Identica Brand Consulting

What Identica Brand Consulting does

Identica Brand Consulting is a private, founder-led branding strategy and design firm headquartered in Hong Kong with a regional office in Shanghai. The firm originated in 1981 as Koo Creative Group in Vancouver and Toronto, Canada, and its current China operations trace to 2004 when founder Ken Koo established Identica China in Shanghai. After the prior Chinese entity was acquired by The Engine Group (UK) in 2011 and renamed Calling Brand Consulting, Koo restarted the firm independently in 2015 under the Identica name. The company employs 30+ professionals and serves enterprise clients across China and internationally.

The firm sells five integrated service lines: Holistic Branding (brand strategy, visual identity, positioning), Retail & Packaging (consumer packaging design), Real Estate Marketing (property branding and development campaigns), Interior Design (spatial brand experiences), and Interactive & Multimedia (digital and new media design). There are no software, platform, or productized technology components; all revenue is generated through custom professional services engagements priced per project. The technology stack is human design and consulting expertise, with no disclosed AI/ML, data assets, or proprietary tools.

The client roster is disproportionately enterprise-grade and includes AIA, Anheuser-Busch InBev, BP, Bacardi, HSBC, Lenovo, LVMH, PepsiCo, ShuiOnLand, Kerry Properties, CapitaLand, Vanke, Peninsula Hotel Shanghai, Four Seasons, KFC, Bosch, Sephora, Wyeth, Johnson & Johnson, Watsons, B&Q, Kraft Foods, and Unilever. Identica holds five international design awards (Studio Magazine Awards Canada, Lotus Awards Canada, Most Effective Business Awards Canada, British Art Director Awards, Communication Art Awards International). The business has no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no M&A activity since the 2015 restart, indicating a capital-light, owner-operated operating model.

Name

Identica Brand Consulting

Legal name

迪卡品牌策划咨询（上海）有限公司

Website

https://identicasia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Identica Brand Consulting is a private, founder-led branding strategy and design firm founded in 1981 in Canada and now operating from Shanghai and Hong Kong. A team of 30+ professionals delivers brand strategy, packaging, real estate marketing, interior, and digital design services to enterprise clients across China and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Consulting & Design Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Graphic Design Services (54143)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand & Portfolio Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging & Brand Identity Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAN), Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

Keywords

• Branding strategy services
• Visual identity design
• Packaging design services
• Real estate marketing
• Brand consulting firm

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Brand Consulting Services: Professional branding strategy and design consulting services for enterprise clients

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Identica Brand Consulting is a premier branding strategy and design firm offering an integrated portfolio of five service areas: Holistic Branding (brand strategy and visual identity), Retail & Packaging (consumer packaging design), Real Estate Marketing (property marketing programs), Interior Design (spatial brand experiences), and Interactive & Multimedia (digital media and marketing platforms). The firm serves enterprise and consumer-brand clients across China and internationally from offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong, with a team of 30+ professionals.

Product overview

Identica Brand Consulting is a branding strategy and design firm offering an integrated portfolio of five core service areas: Holistic Branding for comprehensive brand strategy and visual identity, Retail & Packaging for consumer packaging design, Real Estate Marketing for property marketing programs, Interior Design for spatial brand experiences, and Interactive & Multimedia for digital media and marketing platforms. The company was founded in 1981 in Canada and operates in Shanghai and Hong Kong serving clients across China and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Holistic Branding

Named customers26 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• The Engine GroupminorOthers · 1 January 2011Identica China was acquired by The Engine Group UK and renamed Calling Brand Consulting. Ken Koo served as chairman.
• The Cossette GroupminorOthers · 1 January 2004Acquired Koo Creative Group of Vancouver and rebranded it as Identica Brand Consulting

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Lippincott: Brand strategy and design consultancy serving large global brands across corporate, consumer, and luxury categories. Directly comparable in service mix and client caliber to Identica.
• Siegel+Gale: Brand strategy, design and experience firm focused on simplicity-led brand expression. Comparable to Identica in strategy + design delivery model and enterprise client base.
• MetaDesign: International brand and design consultancy with offices in China and Europe providing brand strategy and visual identity. Comparable to Identica in cross-market brand design execution.
• FutureBrand: Brand consultancy and design network within IPG delivering brand strategy, identity and design for multinationals. Comparable to Identica in cross-border brand work and enterprise focus.
• Wolff Olins: Global brand consultancy focused on brand strategy, identity, and experience for major corporations. Comparable to Identica in offering integrated brand strategy and design work for enterprise clients.
• Saffron Brand Consultants: Boutique brand strategy consultancy serving global clients in FMCG, financial services, and technology. Comparable to Identica in boutique scale, strategic emphasis, and enterprise client base.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting and design firm offering brand strategy, identity, and experience design to multinational clients. Directly comparable to Identica in service mix, client profile, and premium positioning.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy delivering brand strategy, naming, identity design and brand valuation to large enterprises. Closely comparable to Identica in scope of services and enterprise client base.

Emerging players

• RKS Design: Design strategy and innovation consultancy providing brand and product design services. Comparable to Identica's smaller-scale integrated design strategy offering, though with a heavier product/industrial focus.

Broad incumbents

• WPP: Global advertising and marketing services holding company that owns Landor and other brand consulting assets. Relevant as the broader incumbent that owns direct peers and competes for the same enterprise brand work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/identica-brand-consultancy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Identica Brand Consulting