About Piquancy
What do we do?
We provide hands-on, straight-to-the point insight and strategy for boards and their brands. We almost always find the missing piece, often simply joining up the insights and strategic plans that boards already have, or generating original research and direction, if that's needed. As an independent consultancy we've helped brands like Wayfair (UK and US), Holland and Barrett, Compass, The Big Table Group, Emma, Beagle Street, Glasses Direct, Oak Furnitureland and ASM (Olympia, AO Arena), at a number of key moments in their success stories, and we've helped start-ups seeking funding at the beginning of theirs.
How do we help?
We give our clients and their brands a competitive edge:
- Highly experienced and thorough but we don't pontificate.
- Hands-on and collaborative approach, harnessing our clients' knowledge and expertise, not trampling on it.
- We help from start to finish; from stakeholder engagement through to measuring impact.
- No slow, rigid or inflexible process.
- We work with clients and agencies for as little as one day or for many months, although we think insight projects and strategy consultancy should be as quick as possible, always leading to actions and impact.
Who are we?
Piquancy is owned by Liz Lavelle and all projects are led and devised by her. She was formerly Chief Consulting Officer at Dentsu. She has over 30 years’ experience in brand insight and strategy both within the UK and internationally. She has worked on some of the world’s most famous brands and also some of the fleetest disrupters and nascent start-ups. She ran her own brand insight and strategy consultancy for 18 years which became part of Dentsu in 2018. Prior to that she was a board director of JWT, having started her career at BBH. She works with a long-standing team of highly experienced researchers and strategists. At Piquancy we value diligence, intelligence, respect and integrity, and above all effectiveness.
I have worked with Liz Lavelle across a number of projects on different brands. Her experience and the strength of her team is second to none. She never fails to deliver.
Catrin White SVP Marketing ASM Global
What exactly do we do?
Insight
We provide Intelligence to tackle C-suite's biggest issues. We are known for finding the missing piece or connection
- What's our optimal brand position?
- What's our problem? Why has growth stalled?
- Where are our new customers going to come from, what do they think about us, and what do they need to know ?
- We have reams of research but what does it mean and how should we act on it?
And for CEOs it can simply be
- What does my board know and think about our biggest issues?
We are highly experienced in, and undertake, all forms of consumer and stakeholder research, quantitative and qualitative, using all methodologies, old and new, including harnessing AI to speed things up whilst applying expert brains to find the answers.
Strategy and execution
We work with our clients to evolve:
- Board understanding
- Product and service design
- Innovation
- Comms
We are hands on in devising and delivering:
- Brand positioning
- Brand architecture
We work with boards, and if needed our clients' agencies or our long-standing creative and media partners.
We believe well-honed consumer insight creates the firm boundaries that allow creativity to flourish.
I worked with Liz Lavelle consistently for 6 years. She and her team were involved in the strategic reshaping of our two global brands. The directors' experience is blue chip; they have provided strategic challenge and guidance as well as ground-breaking consumer insight.
Chris Bunniss former CMO Scholl and Durex (now retired)
If you want to hear more from our clients
Focus on growth
"Our experience of Liz Lavelle has been outstanding. They have made a conscious effort to understand our business, pleasingly through immersing themselves in the dynamics of it.
Liz as an individual is super smart, but equally down to earth and highly personable with boundless energy, and a steely determination to cut through periphera
"Our experience of Liz Lavelle has been outstanding. They have made a conscious effort to understand our business, pleasingly through immersing themselves in the dynamics of it.
Liz as an individual is super smart, but equally down to earth and highly personable with boundless energy, and a steely determination to cut through peripheral noise.
