In 1988, after 78 years in business, McElhanney split into two companies with shared custody of the McElhanney brand. Although our breakup was amicable, it looked messy. The two companies had vastly different marketing strategies, and with limited brand guidelines in place, brand consistency quickly unraveled. Different-looking brochures went out, a dozen font styles were in rotation, and 30+ taglines were in use, leaving clients and staff utterly confused.

Then, after 30 years apart, the two companies merged back together. With so much change and confusion, McElhanney needed a renewed brand identity. One that’s easy for all staff to execute, and relevant in today’s business environment.

Enter the Brand Book and its digital hub: a serious upgrade of our brand identity guidelines, and a powerful tool to transform all employees into suave brand ambassadors. 

We strove for 80% target audience engagement with the Brand Book and hub within two years. We achieved 95% within the first year! (39,071 hub visits from 760 unique users). The project generated buzz among staff; a formidable feat during a merger. Employees used the Brand Book to redesign office interiors and produce compelling proposals, and our clients noticed.

By making the Brand Book and hub accessible to all staff, we improved brand consistency, and by extension, trust in our brand. Mergers can confuse or worry clients; we’re mighty proud that a resource which facilitated consistent, impactful materials in the marketplace also unified our employees from 30 separate offices in the same mission: owning our brand!