CASE STUDY: AFTER 20 YEARS, HOMRICH & BERG INVESTS IN A BRAND REFRESH, EARNS HIGH RETURNS WITH NEW POSITIONING

Client:

Assignment:

Atlanta-based wealth management firm Homrich & Berg turned to Jackson Spalding to help refresh its brand and increase visibility among its target audience of high-net-worth individuals nationwide.

Strategy/Implementation:

Jackson Spalding recommended a Deep Dive session to explore the existing brand, key messages, company positioning and competitive landscape. One key area for consideration was whether it made sense to tweak the company’s name and logo prior to embarking on a program to enhance company visibility since the company was founded almost 20 years ago by two partners, one of which moved on shortly after the company was formed.

Results:

After a day-long “excavation” session, the wheels were in motion to modify the company’s positioning, messaging and brand. It was determined that the ampersand was limiting, with the perception the company was a partnership only.  It was also decided to eliminate the “Inc.” as part of the formal company name and logo, since it made the firm feel smaller and less established. In the weeks following the deep dive, Jackson Spalding refreshed the font and logo colors and renamed the company Homrich Berg.

A gradual change to the new brand mark is currently underway with a full launch expected in all company marketing materials and on the Web site by November in preparation for the company’s 20th anniversary year in 2009.  In addition to the rebranding, Homrich Berg also secured Jackson Spalding for media relations, an executive exposure program and community relations. Already, stories are expected in the New York Times, Growing Wealth magazine, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and speaking engagements have been booked for company executives.