Repositioning an
accounting firm for
middle market growth
After first conducting a comprehensive market assessment, PlatinumBlack helped a 100-year old, national advisory and accounting firm identify its unique market value, update its positioning, enhance its brand differentiation, better define its go-to-market strategy, and unlock new growth opportunities in key midsize markets.
A measurable increase in firmwide pipeline and growth in the average number of services provided per client.
PlatinumBlack does fantastic work and I’ve been stunned at the immediate, positive reaction from our CEO, leadership team, and Board.Chief Marketing Officer, Advisory Firm
Despite its strong reputation in the advisory and accounting space, our client faced challenges in articulating a differentiated brand position beyond traditional accounting services, trailed several competitors’ growth rates, and faced challenges in customer acquisition and overall brand recognition.
While it had experienced recent growth, the client had struggled with market awareness of its advisory services and needed a compelling strategy to accelerate its growth by better defining its differentiated value and its target market. The firm engaged PlatinumBlack to identify the most advantageous market position, refine its brand narrative, improve marketing alignment, and drive more strategic engagement with its target audience, particularly in the crowded advisory space characterized by enduring sameness.
Our approach combined deep market analysis with brand and messaging strategy to create a cohesive, differentiated position. We began by conducting extensive market research, identifying high-potential midsize metro areas with strong middle-market business concentrations. This helped refine the firm's geographic expansion strategy, ensuring that efforts were concentrated in regions where demand aligned with its services.
By aligning the firm’s marketing framework with its target verticals—including financial services, manufacturing, and healthcare—we helped create a unified go-to-market strategy that strengthened its positioning in a competitive landscape.
With a refined market position in place, the client needed a structured approach to ensure its marketing efforts effectively translated strategy into business impact. To support this goal, we developed a comprehensive marketing framework that aligned branding, business objectives, and marketing execution. Our first step was to develop a forward-looking marketing plan that clearly outlined priorities, audience segmentation, and messaging frameworks, supported by a content strategy designed to resonate with key audiences. A fully integrated marketing calendar and budget provided a roadmap for execution.
We developed a targeted marketing campaign across paid digital, web, and social media designed to increase awareness of the firm’s full capabilities among C-suite executives at middle-market businesses. The campaign engaged existing clients by positioning the firm as the first call, not an afterthought, for critical advisory needs.
Deep integration with, and a nuanced understanding of, their clients yields insights others can’t match.
“When we develop marketing campaigns and assets, we want the audience to feel emotion and connection to the brand. Our job is to make them care. So, a big part of our process involves melding messaging with media. As we explored brand territories for this project, we developed visual mood boards rooted in the strategy research, taking the analytics, voice of customer research, and competitive analysis and turning them into compelling concepts. It can sometimes be challenging to bridge the gap between strategy and creative, but our team is multi-disciplined—there’s a continuity to how we collaborate across teams.” — Erin Eby, Executive Creative Director
The brand strategy and campaign that followed contributed to a measurable increase in firmwide pipeline and drove growth in the average number of services provided per client. While long-term awareness impact is still being measured, early indicators from paid media performance suggest strong traction in reaching and engaging the target audience, laying the groundwork for deeper client relationships and long-term revenue growth.
