Brand Strategy and Positioning Consulting
PhD-led brand audits, positioning and repositioning, buyer personas, and messaging for companies from $5M to $500M in revenue. I'm Dr. Linda Orr. I build brand strategy from customer research and market data, so your team knows who you serve, why you win, and what to say.
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Brand audits start at $8,000, persona and messaging projects at $15,000, and positioning projects at $20,000. Every project is quoted after a free 30-minute call.
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Updated October 29, 2026
Trusted by growth-stage brands across tech, healthcare, and DTC
$88M in marketing budget modeled for Upwork, 100+ clients from $5M to $500M in revenue, 25+ years leading growth, and 86% client retention.
$88M
Marketing budget covered by Upwork's first marketing mix model, built by Dr. Orr.
100+
Clients served, from $5M to $500M in revenue.
25+
Years leading growth across tech, healthcare, and consumer brands.
86%
Client retention. Most clients stay or come back.
You work directly with a PhD-level strategist.
I founded Orr Consulting after 25+ years in marketing leadership and two decades as a marketing professor.
My work includes the brand framework for McKesson's Foster & Thrive launch: positioning, messaging, and an 80+ page brand book for a national portfolio of 270+ private-label OTC products.
For SMRTFT, I wrote the original brand book, positioning, product naming, website copy, and social content, taking them from 10,000 Instagram followers to over 2 million. I've also built positioning and messaging for companies from Sparks, a rowing and running camp company, to Magenta.
I lead the strategy and the research myself, and my team helps carry the work into your website, ads, and content.
PhD in Marketing. Quoted in Forbes. Published in the Journal of Business Research. Top 1% on Upwork.
Is This the Right Fit for You?
Does this sound familiar?
You're likely ready for brand strategy work if:
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Your sales team, website, and ads describe the company in different ways.
You've grown into new customers or markets, and the brand still speaks to the old ones.
Buyers say you sound like your competitors, so deals come down to price.
You're planning a launch, a new market, a rebrand, or a merger, and want the positioning right first.
Ads and content cost more each year to get the same results.
Your personas are slides nobody uses.
Brand strategy built for decisions
Many brand projects end with a new logo and a slide deck. I start with the business question the brand has to answer: who you are for, what you compete against, and why a buyer should pick you.
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Every project is:
Built on research: customer interviews, surveys, reviews, search behavior, and sales data
Tied to revenue: win rates, pricing, conversion, and customer lifetime value
Written in the words your buyers actually use
Practical enough for sales, marketing, and product to use the next day
Measurable, with a simple way to track whether the change is working
I lead the strategy and the research myself. My team can help carry it into your website, ads, and content.
Positioning vs. Repositioning vs. Rebranding: What's the Difference?
The three get mixed up all the time, and so do branding and graphic design. I handle the strategy, naming, voice, and brand book, and refer trusted graphic designers for logos and visual identity. More on that in Stop Mixing Up These Marketing Terms.
Positioning
Deciding where you compete
Goal: choose who you serve, what you compete against, and why buyers pick you
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When you need it: a launch, a new product line, or a brand that sounds like everyone else
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What changes: your value proposition, proof points, and priorities
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Measured by: win rate, conversion, and price realization
Repositioning
Changing where you compete
Goal: move the brand to a new audience, price point, or category
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When you need it: after growth, an acquisition, new competitors, or a shift in what buyers want
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What changes: the target customer, the message, and often the offer
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Measured by: share of new-target customers, branded search, and perception tracking
Rebranding
Changing how you look and sound
Goal: update the name, visual identity, and voice
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When you need it: when the identity no longer fits a position that is already clear
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What I do: the name, voice, and brand book; I refer trusted graphic designers for the logo and visual design
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Measured by: recognition, consistency, and brand perception
Brand Strategy Your Whole Team Can Use
I turn customer research into a clear position, messaging your team can use, and a simple way to measure the result.
