Case Study:
Re-branding to target a market
niche.
By Stuart Ayling
Interview with Mr. Edwin
Trevor-Roberts, Chef Executive Officer at
Trevor-Roberts Associates, in Brisbane Australia.
Stuart Ayling: Tell me a little about Trevor-Roberts Associates. What do you do?
Edwin Trevor-Roberts: We are a career consulting firm with the aim to help organisations enable their individuals to achieve their career and life goals. For organisations, we understand their needs first and then help them develop a career management process to assist their employees.
This may take the form of Career Transition (Outplacement) for staff who have been made redundant or career planning programs to the staff who are remaining or various other career interventions.
For individuals, we help them to become more employable and achieve their goals by expanding their career options and helping them find their ideal work/life balance.
S.A: Recently you made some changes to your company image and marketing direction. Why did you do this?
E.T-R: For the first 7 or so years of the company's
existence, we have labelled ourselves as 'Human Resource Consultants' and later 'Human Resource Professionals'. After speaking to some of our clients and general feedback from people who knew us, there seemed to be confusion between what they thought we did and what we actually specialised in.
We then looked internally at what our core speciality is and quickly realised that all this time we had, in fact, specialised in careers. It was this confusion between in the marketplace as to our niche field that prompted a change in our marketing direction.
S.A: What were the main changes that you implemented?
E.T-R: The first and most major change was a new branding strategy. This involved dropping the old slogan and implementing a more accurate slogan of 'Career Architects', To match this we had a graphic designer revamp our logo and corporate colours on our brochures, letterheads, business cards, website etc. We also decided to upgrade our offices and invested in an architect who helped redesign our office to address a few key problems which we had.
S.A: How did you go about deciding these were the correct things to do?
E.T-R: We held several strategy sessions to determine how best to communicate to the market as to what we do. It was important to have a consistency across all communication mediums to educate the market, therefore it was necessary to revamp all points at which a client comes in contact with us.
S.A: In your opinion what was the most important aspect of the change to get right?
E.T-R: The most important aspect is communicating to everybody, especially clients, as to why we were undertaking this transformation. This was especially important to retain our credibility and leverage off our existing reputation. Regardless of how flashy one's offices or logo look, if people do not perceive that you have the expertise to fit your 'new look' then it can amount to a very expensive mistake.
S.A: What were the risks involved with undertaking the 'new look' Trevor-Roberts Associates?
E.T-R: Surprisingly very few. We were already well established in the market place with a loyal clientele so
re-branding only further reinforced in their minds our speciality and knowledge of the careers field.
S.A: What has been the reaction to date from clients? Have you had any feedback from competitors?
E.T-R: The reaction of our clients and potential clients has been extremely positive. In particular, they have been impressed by the focus our new branding exhibits as well as the values of our organisation which we have strongly communicated.
S.A: What is your advice to other firms considering a similar shift in corporate image and marketing direction? Are there any specific pitfalls to be aware of?
E.T-R: My advice to other firms is to make sure that your marketing plans align with your strategic direction. If there is a seamless integration between where you want to be and how you plan to get there then your marketing will work.
Invest in experts. Bring in experienced people to help you with your strategy, marketing and branding efforts - they are well worth the investment, as re-branding can be expensive.
Be very cautious of costs. We undertook our transformation over a period of about a year to ensure that our cash flow was not overly affected. Be innovative in your approach - there are many ways to reduce costs by looking at more novel approaches.
S.A: Any other comments?
E.T-R: If you are undertaking a major
re-branding project - use it to leverage off other aspects of your organisation as well. For example, we communicated quite strongly not just our focus on careers but also the values we stand for as an organisation. It is a fantastic opportunity to
set-up a strong image in the marketplace so use it as effectively as possible.
Oh, and it's a very hectic process, so make sure there is a reward or a holiday at the end!
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