The missing lever: why private equity brand strategy matters

Private equity (PE) firms have long relied on operational levers to unlock value: restructuring, cost optimisation, product launches, and strategic acquisitions. These are tried-and-tested approaches that have worked perfectly for decades. But as competition intensifies and markets mature, these traditional levers are beginning to deliver diminishing returns.

At The Bigger Boat, we’ve seen a powerful yet underutilised lever consistently overlooked: brand. When harnessed strategically, a strong brand can accelerate portfolio growth, smooth post-acquisition integration, and create a cohesive market presence that commands higher multiples at exit. Here, we explore exactly how PE firms can reap such rewards.

Brand as a commercial catalyst

In PE, it’s easy to underestimate the impact of branding. Too often, it’s treated as a cosmetic exercise – a refresh of logos, colour palettes, and websites. But branding runs so much deeper than aesthetics alone. It’s the connective tissue that unifies a portfolio of businesses, aligning teams, reassuring customers, and signalling confidence to investors.

For decades, brand value was hidden on the balance sheet under a single line of ‘goodwill’. But forward-thinking investors now recognise that brand isn’t an abstract concept – it’s a tangible financial asset. A well-managed private equity brand strategy can directly influence valuation, mitigate perceived risk, and turn intangible goodwill into measurable equity. Buyers and investors are increasingly factoring brand strength into due diligence and pricing models, recognising that perception, trust, and clarity translate into real-world financial performance.

Consider the buy-and-build approach. A fragmented brand experience across acquisitions creates friction for customers, employees, and partners alike. Conversely, a well-executed private equity brand strategy ensures every acquired business tells a consistent – and confident – story. It accelerates integration, strengthens market perception, and reinforces operational initiatives, boosting enterprise value and smoothing the path to exit.

Unlocking powerful portfolio cohesion

Our GrowHow package for buy-and-build strategies exemplifies this approach. It goes beyond surface-level design to focus on strategic impact:

• Internal stakeholder workshops to align leadership and teams

• Brand architecture strategy to harmonise acquisitions without erasing individuality

• Customer and competitor research to inform positioning and messaging

• Tone of voice and brand story development to guide communications across every touchpoint

By embedding brand into the operational DNA of a portfolio, PE firms not only enhance customer trust but also build credibility to improve investor confidence. A unified and cohesive brand signals maturity and reduces perceived risk – critical factors when negotiating with limited partners or preparing for exit.

In a competitive market, a consistent and clearly communicated brand helps every business in a portfolio pull in the same direction. It improves internal engagement, reduces inefficiency, and builds a sense of shared purpose across newly acquired teams – essential during mergers or integrations when uncertainty runs high. This cohesion not only simplifies management but also creates a trusted market presence that stands up to scrutiny.

Why private equity branding drives higher multiples

When a PE firm invests in a business, buyers and investors aren’t only acquiring assets and revenue streams. They’re buying a perception: how the market sees the business, how customers and employees experience it, and how confidently the company presents itself to the world. Strong branding amplifies this perception. It reinforces market positioning, communicates professional stewardship, and highlights strategic vision. Firms that actively manage portfolio branding can command higher exit multiples because buyers perceive less risk and more strategic clarity.

We’ve seen time and again that businesses with a strong, credible, and unified brand story achieve smoother exits and higher valuations. Much like presenting a home for sale, being polished and professional signals to potential buyers that the business is well run and easy to take on –  a true safe bet. Treating the brand as a line item worth investing in, rather than an afterthought, means walking into negotiations with a clearer value proposition and a stronger hand.

Moreover, branding can act as a core differentiator in crowded markets. Two businesses with similar financials may achieve vastly different valuations depending on the strength of their brand – a factor often overlooked in traditional valuation models.

Fractional expertise: making brand investment accessible

We understand that PE firms often work with lean teams and tight budgets. That’s why The Bigger Boat champions fractional strategic and creative support, providing access to executive-level creative and branding expertise on demand – without the overhead of full-time hires.

A fractional creative director can:

• Guide in-house teams and acquisitions on brand execution

• Create frameworks for consistent messaging across all portfolio companies

• Empower teams with workshops, feedback, and streamlined workflows

• Align visual identity, tone, and customer experience with investment strategy

Ultimately, fractional support empowers PR firms to unlock brand value efficiently, giving them a tactical advantage without the cost or complexity of traditional agency engagement. For investors juggling multiple assets, this model is particularly powerful. It means portfolio companies can receive the high-level brand thinking they need, right when they need it, without slowing down operational momentum. Whether developing a refreshed identity, defining a market position, or preparing materials for exit, fractional creative leadership provides measurable uplift in both perception and performance.

Integrating brand into PE strategy

Brand should never be tagged on as a last-minute addition. Instead, it should be carefully considered alongside other business levers. Here’s how PE firms can maximise its impact:

1. Audit and assess: map the portfolio’s current brand landscape, identifying strengths, gaps, and opportunities.

2. Prioritise strategic alignment: determine where brand intervention will generate the highest ROI – from customer-facing touchpoints to investor communications.

3. Define a unifying framework: develop a consistent tone, messaging, and visual identity that allows individual acquisitions to retain unique strengths while contributing to portfolio cohesion.

4. Implement with discipline: empower internal teams with clear guidelines, tools, and support – fractional or in-house – to maintain consistency over time.

When executed well, brand integration doesn’t erase individuality – it amplifies it within a stronger framework. Each business retains its strengths while benefitting from the credibility, recognition, and resources of a unified portfolio. This is how leading PE firms turn complex buy-and-build strategies into scalable growth engines.

The Bigger Boat’s proven expertise

At The Bigger Boat, we’ve seen private equity firms transform portfolios by treating brand as a strategic asset instead of an optional nice-to-have. Beyond aesthetics, it acts as a powerful growth engine, improving integration, building investor confidence, and enhancing market perception. But it must be considered holistically, through a commercial lens, to reap maximum reward.

Having supported a range of brands across a variety of industries, our approach is proven to turn intangible goodwill into tangible brand equity – a measurable driver of financial performance. We don’t simply make brands look cohesive; we make them perform cohesively, ensuring every touchpoint contributes to long-term value creation.

As PE continues to evolve, firms that neglect branding risk leaving significant value on the table, while those who embrace its impact gain a powerful lever for growth.

Prefer to be in the latter camp? Plug decades of brand and PE experience into your toolkit with The Bigger Boat – get in touch today.