“FTT helped us evolve Angel’s Envy brand positioning and the Positioning-Roulette methodology was a good reminder that often “tried and true” is the best method when approached creatively. This all-encompassing approach had us explore every positioning option without bias, and with Ulli’s guidance allowed us to distill the ideas into a truly unique place in this increasingly cluttered category.” Managing Director, spirits company.
Ulli and the First the Trousers team helped us with a fresh approach to create a compelling story for a new (global) product through a Positioning-Roulette workshop. Positioning Roulette proved to be a very effective method to explore all potential options to build a clear and distinctive brand and product message to conquer customer loyalty and new customers. Ulli’s experience and enthusiasm to prepare the workshop and then moderate the discussions was the icing on the cake. Very recommendable! Global Product Marketing Manager, Multinational company, Healthcare industry
Ulli (and the FTT team) has a clear passion and knack for positioning work. He also is very skilled at building relationships and leading/moderating discussions. The Positioning Roulette methodology led to a deep team discussion and new insights around how to optimize our brand positioning and also gave the team confidence that we had explored all potential options. I would highly recommend Ulli and look forward to working with him again. Marketing & Innovation Director of a leading CPG company
Ulli and his team are thoughtful, thorough and caring. They do a wonderful job of listening, understanding and gathering info to help capture the essence of the brand (or it’s aspiration) and then checks it against the real world. FTT has helped us find a clarity that we’d been searching for. C.E.O. of a fast growing company in the Healthcare industry
Ulli always comes in with great thinking and prepared. No matter the project, he always adds new ideas and thoughts that spur the team into a better place. His style is terrific – he elevates the thinking in a personable way – everyone wants to work with him. And no better compliment than that! Chief Strategy Officer, Advertising agency
Ulli Appelbaum and the First the Trousers team helped us think differently about our product portfolio and the category. Not being satisfied with the average industry growth rate of 3%, we needed to reimagine our product development processes in a way that attracted new consumer and engaged current ones while tripling our normal growth rate. Ulli brought research and product planning methodologies that changed the paradigm….By looking at our products from the consumer perspective, we were able to harness the power of human emotions and need states to make our business more relevant and more profitable. With Ulli’s assistance we will be making dynamic changes to the current portfolio while launching new innovations in FY16. VP of Marketing and Product Innovation, State Lottery
Engaging Ulli and his team at First The Trousers for some specialized category analysis was a very rewarding and profitable experience. The insights gleaned from the research his group conducted for us were sound, actionable, and intriguing. We walked away from the project with a new perspective on a rather mature portfolio of products. Working with the group was also a pleasure. Ulli and his colleagues were collaborative and extremely accessible – there was a strong sense of partnership during each phase of the project and we look forward to continuing a relationship with this consultancy group in the future. Senior Director of Advertising and Retail, State Lottery
We recently brought in First the Trousers to work with us on a significant new business pitch. Ulli and his team painted a picture of our prime prospect that was thoughtful and rich in texture. Everything from idiosyncratic behaviors to core beliefs, they dug deep, uncovering consumer insights that provided our creative team with a solid strategic platform to build upon. FTT is a highly collaborative group with impressive agency credentials. They’re the ones I want to have on my side when it matters most. Executive Creative Director, Advertising Agency
We retained Ulli and his team to help identify what attributes of our brand story would be most compelling at point of sale. Our new luxury brand, Aviv 613 Vodka, has a rich product story with many brand story messages. We are made in Israel, from seven ancient ingredients, with a smooth and sweeter taste, we are focused on charity, with 27 languages on the bottle, and dozens of hidden spiritual messages on the bottle, with positive Karma and the power of good thoughts. We needed to determine which message(s) to focus on for our shelf and display signage. His team managed an in-store quantitative intercept research study designed to determine which messages were most compelling to motivate trial. The learnings from the research allowed us to elevate our POS material to the next level and continue to improve our in-store marketing effectiveness. Subsequent to our research project, Ulli and his team have continued to be a valued resource to me in matters of marketing and brand strategy. I find Ulli and his team to be responsive, insightful, and highly organized. I recommend them anytime and will likely hire them again. Serial Entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of a new premium vodka brand.
“Ulli’s knowledge of the lottery industry as well as his background working with large packaged goods portfolios made him uniquely qualified to partner with the Hoosier Lottery. Using human motivations and need states to organize and differentiate game portfolios helped the Lottery brand increase player relevancy, engagement and ultimately revenue for the state of Indiana.” – Vice President of Player Engagement in the gaming industry.
I invited Ulli Appelbaum, founder of marketing consultancy First-The-Trousers-Then-The-Shoes, to do a 30-minute presentation on interactive advertising trends at La Fleur’s 2015 Lottery Conclave & Interactive Summit in Orlando in December 2015. Ulli has served as a marketing consultant for state lotteries and I felt that he would bring expertise and “insider knowledge” to his discussion of the new advertising landscape… Ulli was a pro! He took over our missing speaker’s time slot and keep the audience entertained. He also teased them that he would provide a lot of the answers to the marketers’ questions on the next day. He has an easy way with an audience that draws attendees into the topic. He also “builds” a good presentation by keeping it fast-moving and strategic. Finally, he gave away some boxes of his “Positioning Roulette: What’s Your Brand Story?” cards to audience members which was a big hit since attendees love to win prizes! I give him an A+ as a presenter – President & CEO, TLF Publications, Inc.