ALL GOOD THINGS START WITH ASKING
WHO WE ARE
What If is an independent, woman-owned consumer insight and brand strategy agency. Since 2026, we’ve provided a flexible mix of insight & strategy capabilities to help clients - big and small - dream big and grow.
At the heart of our work is the belief that better ideas can help create a better world. We are optimistic, creative, and committed to meaningful impact. We believe that the combination of creativity, curiosity, and a deep belief that change (big and little) is not just possible, but imperative, is what will help us all grow - as people, brands, and businesses - in small and big ways.
Our name is inspired by two things: our own experience, which has taught us that all of our forks in the road, life changing route choices, accomplishments, and our biggest gifts - all the good things - began with courageously asking “what if?”. We’re also inspired by the work of climate activist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson who has bravely and hopefully asked “What If We Get It Right?”.
CHALLENGES WE LOVE
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DEFINING & UNDERSTANDING CONSUMERS
“We don’t know who our consumer is or how to reach them”
“We want to hear directly from our consumers and understand more about their lives holistically”
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BUILDING DISTINCT BRAND PROPOSITIONS
“Our positioning is… fine? But something isn’t quite right”
“We’ve never done the work to formalize our brand positioning - we need clarity about who we are for internal & external partners”
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DEVELOPING CREATIVE THAT PEOPLE LOVE
“We need a compelling creative idea that’s not like everyone else – one that motivates people to change their behavior”
“We’re launching a new product and need to develop packaging that consumers love”
“Our packaging isn’t working, but we don’t know quite what to change”
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IDENTIFYING & VALIDATING INNOVATION
“We know there’s a problem to solve for people - we just don’t know how to do it in a way they will want to engage with”
“We need innovation ideas that don’t feel random - ones that people will love and will generate growth”
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CULTURAL AND CATEGORY FORESIGHT
“We need a POV on culture, consumer, and category direction.”
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BUILDING & SUPPORTING CONSUMER INSIGHT TEAMS
“I know we need to do some consumer work – I’m just not sure what or how”
“We can’t hire a full time insights person, but we have some consumer projects that we need help managing”
WHY WHAT IF?
When you work with What If, you should expect clear, actionable findings along with partnership in turning learning into creative, commercially viable decisions that will drive brand growth and create real change for the better. And to dream big and have fun.
What If brings the rare combination of deep consumer insight expertise and real-world brand-building experience; Rachael has nearly 20 years of experience studying what people truly want and need and translating that into brands, products, and creative that succeed in market.
