A strong brand
means business.

Strengthen your brand to build deep connections with customers and prove your relevance. Business results will follow.

Why brandMatters?

We are career business leaders, not career consultants.

We blend art and science to deliver business results.

We use data, market trends and creative instinct to inform our work.

We apply best practices from a range of industries.

We believe every customer interaction influences the brand experience.

Client Work

Explore a sampling of our work below.

Marriott Vacations Worldwide

Maxar

Reading Horizons

The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón

Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

E! Entertainment

Generation Ready

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

Teaching Strategies

Capabilities

Your brand matters to us. Here’s how we can help.

Strategic Planning

Brand Strategy

Positioning

Market Research

Brand Architecture

Naming

Visual Identity

Messaging Strategy

Customer Experience Design

Brand Culture

Clients

We work with a diverse group of organizations.

Karen McSteen and Laura Bates went deeper at every step of the process than any similar group I have worked with. They identified really fresh insights, found ownable and unique positioning points, and created truly innovative ways to bring that all to life in the guest service and product experience.

TOM SEDDON
Former Chief Marketing Officer
Extended Stay America & Intercontinental Hotel Group
Karen expertly guided our executive team through an enterprise-wide strategic planning initiative and is by far one of the most effective business consultants I have had the pleasure of working alongside. Her ability to digest, assess and intelligently organize huge amounts of information while strategically connecting the dots is truly impressive. She worked tirelessly over a 14-month period and was equally committed to our success as our own executives. Karen is a rare find! Combining flawless work ethic, engaging personal character and just plain fun to work with, she made a difference in our organization that will last for decades.

JANET TRAPHAGEN
President
Creative Group, Inc
brandMatters helped us drill down to the heart of our brand. The approach was focused—and involved nearly every constituency that interacts with the network. The end result: a cohesive, concise, easy to communicate brand direction.

CYNTHIA McCLELLAN
Former President
Network Strategy E! Entertainment Television
Karen McSteen has played a significant role in helping The Ritz-Carlton shape its long-term strategic plan. Karen has worked with our company in a variety of capacities, including brand consulting, new product evaluation, senior leadership meeting facilitation and organizational structuring. She has impressed our leadership with her deep understanding of our brand and culture and her very structured and comprehensive approach to work.

KEN REHMANN
Global Officer, Finance and Operations
Marriott International
Karen McSteen and Laura Bates helped us turn around the Cambria brand. They found a unique and untapped market segment to target, repositioned the brand, and then worked with our team to develop a guest experience, service culture, new prototype design, and messaging to go after those customers. Within a year of this work, the brand’s market share grew 15% and the development pipeline tripled.

STEVE JOYCE
Former Chief Executive Officer
Choice Hotels
brandMatters partnered with Reading Horizons to help further our impact on literacy. Karen was instrumental in developing our brand strategy and positioning. She immersed herself in our organization to learn about what makes us who we are and amplify it to address market problems. She leveraged data, key insights, and her expertise to deliver a framework that aligned with our purpose and met market needs and then worked closely with our team to help move the strategy forward. Her efforts led to us seeing an improvement in awareness, interest, and overall reach to help ensure students reach reading proficiency by the end of third grade.

TRISHA THOMAS
President
Reading Horizons
brandMatters has been instrumental in helping our senior leadership and Board define our priorities and strategic direction. They have transformed our leadership and Board meetings into participative, results-oriented sessions that keep moving the organization in a very positive direction. Their inclusive style has earned the respect and commitment of staff and volunteer leaders alike.

ROGER DOW
Former President and Chief Executive Officer
U.S. Travel Association
Karen is the consummate business professional. Her knowledge and expertise goes far beyond corporate branding and marketing. Karen’s marketing prowess is undisputed, but she is also a fantastic strategist and corporate advisor. The best compliment I can pay Karen is to say that I would happily have her team up with me on a consulting project when my own reputation is on the line. Whether it is working with a business school or a corporate client, Karen adds great value to any organization. I recommend her without reservation or hesitation.

GARY COHEN
Former Associate Dean, Executive Programs
Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

Team

Learn more about the team that can transform your brand to power business results.

Karen McSteen, Principal

I founded brandMatters in 2003 because I believe that strong brands underpin strong businesses. I fell in love with the importance of brands as I built my career. Since then, it has been my passion and purpose to help clients build their brands to deliver impactful and long-lasting business results.

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Laura Bates, Partner

For decades, I have been helping organizations to find the creative “unlock” that solves their business challenges. It requires a blend of art and science, but the outcome can genuinely transform a brand—and the overall business.

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We bring together the right team — researchers, data analysts, designers and copywriters — to supplement our expertise and help make your project a success.

Articles

Read our latest thinking about important topics related to brands and building your business.

Why Hotel Guests Are Your Most Important Marketing Channel

Make the Experience Worth Talking About
Read More ⇢
Investing CapEx in the Hotel Experience Pays Off

Elevate What Makes Your Hotel Special to Guests
Read More ⇢
Make a Difference With Service

Many Hotel Features Can Be Copied, but a Real Human Connection Is Harder To Imitate
Read More ⇢

All Articles

Speaking & Workshops

brandMatters offers engaging and thought-provoking keynotes, breakout sessions and hands-on workshops. For maximum impact, all of our engagements are tailored for your organization and audience.

Learn more

A strong brand means business.