Branding
Case Study: "Company A" Bridge Branding
Opportunity:
After several acquisitions, Company A found itself in a perpetual state of needing to update its brand. The brand had been passed through several different marketing teams and leadership changes, leading to a loose, bloated, ineffective set of standards that failed to rein in out-of-brand creative and allowed an overall lack of consistency in customer-facing materials.
Despite the acknowledged lack of consistency, leadership was unwilling to commit to a full rebranding initiative because of the possibility of further acquisitions and changes in positioning.
Solution:
Rather than a comprehensive rebrand, I proposed rolling out an intermediary set of “bridge” guidelines that would serve as a bridge between the existing brand and whatever future rebranding initiative would take place next.
The goal of the bridge brand was to preserve the core positioning and visual identity of existing branding, and to strengthen this core brand by paring away unnecessary brand elements that had found their way into common usage without unified approval or alignment.
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Process:
I centered the bridge brand guidelines around Company A’s core brand values:
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To deliver modern, best-in-class contact center technology
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To be an innovator and disruptor in an established market
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To continue to appeal to a loyal user base and capitalize on legacy brand recognition
I also evaluated the company’s competitive position in the market and the brand stature of its key competitors. Company A held a place in the upper left of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for its industry, as a challenger among known leaders. I wanted to roll out a bold brand position that would capture the attention of buyers in the consideration stage of the buyer journey, and increase awareness at all levels as an interesting alternative to bigger brands.
Key elements of the bridge brand included:
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A bold, streamlined color palette that emphasized Company A’s signature bright green
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High-contrast execution, placing bright green against true black and bright white
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On-trend application of 50% black over stock photos, with specific guidelines for stock photography selection
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Consistent duotone icon set
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Avenir font family
Results:
The bridge brand guidelines were endorsed and adopted by all functional areas, and received positive feedback from leadership, sales, and customer contacts in the market. The new guidelines had such widespread approval throughout the company that the idea of a full rebrand was indefinitely suspended, with the bridge brand operating as Company A’s permanent brand.
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