Brand Strategy & progression - ILECS
ILECS is an independent consultancy involved in all aspects of the lift and escalator industry, from design and engineering, to administration support and lift management. ILECS recognised that to progress their brand, they needed the support of an agency who could understand their business and deliver a plan which met their new direction.
With a foundation of insight, we ensured the development of a new brand that was an evolution of its previous identity. It was informed by the customers, employees and the future vision for the company. Beyond the primary brand, we worked with ILECS to review its brand architecture and product brand development. Furthermore, we built a new website to communicate this brand evolution.
- ILECS is an independent lift and escalator consultancy based in Mistley, Essex.
- With over 25 years in business, ILECS provides expert advice and tailor made impartial solutions to its customers.
- The brand launched OneVision, a bespoke management tool in November 2017 to revolutionise the management of lift and escalator portfolios.
- Outdated brand collateral and marketing tools meant that ILECS was not reflecting the true values and essence of the organisation as it had grown over 25 years.
- We created a strong brand identity providing a toolkit of logo, strapline, colours, typography along with a clear tone of voice, company descriptions and guidance for ILECS on referring to its brand.
- With a sympathetic evolution of their brand, ILECS now has a strong brand identity that will support the future growth of the business.
THE CLIENT
Providing technical expertise and consultancy
ILECS is an independent consultancy involved in all aspects of the lift and escalator industry. From design and engineering, to administration support and lift management, the company provides its customers with independent advice. They take pride in helping their customers to understand and manage their lift and escalator portfolios.
As an established and successful organisation, ILECS needed to refresh their visual identity. They recognised that to progress their brand, they needed the support of a full-service marketing agency that could understand their business and deliver a plan which met their new direction.
The Challenge
Close collaboration was required to develop an innovative, pragmatic and insight-driven brand identity for a growing lift consultancy. Mackman needed to redefine the brand identity of ILECS, providing them with a clear definition of their brand offering, and supported with a strong visual identity and tone of voice.
OUR PROCESS
Updating a growing professional brand
ILECS, as a business, takes a pro-active approach. They pride themselves on delivering an exceptionally high standard of work delivered. With that in mind, they were aware that their brand collateral and marketing tools had become out-dated. And they were not reflecting the true values and essence of the organisation as it had grown.
For us to provide them with the right brand for their business, it was important to gain insight. To gather the insight, our researchers conducted online and telephone interviews which helped us understand the business, its people, challenges and target audiences.
Understanding the business: Developing a growth strategy
We made sure that the branding was informed by customer satisfaction, employee perception and the future vision for ILECS. From a brand identity perspective, we identified three core pillars for ILECS:
- Work with clients to build long-term relationships and trust
- Provide independent, unbiased advice
- Help clients plan ahead
PROJECT OUTCOMES: KEY MESSAGING AND CONTENT DIRECTION
The three core pillars formed a clear brand message for ILECS that helped guide the evolution of the rebranding. Alongside the visual elements of the rebrand, we also created:
- A clear tone of voice
- Company descriptions
- Guidance for ILECS on referring to its brand
What does this mean for ILECS?
Through close collaboration, we developed an innovative, pragmatic and insight driven brand identity for ILECS so that it could integrate seamlessly into their growth strategy. Visually, the branding was updated by creating a fresh, modern logo to sit alongside the consistent brand message. This involved creating a new logo, icon, straplines, and photography.
Developing a strategic strapline
At the heart of the ILECS brand lay their new strapline: 'Truly Independent Advice'. This strapline is straight to the point, honest, and transparent. This aligns with ILECS being known for its easily digestible reports and communications. It also fits with other attributes of the brand, including loyalty, expert knowledge and genuine trusted advice.
This included a supportive strapline: 'International Lift & Escalator Consultants', to make it clear what ILECS does. Also, using 'International' helps support the brand to communicate its proven expertise and global offering.
The Results
Mackman's partnership with ILECS led to the development of a new website and various promotional items, including brochures, a calendar, exhibition stand displays, and pop-up banners, as well as ongoing full service marketing support. Since the launch of the new brand, engagement levels among employees are significantly higher, positively impacting productivity at ILECS. The quality of leads and sales inquiries has significantly improved as a result of the step change in marketing activities.
From the moment we left our first meeting with Mackman, we knew straight away that we wanted them to be the brand agency to work with us on our project. We were given a real sense of confidence that Mackman would do a great job and we were not proved wrong. We look forward to ‘growing together’ over years to come.
Jayne Cotton – Director & Company Secretary, ILECS
