What’s in a Name? Branding Matters!

When long-standing customers – and even some sales representatives – consistently got this company’s name wrong, they knew it was time to rebrand. We worked on everything from logos to sales materials and ensured consistency with a corporate branding portal.

This was a company with a strong position within its market. Client retention rates were well over 90 percent. They provided much needed financial support and security to the agricultural market. And no one seemed to know what to call them. Were they Advance Trading? Advanced Trading? Advanced? ATI? ATT? ADP? ADT? It was so pervasive that representatives had stopped correcting callers. Adding to the confusion, independent and corporate reps were using different branding and messaging, and even their stationery and business cards were inconsistent.

Well – where could we start? We started by getting to know the company and the people. First we sent them questions about who they were, how their customers saw them, what services they offered, and where they wanted to be in a few years. Then two of our “New York Advertising Execs” flew to Illinois farm country to meet their teams and hear what they had to say. We took this research, quantified their responses, and worked up company and competitive analyses, a marketing strategy and a quarterly project/deliverable schedule.

Building off existing graphic elements, we created a new logo that had movement and meaning. We developed corporate collateral and stationery templates and then built a custom Brand Standards Portal to ensure consistency across the board. Here, all authorized representatives and staff could access the templates, ads, approved logo variations and brand standards.

Bringing the new identity to the public meant a full overhaul of the company materials. As with so many projects, job #1 was the website. Our website designers and content developers created a new site that represented the brand’s purpose. This client worked with multiple stakeholders within the ag market, and we had to produce a site that was relevant to each.

Our market analysis revealed how ATI and its brokers helped customers navigate through the often confusing world of risk management. ATI consultants are at the kitchen table with their customers, finding solutions to the issues that keep business owners up at night. They offer direction to both the grain producer and end user so everyone succeeds. These insights help guide us to the “Corn Fields” campaign that was carried through their print ads, TV commercials, and trade show booths.