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What We Deliver
Brand Audit
A clear picture of how your brand shows up today:
Website, ads, sales decks, reviews, and social
Competitor comparison
Consistency across teams and channels
Customer and team perception
Prioritized fixes
Positioning and Repositioning
A position you can defend:
Target customer and category
Competitive map and white space
Value proposition and proof points
Price positioning
Rollout plan for sales, marketing, and product
Buyer Personas and Customer Research
Personas built from evidence:
Customer interviews and focus groups
Surveys and segmentation
CRM, sales, and review data
Buying triggers, objections, and decision process
The words buyers actually use
Messaging, Naming, and Brand Book
Words your whole team can use:
Messaging framework by persona
Product and offer naming
Website and campaign copy direction
Brand book and guidelines
Referrals to graphic designers for logos and visual identity
Past work for brands from Sparks to Magenta, McKesson Foster & Thrive, and SMRTFT
What Success Looks Like
Brand work should change what buyers choose. These are the measures I track with clients.
Win rates
More deals won, with shorter sales cycles.
Price realization
Better pricing and fewer discount-driven deals.
Conversion
Higher conversion on your site and campaigns.
Share of voice
More branded search and a bigger share of the conversation.
Awareness and perception
Tracked with simple brand surveys, before and after.
Consistency
One clear message across sales, marketing, and product.
How You Can Work With Orr Consulting
Ways to Work Together:
Prices below are starting points. Every project is quoted after a free 30-minute call, because scope ranges from a focused audit to a full repositioning with new research.
Brand Audit (Project)
Format: one-time project
Best for: brands that want an outside read on how they show up and where they lose buyers
Price: starting at $8,000; most run $8,000 to $15,000
What you get:
Review of your website, ads, sales materials, reviews, social, and search presence
Comparison with your closest competitors
Consistency check across channels and teams
Perception check with customers and your own team
Prioritized findings and recommendations
Positioning & Repositioning (Project)
Format: project
Best for: companies launching, entering a new market, or outgrowing their current brand
Price: starting at $20,000; most run $20,000 to $40,000
What you get:
Customer and market research to ground the decision
Competitive map and white-space analysis
Target customer and value proposition
Positioning statement and proof points
Price positioning recommendations
Rollout plan for sales, marketing, and product
Personas, Messaging & Brand Book (Project)
Format: project
Best for: teams that need personas, messaging, and guidelines everyone actually uses
Price: starting at $15,000; most run $15,000 to $30,000
What you get:
Buyer personas built from interviews, surveys, and CRM data
Messaging framework by persona and buying stage
Product and offer naming
Website and campaign copy direction
Brand book and guidelines
What clients say about working with Dr. Orr
Most engagements are under NDA, but here's what clients say about the work:
★★★★★
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“Dr. Linda Orr was as knowledgeable and helpful as her profile suggested. She surfaced growth options we hadn't considered, especially around brand recognition, sales strategy, and market penetration, and we plan to continue working together.”
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Confidential Client
Premium DTC (Fitness / Performance Apparel) · Growth Strategy · Brand Positioning · Go-to-Market
★★★★★
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“Linda was a pleasure to work with and extremely thorough. She led a market research project for our 3D dental imaging launch, and the insights directly shaped our positioning and go-to-market strategy.”
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Midmark Dental
Healthcare · Market Research · Positioning · Launch Strategy
★★★★★
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“Linda led a brand positioning workshop that was genuinely useful for our brand development. She brought structure, clarity, and a practical path forward.”
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Med Spa / Medical Durable Equipment
Healthcare · Brand Positioning · Messaging Workshop
★★★★★
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“Highly recommend Linda for market research and industry insights. She delivered a clear, well-structured report packed with actionable recommendations, including 20+ stakeholder interviews translated into positioning and an executable market-entry strategy.”
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Franco Allena, My Yacht Marketer
Premium DTC Services · Market Research · Positioning · Market Entry Strategy
A FEW OF OUR HAPPY CLIENTS
Brand Strategy Case Studies
Brand work I've led, from research through positioning, messaging, and brand books.
