How Two Catalogers Managed Brand Refreshes

At the center of everything your business does is its brand. It's the core of your existence. A well-defined brand is critical to attracting and retaining customers in today's ultra-competitive retail environment. On the flip side, an aging or stale brand that lacks direction, innovation and creativity will turn customers away.

Eastwood, a seller of auto restoration tools, and American Meadows, a seller of flower seeds and bulbs, are two companies that recognize the value of a strong brand. Yet both felt that their brands were stagnant, needing to be updated with a contemporary look and feel in order for them to grow and flourish going forward. Each company decided a brand refresh was in order. At NEMOA's directXchange Spring Conference in Boston yesterday, Ethan Platt, president of American Meadows, and Brian Huck, president and COO of Eastwood, discussed their brand refresh journeys.

Why?
Both American Meadows and Eastwood initiated brand refreshes in order to identify a core look and feel to the brands. With both companies looking to grow, it was first necessary to shore up the foundations before adding to them.

"We needed a sturdy, cohesive platform to grow on," said Platt, noting that at the time American Meadows - and its sister brand High Country Gardens - lacked definition and consistency.

Process
For Eastwood, its brand refresh was broken down into four "D's": discover, define, design, deploy. The discovery phase involved identifying what makes Eastwood different than its competitors. The answer: it offers make than just products; it offers solutions that helps their customers get jobs done right. The define stage involved validating the assumptions it had about its brand and customers through testing. Design included rolling out a new logo and tagline ("Do the Job Right"). And the deployment phase is ongoing, including the launch of a new channel for Eastwood: brick-and-mortar stores.