MARA RADA


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Turning products into brands



Win and lead markets with naming, branding, and category design strategy. Cut through the noise and make your innovation impactful.




ABOUT ME.



NAMING, BRANDING, AND CATEGORY DESIGN STRATEGIST





I build powerful names that connect emotionally with the audience and make products memorable. I develop inspiring identities that turn products into powerful category leaders and top-of-mind brands.

I help inventors commercialize innovations that make the impossible possible and help the world become a better, healthier place for all.


I work with VCs, startups, and corporations to evaluate and position products to win and lead markets.





GLOBAL BRANDING MENTOR WITH TECHSTARS
AND FOUNDER INSTITUTE





Advising entrepreneurs on the entire planet by working with prestigious startup accelerators in major innovation hubs across the globe on powerful positioning, naming, and category design strategies that win and lead markets:

  • North America: Boston, Calgary, Edmonton, New York City, Silicon Valley, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg.
  • Europe: Berlin, Cologne, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Oslo, Stockholm, Zurich.
  • Eastern Europe: Belgrade, Bucharest, Prague, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius, Warszaw, Zagreb.
  • The Middle East: Doha, Dubai.
  • Latin America: Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima.

Startup strategist and community builder passionate about growing the startup ecosystem and empowering founders to scale internationally and create products that buyers truly want.


Working on a technology solution to bridge the branding gap and empower startups and small & medium businesses to make strategic marketing decisions and perform branding and customer research like big corporations.



ADVERTISING EXPERT: GO-TO-MARKET & STRATEGIC PLANNING





European and North American experience working with high-end globally-awarded agencies: Ogilvy, Grey, and OMD.


Created and implemented branding strategies, brand architecture, category design, and media strategies for Fortune 50 / 500 companies and large multinational corporations such as Unilever, P&G, Kraft, Glaxo, UniCredit Bank


Worked with some of the world’s most iconic brands: Dove, Nivea, Heineken, Jacobs, Milka, Philadelphia, Suchardine, Nokia.



FOUNDER & CEO BY DAY.
TANGO DJ BY NIGHT





Arduously working on a technology solution to bridge the branding gap and empower startups and small & medium businesses to make strategic marketing decisions and perform branding and customer research like big corporations.


Founder and Chief Otrategy Officer of Feral | thinkferal.com


Professional Argentine Tango DJ after dark. 🎧



Need to evaluate the brand equity potential for your next investment or for your existing VC portfolio?


Get in touch


WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



Names are powerful. While a bad name may not kill a product, service or company, a great name will certainly lift it up. Mara understands this in a way I just don't encounter very often.

My company engaged Mara for a somewhat tricky-to-name product line. As we went through her process, she continually provided guidance and insight. She also pushed us (in a good way) to explore new ideas. We pursued several different directions, almost all of which we had not previously considered. Last, but not least, she made the whole process fun. The end result is novel, speaks to what we do and combines multiple elements of what we stand for. I'm excited to launch the product.

TL;DR: Mara is great to work with, understands naming and branding, and will deliver what you need. I look forward to working with her again soon.





- Nicholas Napp, Co-Founder, Xmark Labs, Boston, USA




WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



"Mara was super kind and helpful with us, helping our young startup company choose the name for our gamified app.

She brought up her relevant knowledge and experience about naming and she did it in a time effective and targeted way. In just a few meetings we had a good understanding of what we had to take into account in order to get a good name.

Also, she has been incredibly responsive and arranging meetings with her has been very easy in spite of the time difference."





- Tiziano Mosca, CEO, Project AR, London, UK



WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



"Mara's team worked with me for the rebranding of my leadership development consultancy. Mara's approach was highly personalized and her deep naming and branding insight redefined my core branding and strategy, powering a new name for my company.

I enjoyed our collaboration and warmly recommend working with her and Citronade for your naming and branding needs.

I honestly couldn't be happier!"





- Paul Royce, CEO, PGR Consulting, Ottawa, Canada



WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



"Mara and her team helped us create all aspects of our branding, from naming, visual identity, pitch deck, to the website.

Everything that they delivered is of high quality. We cannot thank her and her team enough for everything they have done for us. It's fair to say "No Mara, No Stopless Inc."

We are so pleased with the name and website that Mara's team created for us. It's professional, innovative, and beautifully designed.

Highly recommend this to any startup that would like to start strong!"





- Jing Zhang, CEO & Co-Founder, Stopless, Vancouver, Canada



WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



"Worked with Mara and her team to name and launch our aesthetics salon, Primavera.

They explained why I should look for inspirational names that don't describe my service but are visual, memorable, and establish an emotional connection with my target audience.

My clientele loves the name and its youthfulness!"





- Deema Janoudi, CEO & Co-Founder, Primavera Skin Clinic, Manchester, UK



WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



"Mara, our team thanks you for the excellent ideas you had in developing the products and finding the right brand for our business.

The names Rozada, Rose Kiss, and Vera Rosa will be words spoken more and more often by consumers. Thank you for your professionalism."