McKesson Foster & Thrive: Brand Framework for a National OTC Portfolio
Positioning, messaging, and an 80+ page brand book supported the 2023 launch of 270+ private-label OTC products.
Midmark: Research-Led Dental Technology Launch
25+ clinician interviews and a 250+ respondent survey shaped positioning, messaging, and pricing for a 3D dental X-ray launch.
Repositioning an AI Dental Platform From Voice-of-Customer Research
Interviews with implant dentists led to new positioning and persona-based messaging.
Building a DTC Fitness Brand to 2 Million Followers
Brand book, positioning, product naming, web copy, and creator-led social content.
Commercializing a New Team Sport From First Principles
From market research to positioning, a full brand system, and an ecommerce plan.
96% Lower Cost per Acquisition for a DTC Apparel Brand
Customer research, new personas, and a nano-influencer program cut cost per acquisition about 96%.
Rebuilding Patient Acquisition for a Teletherapy Provider
Rebuilt positioning, tracking, and paid acquisition cut CAC by 75% in about a year.
Market Research and a Go-to-Market Plan for a Luxury Yacht Marketing Agency
Surveys, 20+ stakeholder interviews, and competitive analysis shaped positioning, pricing, and market entry.
Related Reading on Brand Strategy
Want to go deeper? These articles cover the questions I hear most about positioning, personas, and brand measurement.
Brand Strategy: Frequently Asked Questions
Updated October 29, 2026
How much does brand strategy cost?
Brand audits start at $8,000, and most run $8,000 to $15,000. Persona, messaging, and brand book projects start at $15,000, and most run $15,000 to $30,000. Positioning and repositioning projects start at $20,000, and most run $20,000 to $40,000. Every project is quoted after a free 30-minute call.
What is the difference between positioning, repositioning and rebranding?
Positioning decides who you serve, what you compete against, and why buyers should pick you. Repositioning changes that choice, usually after growth, a new market, an acquisition, or new competitors. Rebranding changes how the brand looks and sounds, such as the name, logo, and visual identity. Positioning should come first.
What does a brand audit include?
A review of how your brand shows up across your website, ads, sales materials, reviews, social, and search, compared with your closest competitors. It also checks consistency across teams and how customers and your own team see the brand, and it ends with prioritized recommendations.
How do you build buyer personas?
From real data: customer interviews, focus groups, surveys, CRM and sales records, reviews, and search behavior. Each persona covers what triggers the purchase, how the decision gets made, the main objections, the words buyers use, and which channels reach them.
Do you do the research yourself?
Yes. I have run focus groups for more than 12 years, and I design and analyze surveys, interviews, and segmentation studies. You can see the methods on my market research page.
Do you write the messaging and brand book?
Yes. Projects can include a messaging framework, product naming, website and campaign copy direction, and a brand book. I built the positioning, messaging, and 80+ page brand book for McKesson's Foster & Thrive launch. For SMRTFT, I wrote the original brand book, positioning, product naming, website copy, and social content, taking them from 10,000 Instagram followers to over 2 million.
Do you design logos and visual identity?
No. Branding and graphic design are different jobs: branding sets the strategy, positioning, and voice, and design carries it out visually. I handle the strategy, naming, messaging, and brand book, and I can refer graphic designers I trust for the logo and visual identity. I explain the difference in Stop Mixing Up These Marketing Terms.
How do you know if a brand change is working?
Set a baseline before the change, then track it: awareness and perception surveys, branded search, share of voice, win rates, price realization, and conversion rates. I explain how in How to Monitor Brand Performance and Positioning.
Ready to Sharpen Your Brand Positioning?
If you want brand strategy grounded in research and tied to revenue, let's talk. A 30-minute call is enough to see whether we're a fit, no pitch, no pressure.
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Prefer email? Reach Dr. Orr directly: Dr.Orr@Orr-Consulting.com