Case Study

Logo Boys, Inc.
Mishawaka, Indiana
http://www.logoboys.net

In early 2006, KW Brand Translation conducted and analyzed qualitative research for the Logo Boys to identify what was really going on inside, outside, and around their company and then used the synthesis of the results to clarify their unique brand as the behind-the-scenes image builders. During the employee brand training, the image Kyndra used to help employees understand the impact of the brand was that of a carefully trained image-building SWAT team that figuratively parachutes into a client site, works covertly and quickly to design and deliver image-building tools and then fades quietly into the background. This way, the Logo Boys’ client can confidently connect with its own target market without having to worry about the image building details going on behind the scenes.

Project Premise

In 2000, Logo Boys was founded with the goal of creating a promotional products and image-building company where employees and customers would feel like family. In 2005, when founders Dean Himelick and Bob Nicol decided they needed to kick their own marketing efforts up a couple notches, they called Pathfellow member Shelley Heiden of Heiden Creative. Shelley listened carefully to their goals and suggested that even before developing traditional marketing tools, Logo Boys needed to streamline some of its internal processes. This is when Shelley Moore, the principal strategist of Insight Strategic Concepts® Inc.and Pathfellow founder began to partner with Dean and Bob. She suggested that in addition to building greater internal capacity, their marketing efforts should be preceded by the clarification of their brand promise and a careful positioning of their brand in an already crowded market of competitors. This was when KW Brand Translation got to work understanding Logo Boys, their customers and their competitors (inside, outside and around) and developed and positioned the “SWAT team” brand concept.

Interview excerpt

A year after the unveiling of the behind-the-scenes SWAT team image building brand concept, we spoke with Dean Himelick about the impact the brand had had on the Logo Boys’ understanding of themselves, their approach to customer service and even the growth potential.

KW: Before you began your work with Insight Strategic Concepts and the Pathfellow® Network members, was your understanding of what a “brand” meant different?

Dean: Yes because I never thought about it. It was there but I never put the two together until we started to work with you, because you have to start putting together the name and what you do. Before that, we were just a printer and screen company. Now, I see that what we do is building image for that [client] company to help them.

KW: Give me an example of how your employees deliver upon your brand promise.

Dean: They’ve taken that parachuting design and made a logo out to sew on some of their [own employee] garments. Everyone is pretty focused on what their job is and how to get the product done in the best quality so they can get it out to the customer. The customers doesn’t see what goes on in the inside. We might have headaches internally but the customer doesn’t see that, they just see that we’re coming through for them because employees go out of their way to make it come out right.

KW: How is your brand unique from those of your competitors?

Dean: Well I think now that as we’ve moved forward, the new Logo Boys website is very well done and our brochure, all the way down to our letterhead and business cards and now with having an inside graphic artist working for us. Our graphic artists is the one who designed the parachute guy jumping out, she’s able to do art and that type of stuff internally and that does set you apart from the competition. Now there’s no one [sales prospect] we can’t go after. There isn’t anything we can’t do which is a huge thing that sets us apart from 75 percent of the competition. It’s opened doors that I’ve never been able to walk through because I’ve never had the capability of doing the whole scope of businesses.

KW: Do you see areas where you have not touched upon your brand enough?

Dean: Yes, but it’s just a matter of continuing the process and continuing to market it. We’re doing it and I think it’s going to take some time for everything to come around.

KW: Can a company survive without a brand?

Dean: I think it’s hard. I think there are some that can [survive]. But in our business, you have to have that image to set you apart from all the competition out there. But I think that’s probably the reason that so many [un-branded] companies fail is they don’t have it and don’t realize they need it. That’s what we’re striving to get to.