- Radu Ducu, CEO & Co-Founder, Rozada, Romania



WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



"Mara has been a great instrument in the inception of our company Stopless.ai.

She helped us with the naming of the company Stopless. She created a top-class pitch deck, which was appreciated by a number of people.

She also designed our company website www.stopless.ai. A true testimony of professional ethics. We are very proud of her work. Thank you, Mara."





- Sid Gupta, CGO & Co-Founder, Stopless, Vancouver, Canada



WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



“It was a pleasure to work with Mara at the online communication strategy of various clients. Besides the professional approach and the deep understanding of the client's needs, she always has a smile for everybody.”





- Calin Rotarus, CEO, Tailwind, Romania



WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



"Mara is just an extraordinary person, in the greatest of ways. Talented, smart, effective, all of this comes in such a natural way for her."





- Frederic Pouyot, CEO, GPEKS, Canada



WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



“I've had the chance to work with Mara for the inaugural edition of the CEE CFA Conference, a very big event that brought together under the same umbrella very important speakers and where UniCredit was the Main Partner. Mara was the Project Manager and her job was to handle the workflow between all parties involved: sponsors, organizers, different service providers.

She was the key person in this project and her creative, marketing and organization skills were bringing so much value to the project. She had an eye as a hawk on everything so personally, as the main sponsor, I was really relaxed knowing that she was involved. The event was a huge success, most of the participants said that was the best conference they have seen in Romania in a long time. I recommend Mara.”





- Anca Ungureanu, VP Communications, UniCredit Bank, Romania



WHAT CLIENTS AND PARTNERS SAY.



“I attended an international conference held by CFA Romania in Bucharest, April 2012, of which Mara played as a major organizer. She is very kind, outgoing and energetic. It is difficult for a person to handle so many people, things and information, but Mara succeeded in doing this very neatly and efficiently. I really enjoy the time spent with her, and wish that we could work together again in the future.”





- MING ZHANG, Chief Economist, Pingan Securities Co. Ltd, Senior Fellow and Director, Pangoal Research Institute of Macro Economics (PRIME), Senior Fellow at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.




WhAT i LOVE DOING.



Brand Naming, architecture. and Positioning





Memorable names create profitable businesses. Position, develop and trademark fresh, inspiring, and distinctive brand names to make your company, products, and services memorable and establish them as powerful category leaders.



Brand Identity and Category Design





Designing positioning and category development strategies to create memorable brands and inspiring visual identities through positioning, branding, customer research, market and competitive analysis, cultural insight, strategic vision, and perception creation.



Startup Advisory





As a Global Startup Mentor with Techstars, Newchip, and Founder Institute, I help startups create highly desirable products. I advise founders on strategic positioning, naming, branding, GTM and product strategies to help them launch right, scale fast, and attract investment.



Startup Batch/Cohort Mentorship





Accelerators and VC firms are only as successful as their portfolio companies. I work closely with program directors and venture capitalists to mentor portfolio companies and startup cohorts, ensuring startups have access to quality mentorship, strategy, and high-end, hands-on execution.



AI, Social Research, Social Listening





With the conversation irrevocably moving online, it is now more important than ever to know what's being said about your company and your products right where it's happening. Our tools can easily measure brand sentiment online, in social media, and in podcasts to help brands and corporations make informed decisions and increase their ROI.



Speaker, Trainer, Pitch competition Judge





Want to create an engaging event that captures the audience's interest? Looking for someone to train your product management team in brand naming design? Want to host a pitch event or moderate a panel? Need a judge for your pitch competition? I deliver naming, branding, startup launch training and speeches, provide mentorship, and help organizers deliver successful events and select scalable pitch winners.



MY WORK.



KNOW THE TALK



CORPORATE ADVERTISING & BRANDING STRATEGY



I am an international naming, branding, and advertising expert, having worked for over 20 years in Europe and North America with top agencies such as Ogilvy, Grey, and OMD. I created branding and media strategy for Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 companies and some of the world’s most iconic brands: Dove, Heineken, and Telekom.


Extensive experience working with large international clients (Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods, Unilever, Beiersdorf, Telekom, UniCredit Bank, HVB Bank) with angels, investors, as well as with angel and venture capital firms (Techstars, Active Angels, Magnus Capital, South Eastern European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association).


MORE

MAKE THE TALK



FERAL | STRATEGIC NAMING & BRANDING AGENCY



In today's cutthroat market, you either stand out or stay out. Push or perish. As a perception strategy firm, Feral uses the latest advances in neuroscience and behavioural economics to give audacious brands, founders, and product designers the edge they need to crush their rivals and emerge victorious.


From naming and perception positioning to category design and identity creation, we help brands dominate the business jungle. Take control of your market. Don't settle for mediocrity or being treated like a too-small fish. You deserve top-of-the-food-chain quality and the full attention of the founder. You deserve to work founder-to-founder.


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TEACH THE TALK



UNIVERSITY LECTURER



Teaching naming, branding, and category design strategies to undergraduate and graduate students at the Faculty of Marketing, Academy of Economic Studies, Romania.


