Thackway McCord

What Thackway McCord does

Thackway McCord is a privately held brand strategy and creation firm headquartered at 138 Grand Street, Studio 4ER in New York City, founded in 2007 and operated as a boutique practice of 1-10 employees under co-founders Simon Thackway (Managing Partner) and Kat McCord (Creative Director). The firm positions itself around "defining moments" — mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, IPOs, crisis situations, and new leadership transitions — and serves enterprise clients through eight integrated service lines: Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Architecture, Naming, Identity, Digital, Communications, and Measurement. It does not offer a software product; delivery is project-based professional services with custom-scope engagements and no publicly disclosed pricing.

The firm's go-to-market is enterprise field sales anchored by professional networking, referrals, industry recognition, and thought leadership content (blog insights, case studies, LinkedIn presence). Named clients span defense (L3Harris), energy (GenOn, MN8 Energy), capital markets (Q4, SPDR, ICG), insurance (Unum, XL Catlin), financial services (Finseca, Cowen, Springleaf), healthcare and pharma (Lifepoint Health, Drugs.com, Emergent BioSolutions), semiconductors (Onto), real estate (VICI Properties), and government (FINRA). The firm has accumulated industry recognition including Gold and Silver at Transform Awards North America 2020 (for Onto naming and rebrand, and L3Harris merger work) and Brand Strategist of the Year 2023 for Simon Thackway.

Thackway McCord carries no disclosed institutional investment, no subsidiaries, no patents or trademarks, and no API or technology platform. The business is founder-led with a horizontal segmentation approach targeting enterprise clients at transformational inflection points rather than a specific vertical, and operates with no geographic expansion beyond the U.S. Northeast despite serving multinational clients. Its competitive positioning is built on domain specialization in transformational moments, award-validated creative output, and senior-level boutique attention rather than scale or technology leverage.

Name

Thackway McCord

Legal name

Thackway McCord

Website

https://thackwaymccord.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Thackway McCord is a privately held New York–based boutique brand strategy and creation firm, founded in 2007, that helps enterprise clients navigate transformational events such as mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, spin-offs, and leadership changes through project-based consulting engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Brand strategy consulting
• Corporate rebranding services
• Merger brand identity
• Visual identity design
• Brand naming services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Brand Strategy and Creation Services: Professional consulting services for brand strategy, naming, visual identity, brand architecture, and communications for corporate clients undergoing transformational events such as mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, and crisis situations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thackway McCord is a boutique brand strategy and creation firm that helps enterprise clients navigate transformational events such as mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, spin-offs, leadership changes, and crisis situations. The firm delivers project-based consulting engagements across eight service areas: Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Architecture, Naming, Identity, Digital, Communications, and Measurement. Its deliverables include brand positioning, visual identity systems, naming recommendations, and stakeholder communications for corporate clients.

Product overview

Thackway McCord is a brand strategy and creation firm offering professional services organized around eight core competencies: Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Architecture, Naming, Identity, Digital, Communications, and Measurement. Their integrated service model helps clients navigate transformational events (mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, spin-offs, leadership changes) by developing comprehensive brand strategies and visual identities. They do not offer a software product but rather provide consulting and creative services delivered through project-based engagements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Foundational research services to understand market positioning, customer perceptions, and competitive landscape for brand development, delivered to enterprise clients undertaking transformational initiatives.
• Brand Strategy Strategic brand positioning and messaging development to define how a company presents itself to the world during transformational moments such as mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, and crisis events.
• Brand Architecture Organizational framework consulting for structuring brands, sub-brands, and product portfolios to create clear differentiation and relationships across a company's brand system.
• Naming Corporate and product naming services including trademark research, cultural checks, and ticker symbol availability verification for new entities formed through mergers, spin-offs, or launches.
• Identity Visual identity development including logo design, visual systems, and brand guidelines for consistent application across all touchpoints.
• Digital Digital design and development services including website design, email marketing, and digital asset creation as part of integrated brand expression work.
• Communications Brand communications development including messaging platforms, pitch decks, advertising, and collateral materials for stakeholder engagement during transformational events.
• Measurement Brand performance measurement and evaluation services to track brand equity and communication effectiveness for enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• VICI Properties achieved record $1.4 billion IPO and grew to over $30.8 billion market cap within 5 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Branding Business: Branding Business is a smaller brand consultancy focused on corporate identity and strategy. It overlaps with Thackway McCord on identity and naming services for enterprises and growth-stage companies.

Direct peers

• Siegel+Gale: Siegel+Gale is a brand strategy and design consultancy that competes directly with Thackway McCord in identity, naming, and brand strategy work for enterprise clients navigating change.
• Saffron Brand Consultants: Saffron is an independent brand strategy consultancy with a comparable boutique footprint serving global enterprises on repositioning and identity work, closely aligned with Thackway McCord's positioning.
• Lippincott: Lippincott is a long-standing brand strategy and design firm serving Fortune 500 clients on M&A, repositioning, and identity engagements, comparable in boutique positioning and enterprise focus.
• MetaDesign: MetaDesign is a brand strategy and design agency with expertise in corporate identity and rebranding, making it a directly comparable peer in naming, identity, and brand architecture engagements.
• FutureBrand: FutureBrand is a brand strategy and design consultancy focused on corporate identity, naming, and brand architecture. It directly overlaps with Thackway McCord on M&A and enterprise transformation projects.
• Carbone Smyth Agency: Carbone Smyth is a New York-based brand strategy and design firm serving enterprise clients on rebranding and naming, operating at a similar boutique scale and geography as Thackway McCord.

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: Landor & Fitch is a global brand consulting and design firm. It competes for the same enterprise rebranding and naming mandates but with substantially greater resources and geographic reach than Thackway McCord.
• Interbrand: Interbrand is a global brand consultancy offering naming, identity, and brand valuation. It overlaps with Thackway McCord on corporate identity and M&A naming but operates at broader scale with a global delivery footprint.

Others

• Enterprise Strategy Group (brand practice): Enterprise Strategy Group is a broader IT and strategy research and advisory firm; its adjacent brand-related advisory offerings touch enterprise repositioning but do not directly compete in design-led rebranding work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thackway-mccord
• Instagraminstagram.com/thackwaymccord
• Xx.com/thackwaymccord
• Facebookfacebook.com/thackwaymccord

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Thackway McCord