Business
See what else your expertise could become.
A product can open the door to a service. A local success can find a new market. We look for more in what you already do.
Big starts
with a bug.
People choose brands that solve their problem.
Is something getting in the way of them choosing yours? A doubt. A wrong impression. Or they simply don’t know you exist. That’s your bug.
We find it by listening to your customers and understanding your brand. Then we fix it, across your brand strategy, design and marketing, until choosing you is the easy choice.
Research & insightBrand strategyDesignDigitalBrand experiencesMarketing & activation
Who we are
Over 20 years. 127 brands.
32 industries. 12 countries.
We’re an independent brand consultancy in Singapore. For over 20 years, we’ve worked out why people choose one brand over another, and helped brands become the one they choose.
Markets change fast. Digital changed them. Now AI is changing them again. Anyone can track the weather. Experience is how you understand the climate.
Through all of it, three things have stayed true.
Be clear. People should know in a moment what you stand for and why you’re different.
Be believed. They need a reason to trust you.
Grow. The brand must win new customers and new markets and new partnerships.
After 127 brands, we still begin with the same question: what’s standing between you and your customer’s choice?
How business, brand and marketing work together +
Brand
Build for today. Make room for tomorrow.
Define what should stay true and what can evolve, so the brand grows with the business you want to build.
Marketing
Give people something worth talking about.
Make the difference clear in what you offer, how people experience it and the stories they share.
What we do
Every brand has a problem and an opportunity.
We find both. First, why customers hesitate. Then where your business could go next: a new market, a new product, a new way to earn. Four steps take you from one to the other.
Discuss your challenge ↗
01Research, alignment & brand insightFind the bug and the opportunity.
Get close to customers, the market and the business. Reframe the problem before choosing the answer.
We uncover what’s changing, what matters and where the opportunity lies. We search, research and dig deep in the hearts, and minds of consumers and in the markets the brand interacts with them.
- Leadership interviews & brand audit
- Customer research & competitor analysis
- Brand alignment, personality & futuring workshops
02Brand strategy & definitionBuild what’s true.
Find the simple truth that makes your brand valuable. Give the business a clear position and room to grow.
Once we understand the bug, we begin the process of finding the one big yet simple truth that can change the way the brand is grown, valued and trusted.
- Purpose, vision, belief & values
- Positioning & value proposition
- Brand architecture & audience messaging
03Identity & brand expressionShape the identity.
Turn the strategy into a clear, distinctive way to look, sound and show up.
Total alignment of the brand as an integrated single authentic visual and verbal style that is consistent to the brand’s vision and desired personality and meaning. This is expressed in everything the brand comes in contact with.
- Naming & visual identity
- Verbal identity & brand storytelling
- Packaging, websites & brand guidelines
04Roadmap & brand activationMake it big.
Once they are inscribed, we activate the brand into growth mode finding ways to make it relevant, useful and alive in modern life.
We embed the brand where people live, choose and engage. We speak human, not code. AI may sit at the edges, but people remain at the core.
Then we turn possibility into opportunity. We look at where the brand can go, who it can matter to, and what it needs to become along the way. From new international markets and audiences to products, platforms and experiences, we build the pathways that turn a brand’s principles into lived experience and growth.
Put the brand to work where people live, choose and engage. Connect today’s actions with tomorrow’s growth.
- Market-entry & go-to-market roadmap
- Digital, retail & human experiences
- Films, thought leadership, LinkedIn & PR
- SEO, GEO, AEO and AIO optimisation
Brands we have worked with
across sectors and markets.
More brands we’ve worked with +
A selection from our wider client experience. Logos do not imply grant funding or endorsement.
See the thinking.
See what changed.
View case study ↗MIMI Homes · Singapore → India
A new market. A more personal reason to choose.
Turning Singapore furniture retail experience into a proposition for a new generation of homemakers in India.
Read the story ↗
View case study ↗LOCSTOC · Cambodia
One clear promise for a complex retail network.
Connecting the reach of digital commerce with the familiarity and trust of the neighbourhood store.
Read the story ↗
View case study ↗BankGenie · Singapore → Ethiopia
A clearer technology brand. A stronger introduction to Ethiopia.
Clarifying a fintech company’s identity, then making its experience relevant to a new audience of banking decision-makers.
Read the story ↗Experienced founders.
Close to your business.
Identity Counsel was founded in Singapore in 2002 by Mohit and Gayatri Gopaldas. Together, they connect commercial judgement with creative thinking, from the first question to the final expression.
