Home
Home
Brand strategist for innovators & activators
About
I work with client leadership teams across the spectrum of brand services—often on assignments that address the entire brand system.
I work with leadership teams to strategically elevate the entire brand, ensuring it’s an effective vehicle for business growth, evolution, and impact. Using Strategy, Innovation, & Naming solutions I’ve helped to successfully reposition numerous brands to advance their mission, build new audiences, launch new products, and find the perfect name.
These are some of the global brands I’ve helped successfully reposition, extend into new categories, launch new products,
and find the perfect name.
Are you seeking expertise in
these areas?
-
Trend studies
Audience & Category Insights
Product & Service Innovation
Audience personas
-
Brand Platform & Positioning
Messaging & Voice
Brand Architecture
Initiatives & Campaigns
Alignment & Training
-
Company or offering names
Naming systems
Versioning systems
Verbal guidelines
Naming [or Strategy; or Verbal ID]
Are you seeking expertise and thought-leadership in these areas ?
Audience & Category Insights
Product & Service Innovation
Audience definition
“North Star” Strategy
Messaging & Voice
Naming & Naming systems
Initiatives & Campaigns
Alignment & Training
Systemic approaches
Perspective flipping
Hybrid thinking
International experience
About
About
I’m a versatile strategist with tenures at Lippincott and Interbrand, as well as my own Strategy & Naming firm called Owler.
Who I work with
Clients and agencies
Fortune 500’s and start-ups
Brand owners and product development teams
Ideal sectors
Wellness, Healthcare, Finance, Connectivity, Nutrition, and Software… and any companies that promote ethical tech, renewables, eco- and age-friendly accessibility, animal rights, early learning, and play.
Where I work
I’m based in NYC, but can and have lived and/or worked in US, EU, and LatAM. I’m “at home” working in English, Spanish or French, and collaborating across teams and regions.
At Lippincott I helped recalibrate brand narratives and create ownable verbal assets that ignite enthusiasm and new behaviors. At Owler, and at Ideon, a boutique collective I also established the strategy practices and helped brands organize around purpose, launch major initiatives, and expand their impact – often through a 360 rebranding process. Before that, I led accelerated consumer product innovations at Clark McDowall, and spent 4 years at Interbrand leading naming and verbal projects.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, I hold BA’s in Art History and French Literature, which means I bring a humanities and critical thinking filter to all projects. An explorer at heart. I love working across teams, categories, geographies to challenge perspective and establish new commonalities. I find inspiration in people and places all over the world – especially Spain, where I spent the first half of my life.
I use a dialogue driven approach that ensures solutions are informed and ready to adopt.
Original team-bridging and concept cracking techniques help blow open perspectives and promote new action.
FAQs
What do I do?
I help strategically define your brand (and offerings) to ensure they are relevant, credible, and advancing your mission. In the process we create tools and assets to use in-market that energize your brand teams and culture. We also design and implement initiatives that build trust, community, and impact.
Who do I work with?
Clients, agencies, account leads, and product development teams across categories as diverse as Wellness, Healthcare, Finance,Connectivity, Nutrition, and Software.
However, I’m especially interested in working with organizations that promote a healthier, more equitable world, be it through ethical tech, renewabls, eco and age-friendly design, animal rights, learning, play and so on.
Where do I work?
I’m based in NYC, but can and have lived and/or worked in US, EU, and LatAM. Whether working in English, Spanish, and French, I’m “at home” collaborating across teams and regions to bring unique perspective to each brand opportunity.
As a strategic partner, buisiness builder and impact amplifier…
I enjoy taking on challenges, leading new charges, working with others, and bringing out talent. Over a 20-year trajectory in NYC that includes 12 years running my own practice, Owler, and prior positions at Lippincott and Interbrand, I’ve partnered closely with teams like yours to navigate changes in the market, anticipate new patterns of demand, and mobilize employees around a common purpose.
Experience
Lippincott, VP Strategy & Naming
Owler NYC, Founder, Head of Strategy
Ideon, Head of Strategy
Insight Strategy Group, Innovation Director
Consultant (Wolff Olins, S&G, Sequel Studio, others)
Clark McDowall, Innovation Strategist
Interbrand, Sr. Consultant of Naming & Verbal
Education
Certif. of Int. Design & Arch., The New School (NY)
B.A.'s in Art History.& French Lit., U. of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
from lipp pitch
I have hybrid interests and a humanities background. I enjoy taking on challengeA hybrid and systematic thinker with experience in brand strategy, innovation and verbal identity, Valerie partners closely with client executive teams to lead change. Whether the brand is young, old, stuck, or 10x-ing, Valerie will help provide clear purpose, opportunities, and tools to succeed
At Lippincott, Valerie helped recalibrate brand narratives, drive decisions, and create ownable assets that ignite enthusiasm and new behaviors. Before that, Valerie ran her own practice, Owler, where she helped clients organize around purpose, adapt to new trends, and do more to promote a more equitable and healthy planet – often through a rebranding process. She also led the strategy practice for Ideon, a boutique collective she helped establish. Earlier in her career she was an innovation strategist at Clark McDowall, and spent 4 years leading naming engagements as verbal identity consultant at Interbrand.
Clients include: ACCION, Fiat, Parker, CVS, Goldman Sachs, SAP, AndGo, Avec Eric, Applegate, Active International, Stolichnaya, Leroy Merlin, and AT&T, among others.
