Branding ExampleGolden West LubricantsGolden West is an Austin-based regional brand of lubricant products distributed throughout Texas and in a few surrounding states. The company evolved from a market need for alternatives to national brand products; items that meet or exceed government specifications at a lower cost. Golden West had enjoyed some success and had gained some market recognition, but with haphazard labeling and logo design spread across a number of products. The company was hoping to capitalize on the opportunity created by recent sharp rises in oil prices, and the need for retailers and service providers to avoid steep price increases to their customers. The market simply needed to trust the price-advantaged products to make the switch to Golden West, thus the need for more effective branding.Golden West researched the ad agencies in Austin, Texas, and chose Ellis Graphics to help unify and modernize its brand to better compete with nationally recognized options, and to create a higher level of perceived trust. Our directive was to position Golden West as the "high end of the low end" — the highest quality low-cost alternative. Without a large advertising budget, packaging is the primary method of delivering the brand message, so packaging is where the project began. As an Austin ad agency which specializes in graphic design, Ellis Graphics' initial responsibility was to research the competing brands' packaging, then find the opportunity to appear similar to national brands but stand out as the leader from the other low-cost regional brands. In the initial packaging work, 3-4 products were selected as "mainstays,” including 10W-30 oil, coolant, and brake fluid. The first presentation was delivered with a high level of finish: polished graphic design work in the form of seven packaging options, so each idea could be compared effectively against the competition. Each product was mocked-up on existing bottles as opposed to merely generating images of the packaging. This effort was to allow the evaluation team the chance to touch and feel the products, as compared to imagining that experience. What arose from the exercise was a concept that retained some of the yellow and orange colors of the existing Golden West brand, combined with a blurred image of a racing vehicle, indicating the idea of action and motion to describe the immediate boost in effectiveness from using Golden West products. A new logotype was also employed in a fresh and simple way with "forward moving" italic text. Then the desired, established tag line, "Superior Since 1929" provides for an impression of trust in a well-established product. Since its re-branding efforts, Golden West has enjoyed steady and powerful growth in market share, due to the market need for cost-effectiveness created by sharply rising oil prices, and the company’s preparation to be well-positioned to meet that need. Ellis Graphics continues to help Golden West with graphic design and package design for new products, plus myriad other marketing and advertising materials. |
Austin Ad Agency, Branding, Web Site Design, Logo Design, Brochure Design, Interactive Design, Photographers, Illustrators; Austin Texas |
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Phone: 512-371-1997 • info@ellisgraphics.com
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Why Hire Us? Branding Example
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Ellis Graphics, Inc. • 5828 Balcones Drive, Suite 201 • Austin, Texas 78731 • Phone: 512-371-1997 • Fax 512-371-3055 • info@ellisgraphics.com |
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