Branding Case Study: Independence Bank of Georgia

Independence Bank of Georgia was established by Terry Evans, President and CEO, and Martha Brown, Executive Vice President, CEO, and CFO, in 2008. With branches located in Braselton and Gainesville, Georgia, the bank quickly gained many loyal customers in Northeast Georgia for both personal and business banking accounts and has received national attention for its excellence in banking.

We began working with Independence Bank of Georgia in early 2015. At that time, the bank was in need of a branding facelift, so we began with our Brand Immersion process. Through that process, we discovered the branding in place wasn’t immediately engaging and didn’t easily capture the attention of potential customers. It was outdated and it did not capture the unique experience the team at Independence Bank of Georgia offers their customers.

Following the Brand Immersion, we made some recommendations to build a brand that was reflective of the bank’s culture and brand experience. To start off, we recommended the bank use the name “Ibankga” in its marketing efforts as it is approachable, more attractive to customers, and has a modern sound. They already had this as their domain and only used it internally, but we were able to help Ibankga feel more confident in using the name in a more public way through their public website address and marketing materials.

Through the Brand Immersion process we were also able to learn a little more about the bank’s customers, which allowed us to create a stronger customer profile and ensure that our branding and marketing goals would reach the right audiences. We also gained a better understanding of the tone and language of the leadership in place. With that information in hand, we worked together to create more engaging copy for the website, marketing materials, and social media content that helped emphasize to customers why Ibankga is the best bank for them.

Our next action was to create a new website for Ibankga. A website is often one’s first impression of a business and we saw a new website as the perfect opportunity to make a change for the better. To make sure it created an impact with current and prospective customers, we worked to make the new website more engaging by creating a more simplified online banking process and implementing a deeper level of branding that was a true reflection of the organization.

“Our goal with the new website design was to create a digital environment that matches the bright, welcoming atmosphere experienced in the various branch locations,” said Rock Paper Scissors Designer Kaitlin Henre.

As community involvement is an important part of Ibankga’s core values, we also helped them develop the Denim and Donate campaign. Each month, bank employees are allowed to wear denim on Fridays if they donate to that month’s cause. The bank encourages its customers to contribute to the cause of the month as well. This campaign helped connect the bank to the local community and a very visual and impactful way.

We also developed Brand Identity Standards & Guidelines for the team at Ibankga to use in their future marketing efforts, and launched the bank’s new website while the team at Ibankga took over with the implementation of the branding campaign we developed. We continued to provide creative support for stationery, brochures, ad campaigns, signage, and more.

A solid branding campaign will naturally put a business or organization in a better position for attracting new customers, as well as new business opportunities. “There are multiple reasons to rebrand your business,” Amanda Sutt, CEO and Creative Director of Rock Paper Scissors, shares. “You may have a disconnect with your audience that you need to close; you may have had an internal philosophy change so the rebrand will make this shift more public; or you want to reposition your business for growth, whether that is expansion, new products, or merging. Ibankga came to us with the first need and ended up positioning themselves for the latter.” In the summer of 2016, Ibankga announced it would be merging with another local bank, Pinnacle Bank, with the acquisition expected to be complete before the end of 2016.

Is your organization in need of a new branding campaign like Ibankga? Contact Rock Paper Scissors today to learn more about our services. We would love to speak with you about where you are currently with your brand, where you want to go, and how we can help you get there.

Branding Case Study: Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia

We first came to know the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia (CFNEG) when Randy Redner assumed the role of Executive Director in 2015. We have known Randy for quite some time, having worked with him over the years with various organizations he has been a part of. When Randy first came to the CFNEG, he discovered a few branding and identity challenges that needed to be addressed and, like all nonprofit leaders, knew he had to use his resources wisely while working toward a solution.

To get started, Randy started looking at what the CFNEG had in place. “For our first step we started taking inventory of what we had – a physical inventory of printed materials and of the community to see what they did and didn’t know about us, including our board and fund holders as well as people we thought should know about us,” Randy said. The feedback from the community inventory was consistent throughout in that no one had a clear idea of the goals and mission of the CFNEG. From there, Randy decided to take a step back and start looking at potential solutions to help improve the identity of the CFNEG.

