Every brand is a story waiting to be told. Better.
Without strategy content is just stuff. And the world has enough stuff.
A compelling story is at the core of every successful enterprise. And every brand needs a compelling story. A consistent brand, both internally and externally, is at the core of every successful enterprise.
Every brand is a bold idea made human. A message that speaks to someone. A spark that connects. A story that resonates.
The intersection of brand and marketing is content.
About Me
My name is Arjun Basu. For more than 20 years I have worked with multinationals, luxury brands, associations, and charities. I have seen how good, smart content helps brands market their stories to build audience, to retain customers and to attract new ones.
I am an award-winning writer, editor and strategist. I have built out editorial/media brands and programs that encompass all platforms. I have created new brands and branding for start-ups, and created full-scope rebranding for companies and associations with rich legacies. I have created media for brands and believe all brands are media creators. I have been around for pivots and changes and know the challenges that accompany these moments, from top to bottom.
I ask questions, sometimes difficult ones, to get to the heart of your story, and then leverage those learnings to create a coherent strategy that allows you to broadcast your story in a manner that fulfills your goals: whether that be targeting your current audience, building loyalty, seeking new customers, creating buy-in to changes internally, and/or achieving growth. Every ask is unique. And that means every ask requires a unique response.
I have been called “the bullshit detector” and in a good way. I can strengthen a bench, be a fly-on-the-wall, a fresh eye, an impartial observer, and an outside(r) voice.
I believe that all branding and strategy requires:
Respect
Creativity
Empathy
Quality
Simplicity
Results
And that any strong collaboration requires me to:
Listen
Learn
Communicate
Collaborate
Create
I have served on boards (National Magazine Awards Foundation and currently with Access Copyright, Canada’s non-profit copyright collective representing creators and publishers), and have led corporate charitable initiatives. I have long been a mentor, an in-house consultant, a corporate advisor, and have created new departments and helped open new offices overseas within corporate structures. In the 2010s, I helped lead the rebranding and subsequent merging of two distinct corporate entities and cultures in the UK and Canada. I have spoken at conferences on three continents, extolling the necessity of coherent content strategy and inclusive, smart and strategic brand storytelling. I have served on juries for the National Magazine Awards Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts. I host a podcast about the future of magazines (I love magazines…a lot, and continue to believe in the power of print).
I am here to serve you. I can take on quick projects, or long, complex ones. I can be hands on or hands off. Work in the foreground or deep in the back. I can work by the hour. By the week. By the month. Or on retainer. Anything is possible and depends on the scope of your project and its complexity, but mostly on your overall needs.
I am also aligned with a network of complementary talents and with various creative agencies as needed.
Some of the brands I have worked with (or currently work for) over the past 20+ years include: Air Canada, Mercedes Benz, Bombardier Business Aircraft, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Investors Group, The Canadian Tourism Commission (now Discover Canada), Tourism Toronto (now Destination Toronto), British Airways, Swiss Airlines, LAN (and later LATAM), Flexjet, VistaJet, Bell, Malaysian Airlines, American Institute of Chartered Public Accountants, APEX (the Airline Passenger Association), Logistik Unicorp, Spafax, Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative, OBox Group, Most Wanted Co, Dentsu Isobar, Nectara, Gray Collection, Meltek, soNomad, The Good Kind, Adco Displetech…
Some areas of Interest, Experience, Expertise
Association
Auto
Aviation / In-Flight
Environment / Sustainability
Finance / Insurance
Hospitality
Loyalty Programs
Luxury
Non-Profit/NGO
Tourism (including tourism boards)
Travel
Areas of Practice
Branding
Content
Editorial
Executive Leadership/Mentorship
Marketing
Storytelling
Strategy
Services and Packages
Advisory
Agency Relationship Management
Amplification
Audit (brand, content, strategy)
“Bench” support
Change/Pivot Management for Leadership
CMO-as-Service
Consultancy
Executive
Fractional CMO/CBO
Ideation
Loyalty
Management
Mentorship
Planning
Reports
Roadmaps
Strategic Storytelling
Strategy
Teambuilding
Therapy
Thought Leadership
Workshopping
Packages: In addition to the individual services listed, I offer the following as packages (the prices quoted are estimates for each package; a final quote will follow a full evaluation of the work and time needed):
Therapy – hourly sessions to plan, troubleshoot, strategize, roadmap, mentor/counsel/coach, commiserate, listen. Can also lead to other projects (in which case, the initial session is gratis). Starting at $175/h.
Strategic and/or Storytelling Advisory – Evaluate existing brand/content, audit, set up content operation, brand development, offer a blueprint/roadmap for what you need, audience development, staff and/or freelance options, finding and examining themes and stories, setting release calendars. With final report if needed. Retainer for ongoing supervision/advisory possible. Starting at $4,000.
Brand Positioning – Project based. Evaluate brand, product and audience. Audit. Embark on rebrand if necessary. Identify pain points and possibilities. Workshopping. Ideation. Broad-based internal and external interviews. Creation or updating of brand guidelines. Establish best practices. Retainer for ongoing supervision/advisory possible. Starting at $6,000.
Editorial – For single projects or for entire ecosystems, whether start-up or established, I have led multiple editorial teams, brands and projects on three continents. Strategy. Evaluation. Direction. Team building. Starting at $5,000.
CMO-as-Service / Fractional – Hands on creation of marketing department, storytelling, content, media strategy, team and executive leadership and/or building. Mentoring. Hire. Liaise between executive and team. Fractional CMO. Establish best practices. Guidelines and bibles. Starting at $9,000/month.