Does your brand actually fit the UK market?

International brands and ambitious start-ups ready to enter the UK. We help you validate, sequence, launch, and lead with confidence.

STRATEGY COMMERCIAL CLARITY ROUTE TO MARKET LAUNCH READINESS UK MARKET ENTRY INTERNATIONAL BRANDS LONDON-BASED SENIOR-LED STRATEGY
STRATEGY COMMERCIAL CLARITY ROUTE TO MARKET LAUNCH READINESS UK MARKET ENTRY INTERNATIONAL BRANDS LONDON-BASED SENIOR-LED

Trusted Experience

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Proven Launch Experience


Experience supporting landmark UK launches across ONE PIECE CARD GAME Official Shops, Tamagotchi's first official store outside Japan in London, Gashapon store launches, The Gundam Base POP-UP, and Bandai Namco Cross Store locations in London and Birmingham.


CMO-level partner, not an agency.

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More campaigns won't fix what isn't working. Many international brands reach a point where they need CMO-level thinking, not just more execution capacity. Agencies say they "do strategy" but they mean creative or channel strategy. They expect to be briefed.


We work differently. As a CMO-level partner, we sit alongside your leadership team, defining what your UK entry needs to achieve, where to focus, and how to sequence it. We don't just optimise activity. We own the thinking, align it to the commercial picture, and lead the work from the front.

Us
The Others
You work directly with a CMO-level partner
You are handed to a junior account team
Strategy is defined before any spend is committed
A retainer is required before thinking begins
Independent. No financial incentive to recommend agencies or platforms
Revenue depends on your ongoing spend with them
Built for international brands entering the UK
Built for UK brands, adapted for international use
We understand the cross-cultural gap between home-market success and UK reality
Generic frameworks borrowed from other markets
Honest assessment, even if the answer is to wait or slow down
Optimistic proposals designed to win the brief
Fixed-scope engagements. You know what you are paying for
Scope expands; costs grow with activity

Why established brands misstep in the UK.

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The issue is rarely ambition. It is usually the sequence: unclear UK fit, weak local positioning, and launch activity that begins before the foundations are ready.

01

Wrong sequence.

Launch activity starts before positioning, pricing, and buyer readiness are in place.

02

Wrong assumptions.

What worked in another market rarely transfers directly. The UK has its own commercial logic.

03

Wrong moment.

Committing to agencies, distributors, and stock before validating the opportunity is the most common and most expensive mistake.

How We Work.

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Our approach is designed to remove uncertainty and align decisions from the outset.


1

Discovery Call

A focused 60 to 90 minute strategy session to understand your business, ambitions, and challenges, and to confirm whether we are the right partner before any commitment is made.

2

Strategic Diagnosis (Snapshot)

A comprehensive diagnostic covering brand and business audit, competitor analysis, customer journey review, and marketing assessment. Delivered as a strategic report with priorities, quick wins, and a clear roadmap for UK growth.

3

Strategic Planning

Development of a detailed 90-day execution plan covering positioning, marketing strategy, KPIs, priorities, and an implementation roadmap tailored to your brand and UK entry objectives.

4

Launch Roadmap

A clear execution plan mapping every milestone, responsibility, and decision point, from validated strategy through to successful UK market activation.

5

Strategic Growth Partnership

Ongoing strategic support with monthly reviews, campaign guidance, performance analysis, and continuous optimisation to ensure execution and sustained business growth.

6

Fractional CMO

Embedded executive marketing leadership providing ongoing strategy, agency management, commercial oversight, and brand direction without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire.

Strategy first. Spend later.

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Most brands that struggle in the UK entered without the right foundations. We fix the sequence before the spend begins.

1 / Why It Matters

London-Based Market Insight

Direct understanding of UK consumers, retailers, commercial expectations, and the practical realities international brands face when entering the market.

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2 / Why It Matters

Cross-Cultural Business Experience

Extensive experience working with international brands and global teams, helping translate international ambition into UK-relevant positioning, partner conversations, and commercial decisions.

Team meeting in a bright office, with people gathered around laptops as a woman presents notes on a wall.

3 / Why It Matters

Senior-Level Strategic Partnership

Access a structured UK market-entry framework created by an experienced strategist, so you can assess your brand's fit, readiness, risks, and route before committing spend.

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4 / Why It Matters

Practical and Commercially Grounded

Every recommendation is designed to help brands make better commercial decisions before committing spend, partners, stock, or launch activity.

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Not every brand should enter immediately.

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Our role is to help you make the right decision, even if that means recommending you wait. We measure our success by the quality of your outcome, not by the size of the engagement that follows. Before you commit to budget, partners, or stock — validate the assumptions that shape the launch. Market entry decisions are expensive to reverse.

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The Team

Meet Ana Pinto.

