Jim Ritchie, Brand Strategist and Marketing Consultant, Melbourne. Jim helps businesses define their identity, sharpen their messaging, and build brands that cut through.

I’m Jim * Not James * I’ll accept Jimmy or Jimbo * Never Jimothy * Once I got called Geoff *

I’m Jim * Not James * I’ll accept Jimmy or Jimbo * Never Jimothy * Once I got called Geoff *

I’m Jim…

Before I was a creatively-minded brand strategist, I was a strategically-minded creative director, with a ‘big-agency’ advertising career spanning Melbourne and London. I won awards and pitches, but struggled with the agency-client model, where agency needs were often prioritised over client needs. So I tried to change that.

In mid-2019, I founded US+US, a Melbourne-based strategy, brand and design agency built on a simple idea: better client solutions come from intelligent understanding and respectful collaboration. I led the agency for six productive years, building brands with clarity, depth and distinction.

Across my 20+ year career, I’ve worked with organisations of all shapes and sizes; from financial unicorns and fast-growing start-ups, to destination brands and not-for-profits. In everything I do I try to find what truly matters; creating solutions that are clear, confident and compelling. And most importantly, right.

Clients always come to me with problems – and I love that. I work best with people who know what they need but are open-minded about what the right way forward could look like – and who also don’t mind a little pushback. I genuinely enjoy solving curly problems, I’m proactive in understanding your needs and your business, and I’m totally at home navigating complex stakeholder groups.

Beyond all the sizzle, I’m a father of two, a partner of one, a girls’ soccer coach on the side, and an avid Newcastle United fan. If I’m not working, coaching soccer, watching soccer, wrangling kids, or decrying the declining standards of a long black, you’ll find me ‘gawn bush’.

Brand Strategist Soccer Coach Jim Ritchie
Brand Strategist Gone Bush Jim Ritchie
Brand Strategy Workshop Jim Ritchie

I’m intolerant of intolerance

I believe the best solutions come from genuinely understanding people — their needs, their values, and their lived experiences. I bring curiosity, empathy and an open mind to every project, aiming to create brand outcomes that are not only commercially effective but also respectful, human-centred and socially aware. In my professional relationships and interactions, I strive to foster an environment where every opinion is respected, and every individual feels seen and heard.

Services

  • Interactive, insight-led sessions designed to align teams, uncover opportunities, and lay the strategic foundation for business and brand development. Tailored to specific challenges or objectives — whether launching, evolving, or repositioning a brand or business.

  • The essential strategic thinking that underpins a brand — clearly articulating purpose, vision, values, personality, and strategic pillars. Provides clarity and consistency to guide brand expression and behaviour.

  • Defines the unique space a brand occupies in the market and in the minds of its audience. Establishes what sets the brand apart, who it serves, and why it matters — informing strategy, marketing and communications.

  • Identifies and describes the people a brand seeks to engage — including customers, stakeholders and influences. Maps interrelationships, needs, behaviours and goals to shape communication that resonates and drives action. What do they think, feel and do currently – and what do we want them to think, feel and do in the future?

  • Outlines the structure, hierarchy and relationships between brands, sub-brands, products or divisions. Provides a framework to manage complexity, support growth, and ensure customer clarity across brand portfolios.

  • A brand’s key persuasive argument — a concise, compelling statement that communicates the value it delivers. Supported by three key pillars:

    Differentiation — The distinct qualities that set the brand apart

    Value — The tangible and measurable benefits delivered to the customer

    Relevancy — The key drivers behind why customers choose the brand

  • Defines what makes an organisation a meaningful and rewarding place to work. A strong EVP attracts, engages and retains the right people by aligning internal culture with external brand. Supported by three pillars:

    Differentiation — The distinct qualities that set the organisation apart

    Value — The tangible and emotional benefits offered to employees

    Relevancy — The key drivers behind why employees choose to stay

  • Born from the CVP or EVP and the brand positioning, messaging is essential for marketing and campaign activity and brings a brand to life. It defines the key statements used to engage an audience across touchpoints, combining rational and emotional elements.

  • Establishes the distinct voice of a brand — not just what it says, but how it says it. Includes voice (the outward expression of brand personality) and tone (how that voice adapts for different audiences and contexts). Provides practical guidelines for consistent, authentic communication across all channels.

  • Strategic, purposeful and engaging writing for all formats — from headlines and websites to campaigns and collateral. Delivers clarity, consistency and persuasion while reflecting the brand’s distinct voice.

  • Defines how a brand goes to market — identifying the most effective channels, tactics and timings to connect with the right audiences. Covers the four key levers of marketing:

    Product — What is being offered

    Price — What it costs and how it’s positioned

    Place — Where and how it’s sold or delivered

    Promotion — How it’s communicated and marketed

    A plan to build awareness, drive engagement and support business goals through well-informed, strategic decision-making.

  • Developing a new name for an existing brand or building a brand from scratch — the name plays a critical role. It must align with the business offering, be distinctive, memorable and ownable, and work across key channels. Considerations include trademark availability, domain and social handle viability, linguistic nuance, and long-term relevance. A strong name lays the foundation for brand recognition and growth.

  • Insight and evaluation to inform effective brand decisions.

    Research — the foundation of effective brand strategy, includes stakeholder interviews, customer research, competitor reviews, and market or category analysis — uncovering the truths, tensions and opportunities that shape strategy.

    Brand Audit — a comprehensive review of a brand’s current state, assessing visual identity, messaging, perception and experience across key channels to identify strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement.

  • The structural foundation of a digital experience — organising content and navigation to make information easy to find, understand and act on. Designed for usability, clarity and alignment with business objectives.

  • (Brand + Marketing) Senior strategic support when it’s needed most — from rebrands and repositioning to scaling, alignment or change. I offer an experienced, external perspective to help shape decisions, sense-check direction, and provide clarity across brand and marketing.

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