Executive AdvisoryStrategic support and decision-making guidance
Executive Advisory
Direction is corrected every day
Building a Brand Strategy is one thing; applying it consistently for months or years is another. Between the two lie daily decisions, investments to assess, changing scenarios and initiatives to approve or block.
But who supports the board at those moments?
Bliss’s Executive Advisory is ongoing support for senior leadership: a structured presence alongside management to ensure that every significant decision is consistent with the agreed strategy, before it is made.
Blissionary
Executive Advisory: Meaning
/ɪɡˈzekjʊtɪv ədˈvaɪzəri/ n.
An ongoing service supporting an organisation’s board and management. It provides qualified, independent support in assessing decisions, investments, scenarios and strategic initiatives.
It keeps the strategic direction consistent over time. It is the level that turns Advisory from an occasional intervention into a permanent safeguard.
The problem we solved
Strategy left in a drawer
Every year, companies invest in strategies, workshops and positioning documents. They reach the final delivery, approve the work and go back to their desks.
Three months later, decisions are made as they always were. Out of habit, out of urgency, on the opinion of the most senior person in the room. And so, even though the document exists, direction is missing.
Or rather: there is no one able to maintain it.
Where it all began
What our clients were asking us
After every Advisory engagement, the same thing always happened.
Clients came back with a question, a request for an opinion, a decision to assess. They asked us:
“In your view, does this acquisition make sense given the positioning we have built?”
“We are considering entering a new market. What do you think?”
They were not looking for a new project, but for someone who knew the brand as well as they did, and who could sit at the table with an independent perspective.
Executive Advisory was born from that recurring question.
Our thinking
Deciding well is a habit
The quality of an organisation is measured by the quality of its daily decisions.
A Brand Strategy sets the direction. But direction is maintained investment by investment. Choice by choice. Initiative by initiative.
Every time one of those choices is made without a clear strategic reference, the gap between what the brand wants to be and what it does widens.
Executive Advisory exists to keep that distance under control.
SUCCESS STORIES
The Results Achieved for Our Clients
There are different reasons to turn to Advisory. The brand works but nobody knows why. The company is growing fast and its criteria are not keeping pace. You want to do something significant and need a clear direction before you do. Either way, a full Advisory programme is always a sound choice. The numbers prove it.
Gabriel & Spirits
Governance · Brand Architecture · Content · Social · Events
Brands governed
6
Tequila Talisman followers
48.3
k
Likes on content
+
43
Gabriel & Spirits manages six brands in the spirits market, with different targets, positionings and emotional registers. The risk was internal cannibalisation: without a structure, brands tend to resemble one another. The Advisory built the fundamental architecture to define the boundaries of each one before production began. Today the six brands grow together, rather than at one another’s expense.
Doreca
Brand Strategy · Paid Media · Content · Social · Advisory
Turnover
+
3.79
%
Google Shopping clicks
645
%
New stores in 9 months
+
12
Data verified by Reportaziende.it
Doreca served a dual audience: the Ho.Re.Ca. professionals it supplied as a distributor, and the end consumers it served in its own retail outlets. The Brand Strategy built a digital presence able to speak to both without inconsistency. Two distinct registers, one single system. Physical expansion was then developed on that structure, with five new centres opened in nine months.
Risivi & Co
Advisory · Governance · Operations · Performance · PR
Annual turnover
+
169
%
Followers
+
15
k
Artists engaged
+
9
Data verified by Reportaziende.it
While the Audit of Risivi had revealed significant cultural capital, the brand lacked a structure capable of ensuring scalability. So, through a Brand Strategy engagement, we defined the positioning, the criteria for collaborations with artists and the brand’s identity boundaries. Those rules contributed to an increase in turnover from 206,000 to 556,850 euros in twelve months.
Who it is for
Who needs Executive Advisory?
Executive Advisory is designed for those who already have a defined strategic direction and want every day-to-day decision to respect it. It does not end with a single project: it supports decision-makers, mandate after mandate. This is why it proves particularly valuable for:
Those leading a growing company without an external strategic counterpart.