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Ana Pinto is a London-based marketing and market-entry strategist with over twenty years of experience helping brands grow through positioning, retail expansion, licensing, digital marketing, and commercial partnerships. Originally from Brazil and professionally shaped in the UK, she brings multicultural insight and practical commercial expertise to every engagement.


Most recently at Bandai Namco Amusement Europe, Ana led brand, digital, and licensing initiatives across Gundam, ONE PIECE Card Game, Gashapon, Tamagotchi, and Ichibankuji. Her track record includes the first Bandai Namco Cross Store launch outside Japan, highly successful UK retail activations, and extensive media coverage through strategic PR and partnerships.

Across digital marketing, she has led large-scale paid media programmes, customer acquisition initiatives, and multi-channel campaigns focused on commercial performance and long-term brand growth.


Ana holds an MA in Marketing and Communications from the University of the Arts London and has completed advanced studies in Digital Marketing and AI at London Business School. She works as a CMO-level partner, bringing senior marketing leadership to international brands entering the UK, without the cost of a full-time hire. For select clients, she also operates as an embedded Fractional CMO.


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In their own words.

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"In the six years we worked together, Ana stood out for being organised, strategic, and dedicated. She handled multiple strands of marketing at once and pulled them together to hit commercial objectives. Sharp, dependable, and a genuine pleasure to work with, qualities that will serve her clients brilliantly."

Greg Miles

Founder & Director Bumbl

Global Social Media Awards Best Small Agency 2023


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It has been a pleasure working with Ana. Her marketing dedication and efforts towards a brand and company shows in the time we worked together. What stands out most is her positive attitude, professionalism, and collaborative approach and be available and willing to go the extra mile."

Lee Kirton

Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) & PRODUCER

(Victory Films/Victory Games & Makinarium)


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"I worked with Ana at Bandai Namco Amusement Europe Ltd and she was very devoted to her work and always delivered Marketing collaterals, Social marketing contents in extremely tight deadline. In one campaign, she was briefed about the upcoming store event less than 10 days before the launch and she was struggling to align all the stakeholders to deliver what was required for the event but in the end, she managed to deliver everything on time....! It was really impressive and showed her competence and dedication to her work. Also she was very skilled at organizing PR event, can reach a wide network of communities to get marketing messages across. Whatever challenges she faces, she finds a way to achieve the goal"


Ayako Hozumi

IP Business Development Manager

Bandai Namco Amusement Europe Ltd


Frequently asked questions.

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  • What is Gateway Brands: a consultancy, an agency, or something else?

    Gateway Brands is neither a consultancy nor an agency. We are a strategic partner with CMO-level expertise. We focus on strategy, validation, and commercial decision-making, bringing the thinking and leadership of a senior marketing director to your UK entry, without the overhead of a full-time hire. For brands that need ongoing embedded leadership, we also offer a Fractional CMO service.

  • What is the difference between the Snapshot and the Market Partnership?

    The Snapshot is a focused, time-limited diagnostic, typically delivered over two to three weeks, that gives you an independent assessment of your brand's UK fit, readiness, risks, and route to market. The Market Partnership is a longer-term engagement for brands ready to move into planning, preparation, and launch.

  • Do we need to know for certain that we want to enter the UK before working with Gateway Brands?

    Do we need to know for certain that we want to enter the UK before working with Gateway Brands?

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    No. Many of our clients come to us precisely because they are unsure. The Snapshot is designed to help you make that decision with confidence, whether that means moving forward, adapting your approach, or pausing.

  • Is Gateway Brands only focused on digital marketing?

    No. Gateway Brands works across the full market entry picture: commercial strategy, route to market, retail and wholesale channels, positioning, and launch sequencing. Digital is one channel among many.

  • Can Gateway Brands help with implementation as well as strategy?

    Yes. Through the Market Partnership, we can provide ongoing senior-level support as you move from strategy into execution, helping you manage partners, prepare buyers, and maintain commercial discipline throughout the launch process.

  • What kinds of brands are the best fit?

    We work best with established international brands, typically from Japan, the US, Europe, or Asia, that have proven success in their home market and are now exploring or actively planning a UK entry. Consumer products, lifestyle, toys, collectibles, food and beverage, and health and beauty are common categories.

  • What if we already have a digital agency?

    That is fine. As a CMO-level partner, Gateway Brands works alongside your existing agency relationships. Our role is to ensure the strategic and commercial foundations are in place so that your agency's work is directed effectively. Through the Fractional CMO service, we can also manage those relationships directly on your behalf.

  • How long does the process take?

    The Snapshot is typically delivered within two to three weeks of our initial briefing. The Market Partnership is structured around your timeline and objectives, typically three to six months for the core engagement.

Know Before You Invest

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We will come back to you within two working days to discuss whether and how we can help.

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