ABOUT

  • Skyscraper Consulting was founded by Crispin Reed.
  • Crispin has over 35 years of experience working in marketing services, running leading advertising and design agencies as well as brand and innovation consultancies. He also has client-side experience in the beauty and fragrance sectors.
  • As a result, he has not only extensive knowledge and understanding of marketing and brands but also the commercial imperative having had P&L responsibility for a number of companies.
  • His sector experience includes FMCG, pharmaceutical, luxury, automotive, property, beauty, sport, travel & leisure, alcoholic beverages, fashion.
  • In addition to running Skyscraper Consulting, he has held and continues to hold a number of Director positions with start-up companies.
  • He holds an ILM Level 7 Certificate, an internationally recognised qualification for executive coaching at senior management and leadership level.
  • He is also a qualified qualitative researcher (Fundaments of Moderating | RIVA Training Institute, Washington DC)
    Crispin is a member of the Superbrands Council, the Branded Content Marketing Association Advisory Panel, an ‘nVoy’ for the Foresight Factory (formerly The Future Foundation).
  • Outside of his consultancy work, he lectures at universities both in the UK and the Middle East on corporate strategy and innovation as well as providing tutoring support from undergraduate to executive MBA students.
  • Crispin has co-authored:
    • ‘The 7 Myths of Middle Age – Implications for Marketing and Brands’ with Dr. Helena Rubinstein, then at Cambridge University.
    • ‘The Nature of Communities’ in partnership with the University of Dundee

SERVICES OFFERED

Commercial strategy & business planning

Supporting leadership teams with strategic planning and development of business plans.

Brand consultancy

Supporting all aspects including brand positioning and strategy.

Qualitative research

Unearthing actionable insights through primary research.

Innovation

Working particularly with marketing and innovation teams to fill NPD pipelines.

Workshop design and facilitation

Creating and delivering workshops to address specific challenges. For example, team building, winning new business, presentation skills.

Inspiring Creativity

This is a bespoke workshop in collaboration with renowned artist, Finlay Cowan, tailored to suit the needs of the individual organisation with the primary aim of inspiring creativity by taking inspiration from the music industry.

Brand films

Collaboration with partner film production companies, scripting, storyboarding and execution of brand films.

Executive coaching

Helping leaders establish firm personal foundations and to see above the clouds.

INSPIRING CREATIVITY

A half-day interactive workshop using insights from the music industry to inspire, entertain and provoke marketers and agencies.

WHAT IT IS:

Renowned creative, Finlay Cowan and experienced brand strategist, Crispin Reed, have combined forces to provide an unusual and inspiring workshop designed to provoke and disrupt thinking for marketing, brand and innovation teams as well as agencies.

WHO WILL BENEFIT:

Marketing, brand and innovation teams and agencies who are already performing at a high level because they have an innate curiosity and embrace new and different thinking. Or, teams that are stuck on a particularly thorny problem and want lateral inspiration to help them break through.

Finlay is best known for his work with Storm Thorgerson, designing album covers for the likes of Pink Floyd, Muse and Audioslave, film work for Oliver Stone, several bestselling practical art books and design consultancy for a host of global brands.

Crispin has a well-rounded and deep knowledge of marketing and brands having built a successful career in leading advertising, design and brand consultancies in sectors such as packaged goods, pharmaceutical, fashion, automotive and beauty.

This workshop is offered as a stand-alone session or can easily be incorporated
in to broader team meetings. It can also be tailored to help address specific issues or hot topics within companies.

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IN THE MEDIA

Crispin is a regular contributor to variety of vertical and horizontal press and designated contributor to Huffington Post; TV/radio appearances on the BBC Politics Show, BBC Panorama, Junior Apprentice, Channel 5 News, Radio 4 ‘You and Yours’, Sky Swipe channel.

 

Conference Speaking

Crispin offers his services as a conference speaker. He has spoken on many subjects but is happy to be thrown a new challenge and prepare a fresh presentation.

Previous subjects have included

  • Feelings you can’t ignore – the role that emotions play in branding
  • The 7 Myths of Middle Age – implications for marketing and brands
  • Unearthing Killer Insights – the whys and hows
  • Promoting countries by subverting stereotypes

Previous speaking engagements include

  • Specialty Coffee Association of America Minneapolis 2008
  • Marketing Conference, Monaco 2008
  • InStore Conference 2008
  • Catering & Hospitality Conference 2009
  • Spa Business Association 2008 and 2009;
  • CIM South East 2009
  • Global Marketing Network Annual Conference, Cass Business School 2009 & 2010
  • Luxury Marketing Council Brazil 2010; Florida (Miami, Palm Beach, Orlando) 2010; New York City 2010
  • World Brand Congress, Mumbai, India 2010
  • Guest lecture, Mumbai Business School, 2010
  • Luxury Marketing Council Boston, Feb 2011
  • Chartered Management Institute Channel Islands, March 2011
  • World Whisky Conference, April 2011
  • World Marketing Conference, Ghana, June 2011
  • UK Consumer Forum, October 2011
  • Rare Forum, November 2011
  • World Whisky Conference, March 2012
  • Food & Drink Innovation Network, April 2012
  • Consumer Insight Forum March 2013
  • World Innovation Convention, Cannes, November 2013
  • ‘Everybody Shops’, Department of Business, Skills and Innovation March 2014
  • Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, October 2014
  • World Medical Tourism Convention, Washington D.C. Nov 2014
  • Speciality and Fine Food Fair, London Excel March 2015
  • Beauty Symposium, London 2017
  • Later Living conference hosted by Property Week, 2021
  • Realty 2.0 Dubai, 2022

Crispin managed to grab everyone’s attention from the word go at our annual Beauty Symposium in London (http://theredtree.co.uk/) and delivered a very insightful talk, "Smashing Stereotypes" with a delightful twist. With the extremely clever use of prosthetic makeup, Crispin transformed his appearance in front of the audiences’ eyes and, with his unique perspective and depth of knowledge, challenged perceptions. A really inspiring and relevant presentation delivered with great passion, he certainly put his heart and a huge amount of effort into the detail. Crispin was not only very convincing (as an 85 year old man) but also a real delight.

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to you speak. Thank you for putting such immense effort in to this and making our event so memorable and special.

Michelle Grayson, The Beauty Symposium

Crispin came and spoke on 'Unearthing killer customer insights' at our recent event RARE Forum (www.rareforum.co.uk). His presentation was both insightful and engaging and his contribution throughout the day helped make the day. I have the highest respect for Crispin and his experience and I can't recommend him highly enough

Adrian Swinscoe, Convenor of the Rare Forum

Executive Coaching

Crispin holds an ILM Level 7 Certificate, an internationally recognised qualification for executive coaching at senior management and leadership level. He has coached C-suite executives in sectors such as marketing services and tech through to founders of start ups in their early growth stage.

Time is the most precious of commodities, particularly if you are a senior executive
Commenting on the benefits Crispin delivers, one CEO observed:

  • Time to reflect on issues
  • Time to talk to someone knowledgable about what’s been going on
  • Time to garner some advice and get some illumination on topics that I wouldn’t have necessarily considered
  • Time to put things into perspective
  • Time to dig further than peripheral thoughts and find out best practice going forward
  • Time for new inspiring ideas to come through /brainstorm
  • A friend/a support/ a mentor/coach to talk to and here their thoughts. It’s very insular running a business and it’s nice to be able to have someone else’s view every month and get out of yourself/ego

Get in Touch

If you have a have a project which you would like to discuss, please use the form or contact details below to get in touch.