Decisions multiply with growth. New markets, new investments, new hires. Every choice has consequences for the brand’s positioning and value. Executive Advisory ensures there is always an independent reading before acting.
For those who have completed an Advisory programme and want to keep it alive.
The Brand Strategy has been defined. The criteria are clear. But without someone keeping them in mind at every decision, they risk gathering dust in a drawer. Executive Advisory safeguards strategic consistency over time, without leaving it to chance.
Those making significant investment decisions.
Acquisitions, new markets, partnerships, repositionings. Every extraordinary transaction deserves an independent strategic reading before it is approved. Executive Advisory provides that opinion, with the same depth as someone who knows the brand from the inside.
Those with a board or board of directors that needs a stable external adviser.
A consultant called in during an emergency needs time before they can act. They have to study the situation, the company’s history, its dynamics. A structured presence, with a defined cadence, that takes an active part in significant strategic decisions is something else entirely.
For those who want to ensure strategic continuity during a transition.
A change of CEO, the arrival of new shareholders, a restructuring of management. At moments of discontinuity, a stable external point of reference who knows the brand’s direction can make the difference between an orderly transition and a chaotic one.
Our Method
Executive Advisory follows a fixed cadence, built around management’s decision-making calendar.
Approach
What it includes
Periodic sessions with the board
Regular meetings (monthly or every two months) with the CEO and management to analyse scenarios, assess upcoming decisions and verify the strategic consistency of ongoing initiatives.
Opinions on significant decisions
Targeted support ahead of every major decision: investments, partnerships, repositioning, strategic communications. Response within defined timeframes.
Reading the competitive landscape
Periodic updates on the market context, competitor moves and emerging opportunities relevant to the brand.
Strategic consistency review
Ongoing monitoring of current initiatives against the agreed Brand Strategy. Deviations flagged before they become structural.
Interface with Governance and Operations
Coordination with operational levels to ensure that strategic direction translates correctly into execution.
THE PHASES
How an Advisory engagement is structured
Bliss has developed a proprietary method designed to guide brands through the entire strategic process. Here is how it works.
AuditAdvisory
Brand StrategyAdvisory
Operating RulesGovernance
Control systemsGovernance
Practical applicationOperations
Blog & Trends 2026
Our Insights on Advisory
In our Digital Magazine we explain how Advisory guides brand decisions: scenarios, priorities, real cases. What we learn alongside the board, shared without filters.
THE TEAM
The team that works alongside the board
Executive Advisory is run directly by Bliss’s senior leadership. The person sitting at the table with the board is the same person who built the Brand Strategy, with the same depth of knowledge of the brand and the same independence of judgement.
Francesco Acri
CEO & Founder
Founded Bliss and leads its direction today.
At board level, works alongside CEOs and Boards of Directors on strategic decisions, overseeing their implementation.
Ginevra De Filippis
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
The company’s metronome: coordinates its operations, manages partner relationships and improves internal processes, ensuring continuity across projects.
Mario Antonini
Chief Design Officer (CDO)
Interprets the Bliss vision and leads its visual expression. As CDO, coordinates identity, web architecture and VFX, giving ideas concrete form.
Andrea Maso
Head of SEO
Head of SEO at Bliss, analyses the data that steers digital decisions. Supports clients from planning through to the optimisation of organic visibility.
Gianluca Sabbini
Head of Video Production
Head of Video Production at Bliss, leads the audiovisual department and directs video production for advertising campaigns.
Start here
Every organisation makes decisions every day. The question is how many of those decisions genuinely respect the chosen direction.
Tell us about your organisation. Every fee proposal will start from a clear mandate, defined together in a working session.
The Comparison
External consultant or Executive Advisory
Criterion
Generic external consultant
Bliss Executive Advisory
Knowledge of the brand
Generic external consultant
Rebuilt from scratch every time. Every meeting requires a briefing.
