Strategic Consultancy
Sense & Story works with brands navigating fast-changing consumer landscapes. Diving into data, trends, culture and instinct to shape growth plans that really move.
The Problem Worth Solving
Spotting trends is the easy part. The hard part is knowing which ones earn a place in your brand — and how to bring them to life in a way that feels distinctly yours, not borrowed from the category. That takes deeper interrogation: of the trend, of your brand, and of what the two could become together.
The thinking exists. Directions have been discussed, decks have been built, concepts look promising. But somewhere along the way, things slow down, get diluted, or stall entirely. Good ideas deserve more than getting stuck in process.
You have a brand worth talking about. The challenge is consistency — making sure every touchpoint carries the same intention. Closing the gap between what your brand stands for and how it shows up is where the real potential lies.
This is exactly where Sense & Story comes in.
The Philosophy
We pay close attention to what people crave — their rituals, their contradictions, their unmet needs. These human signals bring richness to data, and clarity to what's truly shifting around a brand. But strategy only sticks when teams can readily act on it. So we shape what we sense into something more coherent: a direction that lands, a narrative that moves teams, and a vision that gives the brand the courage to grow.
Signature Projects
Beyond the broader toolkit of services on offer, the signature projects are pre-designed around the most popular client briefs. Proven approaches that tackle common challenges — ready to pick up and run with.
Crafting the foundations and a future framework for brands ready to recalibrate how they show up.
A curated trend deep-dive, experienced in the wild as a team, to inspire and refine future direction.
Designing one clear vision for businesses navigating the bigger questions on where to focus next.
"I've spent enough time inside fast-moving businesses to know where strategy actually lands — and where it gently stalls."
Set direction at both brand and Group level, supporting decisions on portfolio stretch, mergers and acquisitions.
Built new brands from scratch and repositioned some of Britain's best-loved heritage brands. Managed multi-million-pound TV, digital and experiential campaigns, making measurable commercial impact.
Launched innovation from concept-to-shelf including new-to-market and award-winning ranges. Worked with owners, manufacturers, licensees, and major UK retailers' private labels.
What Clients Say
Lucy's strategic thinking and practical approach turned diverse ideas into a single, actionable roadmap that gave marketing, R&D and supply teams clear priorities and confidence for long-term growth. I recommend Lucy without reservation to deliver breakthrough creative insight.
Lucy is a first-class leader who successfully developed and executed strong marketing strategies for our portfolio of drinks brands. A highly innovative and creative leader — particularly impressive in delivering compelling plans in an efficient and cost-effective way.
Lucy stepped in to deliver an innovation workshop — expertly designed and facilitated, with inspiring tasks and stimulus that energised the whole team. The quality of ideas generated was outstanding. Her creativity and professionalism make her an invaluable partner.
For more than a decade I've been tracking what's shifting in food and drink — the long-term trends, the defining cultural moments, and the small behavioural changes that influence the futures of entire categories.
The Sensorial Futurist is my Substack: where this trend thinking plays out in long form. A deep dive into food and bevs — POVs, inspirations, and the occasional lesson from behind-the-scenes of the industry.