“The Mid-Atlantic’s premier provider of Electrical Testing, Engineering & Field Services” – Potomac Testing was ready for a powerful new look. We designed a new brand identity to help them amp up their presence.

We applied their new brand to their recent sponsorship of the PowerTest 2011 – the electrical maintenance and safety trade show held in Washington, DC in February. Under tight deadlines, we created a cohesive presence for Potomac Testing in the form of t-shirts, banners, brochures and giveaways that garnered rave reviews.

We also designed and developed their website, which you can see here. With a clean, friendly design, it offers much more information and interactivity to visitors than the previous site. It launched before the conference.

I realized something while watching a car commercial over the weekend. The commercial was for the Hyundai Genesis – the brand’s “luxury” addition to its product line. My husband gave Hyundai credit for producing a car that might compete in the luxury market. But all I could think about was how I would never be caught DEAD driving that car. That is when it hit me: I am a brandist. And a severe one to boot.

Sorry, Genesis. You Aren’t Fooling Me!

To me, the Genesis is a “luxury” car from a cheap car brand – a brand that has always been loaded with inexpensive options. Luxury brands are different: Even a base model BMW counts as a luxury option. When I voiced this opinion to my husband, he called me an elitist and teased me for being such a snob. He said that I couldn’t look past the brand name to see that the product might actually be impressive. And while I may not be able to afford a luxury vehicle like a BMW, I’d still rather drive my Honda Civic than be seen driving the Hyundai Genesis.

Perhaps my husband is right, but I wouldn’t call myself an elitist. Brandist is a better term. I can’t help it; maybe I am a product of my generation or of good marketing. I love Coach, BCBG, Mac, Steve Madden and Christian Dior. I identify with these brands and what they represent. Their branding voice holds weight in my mind when I am looking to buy something. But on the car debate, I call shenanigans. To me, anything Hyundai is not luxurious.

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A friend of mine once said that advertising doesn’t work. That he’s never bought something because of an ad. I then asked him what mobile phone service he uses and he replied, Verizon Wireless. He went on to say that he had to sign up for Verizon because he travels all over the country and needs to have a good signal. I laughed to myself and thought of the tagline: “It’s the network.”

Many people see a commercial, but don’t rush out to buy the product. Unfortunately for us ad folk, consumers see our ads but don’t act on it as quickly as we’d like. When they finally do act on it, they usually don’t even know why.

My conversation with my friend was quite funny to me. How many products do you think you have bought because of some aspect of marketing? You probably won’t be able to name many. Take a look in your cabinets and closets and see how many store brands you see. Probably not many. You’ll see mostly brand names everywhere you look. But why? Have you ever tasted Safeway store brand mac and cheese? It’s awesome. But you bought Kraft.

There’s no mistaking the power of building a top of mind brand. Even if you won’t admit it.

Recently, we worked with HeimLantz of Annapolis and Alexandria to define a new corporate identity for their brand. You can see what their old site looked like in this image.

From Old:

Former website for heimlantz.com

They gave us the freedom to work our magic to design based on the needs of their target audience. We created a new brand identity from an updated logo to signage, print collateral and a website. Take a look below, click images to see larger size.

To New

Partners at HeimLantz in Annapolis, MD with new wall signage

Corporate identity for HeimLantz

Brochure for HeimLantz’s Alexandria location.

HeimLantz.com

People love to be recognized as experts. This means you should tap the expertise of your customers. Ask them their opinions and reward them for it. They’ll appreciate you for realizing that they are experts and they’ll be free with their words of wisdom for you. Not only will you win another sale, you’ll increase the chances of them engaging in word of mouth marketing for you.

Many marketers offer incentives in order to gain ambassadors. By asking and appreciating their opinions, they’ll do the work for you on their own. By trusting in them, they’ll show their gratitude by buying more and recommending your products or services on the street and online.