A senior brand consultant for Newcastle and the North East.
I'm Kris Wood, a brand strategist and marketing strategy consultant based in Newcastle upon Tyne. I help founders and leadership teams make the decisions that clarify their position, sharpen their message and focus their marketing.
Strategy happens in a room. I can be in yours.
Brand and marketing strategy are not documents you simply receive. They are connected decisions your leadership team makes together, and the hardest ones often happen face to face. Being based in Newcastle means I can be at your boardroom table anywhere in the North East without it becoming a logistics project.
It also means I know this market. The North East is full of ambitious businesses competing well beyond the region, in engineering, technology, professional services, manufacturing and more. What most of them lack isn't capability. It's a brand that carries their real value into every sales conversation, pitch and hire.
I work with businesses across the region:
- Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead
- Sunderland
- Durham
- North Tyneside and South Tyneside
- Northumberland
- Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees
- And remotely, anywhere in the UK
Not a big agency. Not a handoff. A senior brand consultant at your table.
Most North East businesses looking for brand or marketing strategy face a false choice: a large agency where the senior people vanish after the pitch, or tactical activity without anyone challenging the thinking. I sit in the gap. Senior strategic work, delivered personally, with design, websites and marketing assets handled by Ayuda, my delivery studio, when you need them.
Every engagement starts the same way: a conversation about where the business is, where it's going, and what's getting in the way. From there it's usually one of three routes: a focused Brand Foundation Consultation, a full Brand Strategy build, or ongoing Strategic Advisory.
Brand and marketing strategy in Newcastle: common questions
Is a brand consultant the same as a brand strategist?
The titles overlap. Brand strategist describes the specialist work; brand consultant is the term many leaders use when they want senior external advice. My work covers research, positioning, messaging and leadership decisions, not just visual identity.
Can you help with marketing strategy?
Yes, where the need is upstream direction: priority customers, value proposition, positioning, message, marketing priorities and a practical plan. I don't run media buying or day-to-day campaign production as Kris Wood. When implementation is needed, it can run through Ayuda.
Do you run marketing campaigns?
Not as a standalone marketing agency. I help decide what the campaign needs to achieve, who it must reach, what it should say and how it supports the wider strategy. Campaign assets and delivery can then be scoped through Ayuda.
Do you only work with businesses in the North East?
No. I'm based in Newcastle upon Tyne and much of my work is in person across the North East, but I work remotely with founders and leadership teams across the UK. Strategy sessions work well in a room, and they also work well on a call.
Where do strategy sessions happen?
Wherever your leadership team thinks best. Usually at your offices anywhere in the North East, in a hired workshop space in Newcastle, or remotely. The venue matters less than getting the right people in the room.
How much does a brand consultant cost in Newcastle?
Every engagement is scoped to the business, so I don't publish fixed prices. A focused Brand Foundation Consultation is the most common starting point. After one conversation I'll tell you plainly what I'd recommend and what it costs.
What does brand strategy for a Newcastle business involve?
The same rigour I'd bring to a national brand: a four-phase process of Diagnose, Define, Direct and Embed. Research, positioning, messaging and leadership alignment, turned into decisions your whole business can operate from.
What kind of businesses do you work with in the North East?
Founder-led and leadership-driven businesses, typically CEOs and MDs who are scaling, diversifying or restructuring. Sector matters less than ambition and a leadership team willing to make real decisions. If you want a sense of how I think first, start with the Thinking essays or the free Brand Clarity Scorecard.
Let's talk. Kettle's always on.
Thirty minutes about where your brand is and where the business is going. No pitch, no pressure, and honest input either way.