Brand strategy
Strategy and voice for an innovative chess brand
Working as both brand strategist and copywriter, we helped the NY-based creative agency Otherward develop and hone both the positioning and voice for their wildly innovative chess brand, Nymzo.
- Client
- Nymzo
- Project
- Positioning and voice
- Industry
- Board Games
- Services
- Brand Strategy, Copywriting
- Year
- 2025
“Steve's insights gave us clarity at a time when everything felt up in the air. What a relief. He also just so happened to be a true pleasure to work with throughout the project. Grade-A human with talent to boot.”
01 — The brief
Tagging in as a strategist on Otherward's first-ever physical product launch, Nymzo, we assisted the internal team with market research, brand and competitive positioning, and voice development.
02 — The approach
Embedded with Otherward's team, we started with the market: auditing the chess-set landscape from heritage makers to newer design-led challengers and mapping how each one talks to players. That research shaped a positioning territory for Nymzo built around aesthetics and function rather than tradition. From there we wrote the voice: principles, dos and don'ts, and sample copy the team could use across the site, packaging, and launch.
03 — The outcome
The result was a comprehensive analysis identifying dominant and emerging competitors and positioning Nymzo as the chess set of choice for discerning players who yearn for a more aesthetic and functional chess set. We also developed voice guidelines to set Nymzo apart from the otherwise stodgy world of chess brands.