Gallagher Industries
INDUSTRY: Private equity investment, business development
LENGTH OF ENGAGEMENT: March 2015 – August 2015
SCOPE OF WORK: Rebranding, research, positioning, marketing strategy, corporate identity and website redesign
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
Gallagher Industries was looking to modernize their brand. This was triggered by a shift in the leadership of the firm. The founder, who was the well-established face of the company, was looking to step back from his day-to-day leadership role and allow his top executives to take over. While his vision and guiding principles would remain at the heart of their approach, there was room to better position Gallagher for the future. They turned to Bianca e Nero for help.
We started by looking to gain a deeper understanding of the firm’s approach to investing, which turned out to be their strong differentiator. The firm had built an investment model where they provided entrepreneurs with more than just an influx of capital—they became strategic partners in helping the business grow organically.
We set out to interview as many business owners who represented Gallagher’s ideal partner as possible, which also included some of the firm’s past partners. The goal was to understand how this audience thinks, what drives them, and why an entrepreneur would consider bringing in a partner who could potentially mean giving up control of the business they’ve been building for years.
During our information gathering, it became clear Gallagher was spot on with their business philosophy of partnering with entrepreneurs to help them further grow their established business. Our challenge became finding the most honest way to tell this story.
While developing the new identity for the firm, it became clear just how powerful the founder’s influence had been on not just the firm but also on the industry. So we found an interesting way for him to remain connected to the identity of the business. Our core thought was to use the founder’s signature as the new logo. This “blood in the pen” concept really resonated with the client. It connects the founder and his history to the current company identity. It also helps reinforce the personal interest Gallaher takes in every business with which they become partners. This interest is driven by their only investing with family and firm money and not that of outside investors.
The firm also hadn’t touched their website for at least 10 years, so we brought their investment philosophy into their new website. The site concept and copy takes the idea that creating business success is a journey involving a series of goals and communicates Gallagher’s model of investing that is personal and embraces the vision of the business owner.
Result:
The new brand and website just launched, but the client has already experienced a buzz around the rebranding, and re-articulation of their story.