The next steps included the beginning of a collaboration between the CFNEG and Rock Paper Scissors to look at what they did have available and start working on the messaging to ensure that it clearly communicated the purpose and mission of the foundation in a way that appealed to both donors and nonprofits. Of the process, Randy said, “We said ‘Okay, let’s take a stab at what this looks like, sounds like, and feels like.’ I tried using different language and words in my presentations to see what did and didn’t stick. We washed and tested this a few times and eventually came back and started building our marketing materials and created a strategy for marketing and communicating ourselves.”

During that process, we carefully looked over the CFNEG’s marketing materials. The existing brochure seemed to blend into the crowd with a mix of blue and gray tones, so we knew that we needed to work in a color to make it pop a bit more while also working with the messaging to make the concept of what the foundation does as simple as possible. “The blues and greys created a quiet and somber feeling, and after interacting with the team at CFNEG and seeing all of the projects they are working on, this was a huge disconnect. This organization is so full of life, energy, and wanting to build a better world, they needed a brand that reflected that,” said Amanda Sutt, CEO and Creative Director of RPS.

The result was the Charitable Giving Account mailer. We maintained some of the blue tones from the original color scheme and added a persimmon accent to the mix to make it a more eye-catching piece and more reflective of the character of the organization. We started with this color to add energy and excitement, but we did not want something as aggressive and dominant as a true red. We have since added more colors to the brand, but this was our first exploration to get the audience comfortable with this brand refresh and to see what kind of feedback we got.

Next, we moved on to a trifold brochure where we implemented more brand elements, as well as the new messaging. We made the main blue more vibrant and added even more accents than in the previous piece. The more visible brand shift came as we added building block-like shapes to the piece, which gave us the opportunity to add images that would connect with donors and nonprofits alike, as well as the keywords that represent the goals of the CFNEG – give, connect, impact. We changed the colors of the logo ever so slightly. The tagline, “Connecting People who Care with Causes that Matter” remained the same.

Michelle Drehoff, lead designer for the project, said “The building block shapes are a representation of how various types of elements are able to fit together to create a solid foundation upon which the Community Foundation can build on to impact the community in a greater way. As the elements are combined they create something larger than the the individual parts alone. The Community Foundation is like the master architect that is able to place the pieces together for maximum impact.”

Our next project was to create a magazine piece for the CFNEG to be used as the first annual Giving Report. The giving report highlights specific stories from different donors and nonprofits that have found beneficial connections through the CFNEG. For this piece, we chose a design that played off of the angular shapes found in the trifold brochure to enhance the visual appeal and continued using the vibrant blue and persimmon colors to keep a sense of cohesiveness.

While all of this was in the works, Randy worked with the CFNEG’s board of directors to develop a new vision statement, revise the mission statement, and build a marketing plan. “It’s the crawl, walk, run,” Randy explained. “Rock Paper Scissors helped us work through the madness and figure out where we’re going and how we’re going to get there.”

As the CFNEG started using the new marketing pieces and messaging, Randy feels they’ve seen a good response, with increased web hits, better reports from Google Analytics, and their Facebook likes have doubled.

“We’re still building our way out. We’re adding a new client about every three weeks. It’s amazing since we were so stagnant a year ago. We’re just getting started with more to go,” Randy shared enthusiastically.

Two of our goals for our work with the CFNEG were to be wise with our client’s resources, as well as help Randy in his goal of creating a brand that would appeal to the traditional market of donors, as well as the next generation of philanthropists, and nonprofits of all kinds. We don’t do everything for the foundation, but worked together to select strategic pieces that allows us to move the brand over time while remaining within the CFNEG’s budget and make every dollar count. In this case, we added new elements along the way and later refined the plan as we learned more about the current audience and the target audience groups the foundation wanted to reach.

We love working with the CFNEG to help reshape and grow their branding and have enjoyed the continued partnership with them. We look forward to many more years of collaboration and growth through this partnership.

