The strategy studio for brands the planet needs
Your brand is at a point of change. How do you make the next move good for the business - and worth putting into the world?
PeaceCabin is the independent brand strategy studio of Matt Hardisty.
Strategy you can see, not just say. In-market in six weeks.
Not a place to stay. A place to decide. Rated 9.2/10 across 14 clients.
Trusted by London Wildlife Trust, giffgaff, Symplicity Foods, BRiMM and Pablo London.
When something needs to change
We take on problems worth fixing - commercially, culturally and ecologically.
Each project starts with one question: what's the single move that grows the business and leaves something better behind?
Since 2023, 14 organisations across charity, culture and commerce have brought their live problems to PeaceCabin at moments of change - launching something new, repositioning for what's next, protecting what matters or making a consequential decision quickly.
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The Charity
London Wildlife Trust
Rebranding a trust to deliver nature recovery across all its 32 boroughs.
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The Connectivity Co
giffgaff
Brand reset for the UK’s biggest B-Corp, that’s making connectivity fair.
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The Art Fund
Art Fund_
Clarifying cultural value and accessibility in a turbulent public sector.
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The Clock Maker
Bramwell Brown
Reframing a loved British maker around one recognisable face and joy.
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The Start-up
BRiMM
Launching a bold regenerative lifestyle brand from manifesto to market.
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The Food Company
Symplicity Foods
Rebranding a plant-based cult classic ready for its high street entrance.
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The Police Force
Metropolitan Police
Reshaping recruitment for a force in transition to maintain peace in the capital city.
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The Whisky
Laphroaig
Creating a new sustainability narrative for the 200-year-old iconic whisky.
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The Orchestra
London Philharmonic
Safeguarding orchestral relevance amid funding cuts with a radical new vision.
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The Public Body
Sport England
Designing a strategy and creative system that re-engages diverse audiences.
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The Dairy Cooperative
FrieslandCampina
Rekindling a mission rooted in nutrition across the entire cooperative ecosystem.
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The Travel Company
Diversity Travel
Readying the non-profit for market expansion amidst a political landscape in flux.
One senior strategist. One live problem
You work directly with Matt Hardisty, an independent UK brand strategist with 30 years' experience across brand, business, communications and creative strategy.
No junior team. No hand-offs. No pitch theatre.
One consequential problem at a time, working directly with founders, CMOs and leadership teams.
The aim isn't another strategy deck. It's a decision your organisation can use.
About
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PeaceCabin is the independent brand strategy studio of Matt Hardisty.
I help brands at points of change make one consequential decision about what comes next - then turn it into something people can understand, use and see.
One problem at a time. Six weeks. Six projects a year.
10% of every fee goes back to sea through Art for Our Sea.
Our logo takes its shape from a beloved cabin - a refuge where we slow to listen in a world racing to accelerate.
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I've spent 30 years in strategy and creative leadership.
Before founding PeaceCabin, I was Naked Communications' inaugural Global Executive Creative Director, co-founded AnalogFolk, became Joint Head of Strategy at Mother London, and later Strategy Partner and Head of Strategy Innovation at AMV BBDO.
Along the way I've worked across brand, business, communications, creative and sustainability strategy for organisations including Currys, Virgin Atlantic, Reebok, Beck's, Heineken and Eurostar.
I'm also certified in Business Sustainability Management by the University of Cambridge.
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After decades inside large agencies, I wanted to test a smaller model: fewer projects, deeper involvement and direct contact between the strategist and the people making the decisions.
PeaceCabin began in 2023 as that experiment.
It became the practice.
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Six projects a year.
Six weeks each.
One problem at a time.
10% of every fee to Art for Our Sea.
No retainers. No junior teams. No pitch theatre. Just concentrated senior involvement when it matters.
Three years on, PeaceCabin is a proven independent strategy partner for brands navigating consequential change.
Clients rate PeaceCabin: 9.2 / 10*
Leaders come to PeaceCabin when something important needs to change. They trust us to bring clarity, make the decision usable and help turn it into action. *Average from 14 clients, measured on quality of delivery, satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, and intent to work with us again.
Six weeks from problem to something people can use
P.E.A.C.E. is how I structure the work.
We identify the real problem, evaluate the choices, build the strategy, make it tangible and define how we'll know it's working.
P.E.A.C.E.
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When to use P.E.A.C.E.
A launch. A repositioning. A new proposition. A heritage brand deciding what not to lose. A go-to-market question. A strategic problem that needs an experienced outside perspective.
P.E.A.C.E. moves from Problem → Evaluation → Architecture → Colour-in → Effect.
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Get to the problem that actually needs solving.
Output: clear problem + High Dream. -
Evaluate the choices and choose the strongest route.
Output: options + recommendation. -
Build the strategy people need to act.
Output: practical strategic framework. -
Give the strategy story, language and creative expression.
Output: tangible creative direction. -
Define what success looks like and how we'll recognise it.
Output: measurement framework.
Working with PeaceCabin
I lead every PeaceCabin engagement directly, bringing in specialist creative partners only where the problem requires them.
There are six main project slots each year. Repeat engagements are common.
Agency collaborations and white-label engagements are also available.
Start with a 30-minute conversation about the problem.
Six weeks is the core PeaceCabin engagement
Shorter engagements are available for tightly defined questions; longer engagements where the strategy needs a second phase.
Options:
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Diagnostic
From £1,000 + VAT
A sharp second opinion on one defined problem.
You leave with: the problem named, a recommended move and the rationale behind it.
Design scope: concept outline and words only. No design production.
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Direction
From £5,000 + VAT
Resolve a defined strategic question quickly.
You leave with: one strategic direction, its rationale and clear next steps.
Design scope: concept directions, copy, and reference sets. No final production.
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Full P.E.A.C.E. engagement
From £15,000 + VAT
The core PeaceCabin offer. From live problem to consequential decision, strategy and something tangible your organisation can use.
I lead the strategy and direction; your team or specialist partners can handle final production.
Design scope: platform outline, activation concept directions, reference sets. No final production unless separately scoped.
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Extended engagement
Scope dependent. For problems where the strategy requires a second phase of development, implementation or testing.
For non-profits and start-ups it's 'pay what you can'. For everyone else it's 50% at the start of the engagement, 50% upon completion.
Earth positive by practice, not positioning
PeaceCabin is selective about the work it takes on.
We apply the same standard to our own business.
10% of every PeaceCabin fee goes back to the sea through Art for Our Sea, helping fund the mapping, monitoring, protection and restoration of seagrass across the Thames Estuary.
More than £40,000 has been raised since 2023.
We don't support a cause to sell more strategy. We sell strategy to help support a cause.
Every restored meadow begins with another that survived.
Inside the studio
PeaceCabin is also a small cultural world around the work.
Art for Our Sea - what the work gives back.
Music - seasonal PeaceCabin mixtapes.
Library - things influencing the work.
Good People Doing Good Things - occasional gatherings by the sea.