Bliss Executive Advisory
Built over time. Those supporting the board know the history, past decisions and the defined criteria.
Continuity
Generic external consultant
Occasional. Called in for emergencies or specific projects.
Bliss Executive Advisory
Structured. A defined presence at a set cadence, independent of emergencies.
Depth of counsel
Generic external consultant
Based on surface-level information, often standardised.
Bliss Executive Advisory
Based on direct knowledge of the brand, the market and previous decisions.
Integration with the strategy
Generic external consultant
Often disconnected from the existing Brand Strategy.
Bliss Executive Advisory
Directly anchored to the Brand Strategy and the criteria defined in the Advisory.
Who delivers it
Generic external consultant
Changing staff, often junior in execution, senior only at the pitch.
Bliss Executive Advisory
Bliss senior leadership, from the start of the mandate to the end.
4.9/5
207 verified reviews
Verified reviews
In the words of those who chose us
Bee Lab
“Professional, dynamic team. They work around the clock and fully embrace the projects they take on, led by a highly skilled and visionary leader!”
5.0
Marco Contigiani
“A simply exceptional communications agency.
From the very first contact you sense professionalism, expertise and close attention to the client’s needs”
5.0
Nicole
“Thanks to Bliss Agency we doubled our quote requests and gained more visibility in our area. They proposed a clear editorial plan that was easy to follow and extremely effective.”
5.0
Anna Rossi
“Not just an agency, but a true partner. With Bliss Agency I felt listened to and understood from the very first meeting. They turned ideas into a concrete project”
5.0
Certified Agency
Certifications
ISO 9001 – Process quality and work organisation.
ISO 14001:2015 – Managing the environmental impact of business activities.
UNI PDR 125:2022 – Gender equality in processes, policies and organisation
ISO 45001:2018 – Occupational health and safety.
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 – Information, data and access security.
faq
Frequently asked questions about Executive Advisory
1. What is the difference between Advisory and Executive Advisory?
Advisory is a fixed-term programme: it analyses, defines the direction and delivers a system. Executive Advisory is ongoing: it supports the board as decisions are made, ensuring that every choice respects the defined direction. One precedes the other, but they can coexist.
2. Do we need to have completed an Advisory engagement with Bliss to access Executive Advisory?
It is not a formal requirement, but it is almost always the optimal condition. Companies that already have a structured Brand Strategy get the most out of Executive Advisory, because the advisor already knows the brand, the criteria and the direction. Without a documented strategy, the first step is to build one.
3. At what cadence do we work?
The cadence is defined during the briefing phase, based on management’s decision-making rhythm. The most common model involves monthly or bimonthly sessions with the board, plus availability for specific opinions on significant decisions.
4. Who delivers the service within Bliss?
Executive Advisory is managed directly by Bliss’s senior leadership. It is never delegated to junior staff. The person sitting at the table with the board is the same one who built the Brand Strategy and knows the brand in depth.
5. How long does an Executive Advisory mandate last?
Mandates are structured over 12, 24 or 36 months, renewable. Continuity is part of the value of the service: an advisor who knows the history of past decisions is worth more than one who has to be briefed from scratch every time.
6. What happens if we need to make an urgent decision outside the agreed cadence?
The mandate includes a direct access channel for urgent decisions, with contractually defined response times. Executive Advisory is an accessible presence, whenever it is needed.
7. Is it compatible with other advisors or consultants already in place?
Yes. Executive Advisory oversees the scope of the brand and its strategic direction. It works alongside financial, legal or general strategic advisors, with no overlap in expertise.
8. How is the value of an Executive Advisory mandate measured?
Metrics operate on two levels. At decision level: fewer decisions made out of habit or urgency rather than on clear criteria, speed of response to market opportunities, consistency of initiatives with the Brand Strategy. At asset level: the evolution of brand value over time, the ability to sustain positioning through periods of discontinuity.
Specific metrics are defined before work begins.