Some of the feedback I received:


• “It was an interesting course, I understood that we need to focus on perception and target the emotional side when we brand. I understood that names should evocative and provocative, inspirational and aspirational.”


• “In addition to the interesting information that Mara shared, I liked a lot her positive attitude and the fact that she focuses on the online medium.”


• “I enjoyed a lot today’s course. Mara is lovely and a pleasure to listen to. One of the things I retained that all companies, products, and services need branding (including B2B ones).”


MORE

BE THE TALK



MESSAGING STRATEGY, ENGAGEMENT, SOCIAL RESEARCH, AND SENTIMENT ANALYSIS



Gossip Social is an AI-powered social media marketing and content distribution software that enables you to listen to, find, and engage social media audiences in a manner that's never been possible before.


With Gossip's sophisticated martech platform, your business can now find and engage people and influencers interested in your content and offerings.


Combine the power of social media with the functionality of precision targeting to find, connect, and deliver your content to people with the highest interest and intent to buy.


MORE

SCALE THE TALK



GLOBAL BRANDING MENTOR @ TECHSTARS AND FOUNDER INSTITUTE



Techstars, Newchip and Founder Institute are some of the world's largest startup accelerators ranging from pre-seed to series A-C. I mentor early-stage and scaleup-stage tech founders and startup companies on naming, branding, positioning, and category design strategies.


I advise entrepreneurs on brand positioning, customer research, business validation, product launch strategies, and investor preparedness to help them launch right, scale fast, and get the investment they need to grow. I help startups communicate inspiringly with their target audiences and create highly desirable products.


MORE

WALK THE TALK



KEYNOTES AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS



As a veteran international public and business communicator, I love speaking to audiences of marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, and product managers about brand naming, brand building, and how to connect emotionally to customers.

Reach out to discuss designing engaging events and hire me to speak/train teams in brand naming design or business idea validation and launch.


A few punchy ideas:


1. Emotional Brand Naming and How to Name for Fame

2. Product Launch: Umbrella Naming for Product Lines

3. VC Portfolio: Naming and Launching Remarkable Brands

4. Startup Growth Strategies That Last Beyond Ad Dollars

5. Advertising That Doesn't Annoy the Heck Out of People

6. Not a Guru: Elegant Personal Branding

7. Pitch Competition Moderator and Judge


BOOK

FRAME THE TALK



PUBLIC SERVICE



As Spokesperson of the Ministry of Agriculture, I managed the ministerial reputation and created the Crisis Management Plan. I designed communications strategies and publicly delivered official ministerial positions on agricultural policy in press conferences, journalistic inquiries, and media interviews. Reported directly to the Prime Minister, the Agriculture Minister, and Cabinet members.


As Communications Counsellor to the Speaker of the House, Parliament of Romania, I provided strategic advice on essential national matters, ensured public communications consistency, analyzed public opinion, formulated talking points for officials and prepared them for parrying interview questions.


MORE

LOOKING FOR A KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR YOUR EVENT?



Whether you are:

- a VC who needs brand name training for portfolio companies
- a CMO or VP of Product looking to train your team to launch successful brands
- an event or pitch competition organizer looking for a speaker or judge for your next event

LET'S TALK! I will help you design successful business, tech, and innovation events.


GET IN TOUCH

ARTICLES.



Can Cold Email Selling Survive in the New Age of Domain Blocking?





The email marketing game is changing. It’s no longer about “getting around” the fence to deliver cold emails. And if this is your marketing strategy, you are in for a cold reality slap...


Read

Charm vs. Persuasion in Branding Strategy





Once upon a time, a wild advertising executive at Feral believed charm was the superior branding strategy to increase brand loyalty and advocacy.


READ

OpenAI and Chat GPT: From Provider to Competitor





Let's keep this one short and sweet. What is ChatGPT's most notable achievement as a services provider? Obliterating startups that use OpenAI's GPT3 to provide generic writing tools.


READ

Feral Strategy: Different vs. Distinct in Brand Positioning





How are these concepts... ahem... different, and what should your brand strive for?
​The thinking process starts with evaluating your goals, starting with your position in the market.


READ

brand positioning: the brand enemy





Remember the Cola wars? The brand enemy is a positioning concept that many major players famously exploited.

So what is a brand enemy, and how do you choose one?


READ

ARE YOU THE CANVA OF YOUR CATEGORY?





Look at logo maker apps, and you'll find countless names like Logo Maker, Logo Maker., Logo Maker + Logo Creator, etc. You get the gist... Zero differentiation. On the other hand, there's Canva...


READ

brands behind the curtains





What's the behind-the-curtains process for creating iconic brands? Few know there's an extensive process behind it. Here are the high-level phases before any words and messages are written down.


READ

BRAND NAMING DO'S AND DON'TS





Startups are on the rise, and there are now more businesses than ever! With so much competition, how can a new one get famous? Here are essential Naming Do's and Don'ts to help your startup stand out.


READ

GET IN TOUCH.





TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EXCITING PROJECT!






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