How building a new brand can revitalise your business
Marketing Eye wanted to change the way consumers perceived American Property Partners (APP). Was the APP brand clearly projecting the message it wanted to put forward to the general public? It is essential for portfolio managers to present themselves as reliable. After all, customers must trust them with their investments.
First off, we designed a fresh new logo for their site. A beautiful logo can encourage brand recognition among consumers, and if done right, this will generate a positive spill-over effect to other aspects of the brand. The initial logo was a dark blue and green with sharp edges to depict the rooftops on several houses.
However, too many sharp edges can depict a feeling of danger or caution. The new logo we designed was a lighter shade of blue, with slightly rounded letters. The shade itself portrays a sense of stability and trustworthiness. Light blue, being the colour of the sky and ocean, is often associated to dependence and tranquillity, compared to dark blue which represents power and seriousness. The header we selected for the website’s homepage also portrays a sense of calm, with an image of trees, complimenting the consistent blue theme of the site.
The older site consisted of a home page jam-packed with information, a phone number and blog link. As people ‘scan’ websites in our time-stretched society, they do not necessarily like to scroll and read long paragraphs full of information. We designed a new site, based on symmetry and simplicity. Visitors on the site now have a clear understanding on the services APP provides, how to access this information and the types of property that is offered. The quotations and testimonials are social proof provided by previous clients, adding an element of trust for new customers seeking a trustworthy company to create a property investment portfolio for them.
We also added a small side column for the latest news involving the company so customers could get a feel of what was happening with APP, in real time. The login and registration page ensures that APP can now collect customer data and give their clients a sense of belonging as members of the site and additional member benefits such as access to research reports. In addition, we included social media buttons such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter for a more accessible reach to customers. Lastly, we added a footer containing important information such as the company’s contact information, FAQ, blog, calculator, events and links at the bottom of the page.
Consumers find great comfort in consistency, but this does not mean that a brand should rest on its laurels. They should continuously aim to exceed customer expectations and proactively deliver on what their brand promises. Revitalisation can regain a brand’s ‘gloss’ and make it stand out among competitors. In addition, reinforcing a brand’s values and credibility can lead to customer trust. Customer trust leads to customer retention, which as a bottom-line generates earnings for the company.
Maxine Lee is an intern at Marketing Eye.
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comments ( 5 )
Maryam Al-Abid-Ali
18 Jun 2014Its imperative for businesses to re-brand; it can ultimately influence the identity portrayed to current and prospective consumers. It can potentially eliminate confusion that prevents consumers from understanding the key message behind a brand. Just by refreshing the visual identity; the message is simplified and has the ability to work in the present day. As times change, identities remain the same, while the messages transition.
ReplyMarkus
23 Sep 2013What's up to all, the contents existing at this site are actually remarkable for people knowledge, well, keep up the nice work fellows.
ReplyKelly Furness
29 Jan 2013Simplifying the brand to provide clarity and ease of understanding is an excellent way to create trust, especially because we are constantly bombarded with information from marketers, and it can be tiring trying to process it all. It would be interesting to see the results of the new design for customer retention as well as attracting new customers.
ReplyCeleste Walker
17 Dec 2012After assisting with a re-brand with my previous employers I saw first hand the differences it made in terms of client and customer perception and ROI, its amazing what font and colour alteration can achieve!
ReplyJacob wessman
13 Dec 2012Great Idea!
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