The ultimate delivery has been an output that I believe is right for our consumer, and a fundamental ingredient that will underpin our future growth story"
Alex Fisher CEO Watchshop
Proven and useful intelligence
"I have worked with Liz on many projects on a number of topics over a 12-year period. There are many reasons to recommend her, but I think that at the heart of it all is that she’s super smart and has high emotional intelligence. Her ability to get to the heart of the issue quickly, detail the most appropriate route to the answers and t
"I have worked with Liz on many projects on a number of topics over a 12-year period. There are many reasons to recommend her, but I think that at the heart of it all is that she’s super smart and has high emotional intelligence. Her ability to get to the heart of the issue quickly, detail the most appropriate route to the answers and then her recommendations, are second-to-none. She’s pragmatic, and so won’t recommend a whole raft of commissioned research if some desk research and interviews will fit the brief. She’s honest with her insights and recommendations – it might not be what you were hoping to hear – but Liz gives it to you straight. Also, she’s really good at finding solutions – working with you to plan your next steps."
Carol Rhead Head of Marketing The Compass Group
For agencies too
Causes that matter
"As an already successful independent creative agency we had come to a moment in our development where we needed some clear-sighted external help with our own brand strategy. Liz Lavelle has a wealth of experience client-side, providing valuable insight into our own target market, and her creative agency background meant she also unders
"As an already successful independent creative agency we had come to a moment in our development where we needed some clear-sighted external help with our own brand strategy. Liz Lavelle has a wealth of experience client-side, providing valuable insight into our own target market, and her creative agency background meant she also understood our dynamics. She worked incisively and sensitively with the board to get the best from us, harnessing our own thoughts not trampling on them. She applied a proven process that was thorough but not overblown, and most importantly, adapted it to us. She really helped clarify our strategic direction quickly and cost effectively at a key stage in our growth. She’s also a lovely person, and an absolute pleasure to work with."
Jackie Arnott-Raymond Managing Director Imaginary Friends
Causes that matter
Causes that matter
"A year into our project to promote a zero-carbon community, we were struggling to define ourselves and outline a strategy. Liz came to our help and was able to marshal the group’s different ideas into a clear purpose.
Liz brought her wealth of corporate expertise and was able to skilfully adapt her approach to the needs of a fledgling,
"A year into our project to promote a zero-carbon community, we were struggling to define ourselves and outline a strategy. Liz came to our help and was able to marshal the group’s different ideas into a clear purpose.
Liz brought her wealth of corporate expertise and was able to skilfully adapt her approach to the needs of a fledgling, but ambitious, community action group. The process enabled all voices to be heard and gave each of us a sense of ownership that has brought us closer together as a team. Her pro-bono support has equipped us with the clarity that we desperately needed to move ahead. It could not have happened without her".
Simon Ferris People Place Planet Didsbury
Commercial impact
"I have worked with Liz Lavelle across a number of projects on different brands. Her experience and the strength of her team is second to none. She always provides actionable and original consumer insights; and realistic and commercial strategic recommendations. Liz is very easy to work with, and her experience leading agencies and cons
"I have worked with Liz Lavelle across a number of projects on different brands. Her experience and the strength of her team is second to none. She always provides actionable and original consumer insights; and realistic and commercial strategic recommendations. Liz is very easy to work with, and her experience leading agencies and consulting client-side means she understands the multiple pressures of board marketeers, including stakeholder management and the need to show impact. She never fails to deliver. "
Catrin White SVP Marketing ASM Global
Global insight and experience
"I worked with Liz Lavelle consistently for 6 years. She and her team were involved in the strategic reshaping of our two global brands. The directors' experience is blue chip; they have provided strategic challenge and guidance as well as ground-breaking consumer insight. They don’t just pronounce; they strive to know your customers as
"I worked with Liz Lavelle consistently for 6 years. She and her team were involved in the strategic reshaping of our two global brands. The directors' experience is blue chip; they have provided strategic challenge and guidance as well as ground-breaking consumer insight. They don’t just pronounce; they strive to know your customers as well as understand the internal challenges and constraints.
In this way, their strategic advice has a real commercial relevance and thus makes a commercial difference. At the same time, they are refreshingly quick, cost effective, fun and enjoyable to work with"
Chris Bunniss former CMO Scholl and Durex
(retired)
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