Derrick Coupland

Background

About Derrick Coupland

Why do your core customers do business with you?I typically ask business leaders this question. I pose the same question to their employees and customers — comparing the answers is always instructive. It might seem easy to answer, but rarely is, and never when diving deep. The question usually begets another, who are your core customers? Once we start digging in here we’re away to the races. Brand and positioning strategy ultimately emerges from this inquiry. I began my career as an entrepreneur, with my own creative agency and immediately became fascinated by my clients’ underlying strategy that drove our work. For the past 30 years, I’ve been a student of brand strategy and human motivation. I’m especially drawn to the complexities of business-to-business firms. As an experienced facilitator, I have a knack for leading teams to consensus and instilling the confidence to execute. I’ve designed go-to-market strategy for startups and large enterprises that have helped to transform companies. Beyond corporate and product brand strategy, I also lead brand integration for acquisitions, brand architecture and portfolio design, culture change, and strategic planning. Before starting Coupland & Co. in 2014, I co-founded two advertising agencies, a consultancy, and a market research firm, two of which I’ve sold. As a strategist, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside top research and creative teams for years — this experience has given me enough at-bats to recognize the patterns, and learn what works and what doesn’t. My teams and I have been recognized with numerous regional, national and international awards for marketing excellence.