Over 25 years in brand strategy, architecture, positioning and messaging. A Singapore Certified Management Consultant.
More about Mohit +
Mohit’s experience includes Ogilvy and Havas. He has served as a judge for the Singapore Prestige Brand Awards. He helps leadership teams decide what the brand should stand for, how its offers fit together and how to explain its value to the people who matter.
View SCMC certificate ↗
25 years of creative leadership across brands, industries and cultures. An award-winning designer, TEDx speaker and ACLP-certified facilitator.
More about Gayatri +
Gayatri leads creative strategy, brand storytelling and visual identity direction. Through brand alignment, Creative Intelligence and Getting to Wow! workshops, she helps teams see possibilities they may have overlooked and turn the chosen direction into action.
Explore her workshops ↗Workshops & training
Evidence opens the question.
Imagination expands the answer.
What is real?
What if there is another way?
Our Creative Intelligence™ approach brings creative, analytical and practical thinking together. It helps us solve the challenge in front of you — and helps your team approach the next one differently.
01
What is real?
Understand the evidence.
Find the right problem.
02
What is possible?
Question assumptions.
Imagine what is possible.
03
What is powerful?
Challenge the options.
Choose what has value.
04
What is next?
Make the idea practical.
Agree the action.
Creative
Intelligence.
A thinking salon for teams with a real challenge. See possibilities others miss, strengthen ideas before dismissing them and turn the best thinking into purposeful action.
WOW it!CreateWHY it!ChallengeHOW it!Act
Half-day & full-day sessions · Leadership offsites · Cross-functional teams
Explore the workshop ↗Getting
to Wow!
A futuring workshop to explore who you could serve, what they will need and where your brand can go next. Then choose the opportunities worth pursuing.
Who could we serve?What would help them thrive?How could we exceed expectations?
Executive workshops · Brand innovation · Future growth opportunities
Explore the workshop ↗Book a standalone workshop, or make it part of a wider brand engagement. Facilitated by Gayatri Gopaldas, ACLP-certified facilitator and TEDx speaker.
07 / EDGE grant Singapore
EDGE Grants
EDGE brings business grant support under one scheme. For overseas growth, two activities are relevant to the branding and activation work described here.
Up to 70%
Support for eligible SMEs
on these two activities
Up to 50%
Support for eligible non-SMEs
on these two activities
S$100,000
Overall annual grant cap
shared across EDGE activities
12 months
To complete each project
from approval
Route 01 / Build the foundation
International Branding
Research, brand strategy and identity development or refresh for an overseas market. A strategic roadmap can form part of the brand strategy.
Official activity and requirements ↗Route 02 / Reach the market
Overseas Marketing & Public Relations
Eligible professional services for overseas outreach, including social media and media publicity. Work needs a market-specific scope.
Official activity and requirements ↗Independent advice from Identity Counsel. Reviewed 22 October 2026. Grant support is subject to official requirements and approval.
FAQs
Start here, or explore all answers on business, brand, marketing, workshops and EDGE.
How can a brand help a business grow?
A clear brand helps customers understand your value, see a meaningful difference and choose with confidence. It also gives your people a shared direction for products, services and communication.
What does Identity Counsel do?
Identity Counsel is an independent brand consultancy founded in Singapore in 2002. We connect research, brand strategy, naming, identity, packaging, communication and activation to help businesses move forward.
How do branding and marketing work together?
Branding makes your value and difference clear. Marketing brings that value to the right people through relevant channels and experiences. Both should serve the same business ambition.
What are Creative Intelligence workshops?
Facilitated sessions that help teams bring creative, analytical and practical thinking to a real challenge. Participants learn to widen their options, examine ideas and turn promising possibilities into action.
What is Getting to Wow!?
Getting to Wow! is our futuring and brand innovation workshop. It explores who you could serve, what they may need and how the business could create more value as customers and markets change.
What is the EDGE grant?
EDGE is Enterprise Singapore’s business grant. This page focuses on its International Branding and Overseas Marketing & Public Relations activities. See the official EDGE FAQs for the full scheme.
Official branding requirements ↗ · Official marketing requirements ↗
Can we start work or pay a deposit before applying?
No. For these activities, submit the application before starting work or making any payment or deposit. Costs from the application date depend on approval.
Official branding requirements ↗ · Official marketing requirements ↗
Let’s find your opening
What could your
business become?
Tell us where you want to grow and what is getting in the way. We’ll help you identify a useful starting point.
gayatri@identitycounsel.com ↗
WhatsApp +65 9475 8993 ↗