How does it work?
Success is built on a knowledge base of what worked -
and what didn't.
Case Studies: Branding
Retail Bumpers
Your brand is the most important asset your business owns. It's your reputation, your public persona, the way others perceive your company. A brand is the result of cumulative impressions. Advertising, public relations, web presence, customer service... Everything you do has the potential to strengthen, or erode, your brand.
Client
You know those rubber bumpers that protect in-store produce displays and cashier counters from being damaged by shopping carts? This particular client manufactures those bumpers as well as other retail display and storage solutions.
Challenge
Few retailers knew that my client was the industry leader not only in sales but in product innovations as well; that the company's product line extended beyond bumpers; and that the company regularly completed stellar custom work. The brand was perceived as rather sleepy.
Solution
The designer and I created and executed an 18-month marketing plan that revived the brand and positioned it as much more modern and dynamic.
As part of the plan, we refreshed the company logo and corporate identity system. That meant everything from stationary to collateral materials to the sign on the building had to be redesigned and replaced.
In addition to applying the new logo to the collateral materials, we created a new system for organizing the product lines and showcasing the company's capabilities.
To help manage costs, we made the product catalogs modular so that when new products were added in the future, the entire catalog wouldn't have to be reprinted. We also created pre-printed spec sheet templates that allowed the client to create and revise the sheets from a regular computer printer as needed.
To further manage costs, we created a very attractive though small brochure - small enough to fit in a business-size envelope - to be used when the occasion didn't warrant providing a complete (and much more expensive) product catalog.
We also developed a new print advertising campaign that reflected the new brand focus and design.
Our plan also included recommendations for internal branding to generate excitement and buy-in from all company employees. This is an important step that too many companies forget when repositioning their place in the market.
Result
With the new plan in place, the client's brand is more focused and more illustrative of the company's offering. The brand has been revived and there's been a resurgence of interest in the brand, not only from customers and prospects, but also from the industry press.