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Building the Bigger Brand – How to develop a broader brand to encompass a growing organization.

October 11, 2018

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Our agency recently had the opportunity to work with a client from years ago on a new branding project. Our client’s intent? Elevating its brand to the next level by developing an entirely new entity to act as the holding company for their entire organization. This bigger brand would ultimately (in the client’s eyes) become the brand for the organization as a whole.

When we did our original work for the organization back in 2008, we helped create a brand and brand position that allowed the firm to grow and become the leading manufacturer in its category. Over time, they did indeed grow. Thanks to many acquisitions and other efforts, they increased their customers, employees and market share. While these acquisitions were strategic and aligned with the organization’s value proposition, customers of the individual companies didn’t necessarily know those companies—they did know the main organization.

The client felt that if we could elevate all the service offerings they provide and make their capabilities visible to their customers and prospects, market share for all entities would grow.

The Advantages of One Organization:

The goal was for all customers to clearly see the organization as acting
in customers’ best interests by seeing that the one organization:

– Brings together the strengths of each acquired company to streamline manufacturing challenges
– Has a track record of tackling projects that nobody else will touch
– Is driven by challenges and opportunities to make things better
– Is able to solve problems while saving money by utilizing processes and technologies to keep costs down
– Eliminates efforts by integrating teams and processes

Bigger Brands for Economies of Scale:

Creating the bigger brand allows the client to bring economies of scale
to work in the following ways:

–  Advertising and marketing can promote the entire offering of services and allow the bigger brand to emerge.
– Sales can work holistically, allowing a seamless sales process from concept through final completed product.
– Accounting can generate one invoice for all completed services.
– Purchasing can source products for the entire organization.

A Bit of Empathy:

This client had our empathy, too, since this branding process was similar to what our agency took on a year ago: we went from several individual agencies (i.e., HatlingFlint) to an all-encompassing Flint Group. It allows us to operate more efficiently and promote the bigger brand. So far, this has been a successful move for us, and some of our own experiences enriched our ability to help our client through a similar process.

For the right client and the right circumstances, the bigger brand can be a win-win for organizations that have outgrown their original brands.

Author:

Bill Hatling is the managing partner leading the St. Cloud office of Flint Group and is one of only a handful of brand consultants in the United States to earn the title Certified Brand Strategist. He helps organizations and businesses identify unique features and communicate those messages to customers and prospects. See more at Flint-Group.com