Valerie is an Angell Scholar graduate of the University of Michigan, with BAs in Art History and French Literature. Fluent in several languages and an explorer at heart, she gets inspiration and perspective from people and places all over the world – especially Spain, where she spent the first half of her life.
I’m a brand strategy & innovation consultant based in NYC, with a global background and extensive experience working across the spectrum of brand development.
I’m committed to finding positive ways to impact life & society through brands.
I grew up in Spain and have since lived/worked all over the world (UK, France, Italy, US, Mexico and Brazil).
Clients come to me for clear-eyed leadership, bold ideas, global perspective, and high impact planning.
formal bi
from profile
I’m a brand strategy & innovation consultant based in NYC, with a global background and extensive experience working across the spectrum of brand development.
I’m committed to finding positive ways to impact life & society through brands.
I grew up in Spain and have since lived/worked all over the world (UK, France, Italy, US, Mexico and Brazil).
Clients come to me for clear-eyed leadership, bold ideas, global perspective, and high impact planning.
formal bio
Over a 20-year trajectory in NYC that includes 12 years running my own brand practice, Owler, and prior positions at Lippincott and Interbrand, I’ve partnered closely with client executive teams to navigate changes in the market, anticipate new patterns of demand, and mobilize employees around a common purpose.
Working with category leaders and rival startups, I’ve led numerous brand strategy, innovation, trend study, architecture, verbal, and repositioning engagements. Clients include Memorial Sloan Kettering, CVS Health, Optum, Cox, Masterfoods, Pepsi, Unilever, Chef Eric Ripert, Jenius Bank, Motorola, Comcast, Stoli, Parker, Accion, Fiat, MTV Goldman Sachs, Verizon, SAP, Leroy Merlin, and Active International, among others. I’m known for shepherding change, enabling transformation, bringing out talent and turning insights into action— all with a sense of shared mission.
A lifelong learner, I’m an Angell Scholar graduate of The University of Michigan. I hold BA's in Art History and French Literature, plus a recent certificate in Interior Design from Parsons, The New School.
Fluent in several languages and a perennial traveler, I get inspiration and perspective from people and places all over the world— especially Spain, where I spent the first half of my life.
Contact
Contact
Contact
Contact
Let’s talk!
Or book a free consult
Let’s talk!
valeriegarral@garral.com
Contact
Contact
Make contact
Make contact
Book appt
Book appt
Book an appointment.
Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Work cases
Work cases
Naming & Verbal Identity
Strategy
Naming
*
Naming *
Naming a
beacon of
health care
Work: Organizational name
Category: Health care
SMBC bank created a digital banking business and app for young “affluents” looking for a smarter and more rewarding way to bank. The app would be marketed as a standalone brand in the US market. It needed a name that was short, savvy, and suggestive of a richer approach to banking. Also of an experience that was digital, yet human.
New name:
The name “Jenius” evokes brilliant solutions and human resourcefulness (e.g., “That’s genius!”).
Short and direct, it’s app-friendly without being trendy or tech-y. Additionally, the “J-”spelling and confident tone help position the brand as the savvy alternative to conventional banks.
The name “Jenius” evokes brilliant solutions
and human resourcefulness (e.g., “That’s genius!”).
Short and straightforward, it’s app-friendly without being trendy or tech-y. At the same time, the “J”-spelling and confident tone position the brand as the savvy alternative to conventional banking.
Snapshot of the key issues interfering with engagement.
Name conflation with unaffiliated ”Humane Societies”. Undesired associations for “Society” (dated; elite) and for “Humane” (human in some countries)
Low awareness of the global and systemic work it carries out via 3 separate entities.
Increasing numbers of animal welfare orgs competing for mindshare and dollars
Cox has led the way in media and connectivity for over four family generations. It is known for customer-oriented innovation, long-term vision and a friendly, straightforward style.
I’ve partnered with various B2B and Residential division to launch, position, or redefine signature New Growth, MDU, HSI, and Connected Health offerings, such as the Prosight IoT platform, Sonnet biometric watch, Cox Vantage business incubator, and Cox Go Fast internet tiers
Here is a peek at some of those offerings now in market.
Cox Prosight
This IoT platform from Cox Business syncs previously siloed hospital center operations. It unifies asset tracking, monitoring, and resource workflow onto a single stack platform avoiding knowledge gaps that might otherwise result in equipment and personnel shortages or delays in patient care.
The name “Prosight” conveys real-time visibility and proactive intelligence. Coined to sound like a real word, pro cues professionalism and progress while sight cues insight and panoramic perspective.
SAP needed a name packed with power for a new flagship product that could collect
& analyze vast amounts of big data at groundbreaking speed.
Enter “SAP Vora”.
“Vora” suggests vast— voracious, power, Evokes unprecedented capacity for fielding processing and distributing massive amounts of data at unmatchable speeds.
The opening “V” is strong and verbally and visually distinctive. Only 4 -letters, the name short and easy to say around the world.
We quickly realized we needed to consolidate Accion’s untapped equity under
One name. One brand. One idea.
The idea had to be aspirational, geared to borrowers, and economically empowering.
The expression had to be approachable, yet present a credible financial service.
We accomplished this and more. The work was so successful that Accion International asked us migrate all entities
under the new brand and system, creating the global microfinance powerhouse we know today.
How we did it…
Engaging in a bold vision and approach
to cancer care
Work: Strategy / Verbal Identity
Category: Cancer Care
Services provided: Brand mission / Name strategy / Naming guidelines / Initiative, campaign, offering, & clinic names
