Refocusing FACELIFT around its core narratives

Project: Strategy story, product vision, brand story, communications support
Client: Facelift
Services: CEO advisory on positioning, brand story and brand development. Developing strategic core narratives for positioning and communication. Guiding the brand relaunch. Advising on internal communication.

The project story

Hamburg-based Facelift has been a social media pioneer since 2011 and part of United MT, Dumont’s martech group, since 2016. Companies across Europe use Facelift to run all their social media from one central workspace.

Facelift changed fast over the past few years. Rapid growth. The Dumont acquisition. More professional internal processes. The acquisition of social media analytics specialist Quintly. And finally, co-founder Teja Töpfer’s return to the top of the company.

As the company grew, its internal and external storytelling got more and more complex. So one of the first strategic moves Teja made back in the CEO seat was to refocus the company on a few core narratives, fast.

I supported this process for six months, on three levels:

1. Company strategy

I helped the leadership team clarify, write down and communicate their thinking on how to refocus the company.

In workshops on company strategy, product vision and brand, we mapped the key shifts and turned them into lead narratives. Every manager now uses them as guidance when talking to their teams.

2. Brand story

Refocusing the company story also made one thing clear: the brand story and the brand’s look and feel needed sharpening to project a consistent, confident image.

In a two-day brand sprint, the marketing team, freelance designer Luise Gnizak and I defined the brand’s visual and narrative playing field. That work became a new brand book, and the basis for redesigning the website and all other marketing materials step by step.

3. Hands-on support

Alongside the strategic work, I advised Facelift’s marketing team on day-to-day storytelling questions. That included a new sales deck, communicating internal changes, and team workshops on storytelling, voice and tone, and content operations.