While the Protobrand 18-Point Brand Audit deconstructs the elements of your brand, Activ8 puts them back together. Insight alone provides fodder for intelligent conversation over coffee at Starbucks. Brand development without insight is guesswork at the desk, at best. But, together they form the basis for activating a brand. Protobrand Activ8 provides a holistic approach to brand building that never loses sight of its most important goal: to create brands that resonate genuinely across markets, cultures, economies, and time.
Challenge
Pressures on core business growth by large competitors, such as Staples, forced VistaPrint to look outside its traditional offerings for potential extensions of their powerful brand. Key questions loomed around the viability of credibly serving the growing needs of small business through the VistaPrint brand.
Solution
Worldwide quantitative research was conducted to understand the extendibility of the VistaPrint brand, as well as identify unmet market needs for small businesses. The results provided data for the development of a new positioning grounded in making the customer's business feel real, which was really what their products and services helped provide. The tagline "Make an Impression" elevated the brand beyond just cheap business cards and the current mark evolved from a symbol of the printing process to one that evoked the joy of bringing your business to life.
Challenge
While internally the brand's expression was being pulled in several conflicting directions, externally there was a dramatic shift in the investment base. Investment groups were replacing individual investors and were comparing franchises to alternative investment opportunities such as real estate and hedge funds.
Solution
After trademarking Quick Quality, Protobrand created a common look and feel to ensure a consistent presentation of the brand. The official Brand Style Guidelines document was adopted by all affiliates with the brand and included updated color palettes, lock-ups, typography, and the corporate logo.
Challenge
American Express differentiates itself with innovative services and rewards programs. The concept of developing a unique offer for inhabitants of cities with "big personalities," such as New York City and Los Angeles, was the next "big idea." American Express needed help determining a brand strategy, and ultimately developing a name, card design, and supporting collateral system for the product's launch.
Solution
Research found that city dwellers revealed a need to feel elite, and a deep affinity for the myths, habits, and history of their city. The name convention IN:NYC (to be continued through to IN:LA, IN:PARIS, etc.) was developed, and card design exploration ranged from the celebration of the city's reputation as a Mecca for art, to black and white cards capturing the grittiness of the city, to a phosphorescent card for the "city that never sleeps."
Challenge
The Symmons' legacy was the greatest obstacle to overcome to seem relevant beyond their traditional contractor audience, to a more design-oriented market. Their reputation as a stalwart brand made the choice less likely for audiences wanting something elegant. The brand needed to evolve from a company with an industrial heritage to an option for discerning audiences looking for both beauty and brawn.
Solution
In-depth research across traditional and future audiences uncovered that the Symmons brand is perceived to easily straddle the worlds of form and function. It is truly a no compromise brand, allowing users to get the right balance of design and durability. In fact, the new tagline created by Protobrand, "The Smart Choice," provided a visible declaration that a solution without compromise existed. The visual identity drove the outstanding level of options available.
