for schools in rural areas. More recently, she led communications for the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce in support of the UK response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is inspired by the power of storytelling and as the Communications Director for TEDxLondon, helped share ideas worth spreading both on and off the TEDx stage. She is passionate about equality and diversity in healthcare and education and has worked as a mentor to young women and girls as part of the Taylor Bennett Foundation and the Inspire Education Business Partnership.
Rachel Kirk : Rachel is a data analytics expert. After graduating from the University of Warwick with a BSc in Mathematics, Statistics, Operational Research & Economics, Rachel embarked on a career in the Government Statistical Service. She held positions managing and analysing National Statistics in the fields of labour market and immigration, as well as providing quantitative analysis in several research projects concerning UK immigration and the NHS.
Since joining Tovera in 2015, Rachel designed research programmes for clients such as Just Eat and Highways England.
Spencer Fox : Spencer has over 20 years of experience in brand and reputation strategy and is a passionate advocate of brand differentiation. The early part of his career was spent in advertising and it was during his time at JWT that he first used the Thompson Total Branding protocol. He later founded Axis Communications, a consumer brand and advertising agency where he developed The Foundry, a brand positioning methodology working with clients such as Levi’s, ITV and Abercrombie & Kent. This work led him to pursue a role at Reputation Institute where he established the UK business and led major corporate reputation research projects for organisations such as IHG, Samsung, Tesco, AstraZeneca, Kellogg’s and British Gas. The combination of his brand and reputation experience led him to establish Tovera – the UK’s first pure-play brand and reputation consultancy. Spencer has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Cass Business School in London. He is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS).
Ann Binne : Ann is a highly regarded brand and research expert. She previously worked as Board Planning Director in three top London advertising agencies before setting up her own business, latterly in partnership with a fellow ex-planner. Client experience is extremely wide: Mars, E & J Gallo, News International , BBC Radio, Charities Aid Foundation, Barclays Wealth, Landor, The Reputation Institute, Ogilvy, and JWT are just a few examples. As an independent consultant she applies planning principles, consultancy, research and facilitation skills to strategy, positioning and communications development in the wider branding and design world, across sectors that include charities as well as commercial, international as well as UK. Ann has an MSc in Business and is a qualified Enneagram teacher. She is a full member of the Market Research Society, a member of the Marketing Society, a Fellow of the RSA and has made contributions to books on Design Agency management, acted as a judge on APA (now CMA) annual awards, taught on MRS Summer School and since 1995 has had an entry in Debrett’s People of Today.
Sarah Hornby : Sarah is a communications and corporate affairs professional, with 20 years’ experience across sectors, in areas including science and technology, healthcare, business and corporate responsibility. She helps brands craft their stories and communicate with impact. She has worked for companies like GSK, where she led media and communications activities for some of the company’s high-profile partnerships, including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and global partnership with Save the Children. In 2015, she spent 6 months working with Save the Children in Colombia, working on a health education programme for schools in rural areas. More recently, she led communications for the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce in support of the UK response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is inspired by the power of storytelling and as the Communications Director for TEDxLondon, helped share ideas worth spreading both on and off the TEDx stage. She is passionate about equality and diversity in healthcare and education and has worked as a mentor to young women and girls as part of the Taylor Bennett Foundation and the Inspire Education Business Partnership.
Rachel Kirk : Rachel is a data analytics expert. After graduating from the University of Warwick with a BSc in Mathematics, Statistics, Operational Research & Economics, Rachel embarked on a career in the Government Statistical Service. She held positions managing and analysing National Statistics in the fields of labour market and immigration, as well as providing quantitative analysis in several research projects concerning UK immigration and the NHS.
Since joining Tovera in 2015, Rachel designed research programmes for clients such as Just Eat and Highways England.
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TOVERA
TOVERA stands for Two Truths:
The two truths are that to be successful in the long-term, businesses need both a strong brand and a strong reputation. ‘To’ is taken from some Celtic and Scandinavian spellings of ‘Two’ and ‘Vera’ is derived from the Latin for True Cause – Vera Causa. Together they make TOVERA: two truths. 