High-tech startups are shaping the world of tomorrow, striving to make it a better place through innovative technologies. Only a fraction of them is however able to succeed, often because they are unable to take direction and build the requisite customer base to transition to the next stage of the company. A brand strategy can support decisions and bring the customer closer to the startups innovation.
This thesis aims to build a brand for Plense, that supports the early-and later stage development of their innovative technology, leading to a successful market introduction.

To understand Plense, their current sensor prototype and idea about the future, a vision workshop was conducted. To explore the startups context, this thesis studies the most promising customer, industry developments, potential collaborations and competition, through desk research and qualitative interviews with customers.
The findings throughout this discovery phase illustrate Plense’s unique value proposition; a greenhouse integrated co-pilot that provides actionable plant-based data, towards a strategically important customer; the greenhouse ‘business-man’, who decides what happens within the greenhouse business, and their growers, who use technology to control the greenhouse. A key insights and distinction of the business-man is their drive to expand and constantly improve the greenhouse business. The grower is central in this business, and since the growers working pressure increases because of the limited labour force and expertise available, Plense’s co-pilot could support the grower, to focus on what is most important during and after work and therefore support the business-man to explore new opportunities.

The brand DNA for Plense captures these findings with the brand position statement and brand purpose, while the brand personality; exciting, ambitious and reliable translate the brand DNA to the visual appearance incorporated into the redesigned logo, sensor and other brand touchpoints. The brand promise made for Plense summarizes the brand DNA into one central idea communicated towards the customer: ‘your plants in top form’. This promise was evaluated as desired and new towards the business-man and grower and therefore used as basis for the brand building strategy.

To realize this brand promise Plense can only start their brand building strategy when able to communicate their first test results. At that moment targeting the business-man through the personal visits becomes crucial to build the first relationships with the brand and further understand the technology through user tests. Once these user tests show in which way Plense is able to keep plants in top form, Plense is ready to share the brand to the market and all its stakeholders through an interactive horticulture fair stand experience. While bringing the brand and its products to the market, website and newsletters should inform and excite every stakeholder in order to further strengthen the brand image.

This thesis ends with perhaps the most important brand building element for now; internal branding. Making sure the brand which now reflects the outside, the customer, is understood and lived, by making the brand part of the startups daily routine and working together on future brand building activities.