Case Study: Boyce Design & Contracting – Brand Refresh & Marketing Support

Boyce Design & Contracting is Atlanta’s premier Design/Build firm. Initially founded as a landscape company by Thomas Boyce, the company has expanded its offerings over the years, developing into a full scale design/build firm that creates exterior and interior living spaces that match the lifestyle of the client.

We first connected with Boyce through the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. At that time, the company had a solid lead generation plan in place but was in need of a brand update that more accurately reflected the exquisite living spaces they create, as well as marketing support. To get a true feeling for who the company is and what they do, Rock Paper Scissors completed a Brand Immersion with Boyce. This allowed us to really get to know the business and its history, how it has changed over the years, the team, and the quality of work that goes into each project. After observing the team and their work, we suggested making some slight modifications to the current logo to make sure that it still felt fresh and up to date without losing the brand recognition.

We also helped Boyce refine their marketing materials to match the new look of the logo. We worked with photographer Jim Roof to capture photographs of interior and exterior projects that reflect the quality of work and attention to detail Boyce is known for. The new images were incorporated into the company’s portfolio, website, and marketing materials and allow the work to speak itself.

“We worked with both Boyce and Jim Roof to create a style for their photography so that people could imagine themselves enjoying and living in these beautiful spaces.” Amanda Sutt, Creative Director.

Before we started to make suggestions and recommendations for marketing materials, we completed a Sales Audit for Boyce. Through this process, we helped refine their marketing materials so that potential clients were given a thorough overview of the company and its history, as well as what they can expect when working with Boyce. We were also able to help Boyce refine their position as a full service renovation partner for their customers in need of interior and exterior home transformations.

We also created a beautiful website for Boyce. Our goal was to focus on past projects since that is what prospective clients want to see and is what sets Boyce as a leader in the industry. We designed the website experience around the portfolio. However, there is a lot more to the site than just the portfolio and we did not want viewers to get bogged down, so we created clear next steps on all pages to make navigating the site and knowing what to do next as simple as possible.

We’ve had the opportunity to continue working with Boyce by providing creative support for their various marketing needs. This is just one example of the lasting partnerships we like to build with our clients and we look forward to continued collaboration with the team at Boyce in the future.

Positive Impact Health Centers: What Is In A Brand?

For an in-depth look at our case study infographic on the Positive Impact brand, please click the image below!

 

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What is in a brand?

Whether you realize it or not, your brand is a cornerstone of your business. From the concrete items like your logo, taglines, and website, to the more subjective aspects like office culture and language, your brand is how your business makes contact with the world. When it comes to our clients, there is nothing more important than building a strong and conscious brand that connects and makes the impact that you need.

 

Aid Gwinnett.

In 2011, Aid Gwinnett found the RPS team to help support them with their branding needs so they could better connect with their audience. They are a medical clinic that treats AIDS patients in and around Gwinnett County with the goal to improve the quality of life for medically underserved individuals and families through a strong commitment to providing compassionate health care, advocacy, and promoting healthy choices.  

 

The Need for Change.

As we entered the branding conversation with Aid Gwinnett, we found they were already in conversations to not only update their visual brand but also their name. They felt limited by their current brand. The desire to change their name came from a need to want to serve a bigger community that was also in need. Aid Gwinnett wanted to be able to continue to serve their current community, but also the families of their current community, and to do so, they needed to reposition themselves both in the community and professionally.

 

Ric Crawford Clinic.

The Ric Crawford Clinic emerged from this transformation process. The goal of the new brand was create a logo, website and collateral that was a reflection of the organization and the community they serve: vibrant and diverse.  This clinic is comprised of a group of people who were very passionate about caring for the whole person, and they believe that everyone deserves the right to great health care, no matter your condition or demographics. There is an underlying sense of community and support that it does not feel like your stereotypical doctor’s office. This is how they have connected with their audience and it was our challenge and pleasure to build a brand that reflected this culture.

 

A Bigger Impact – Positive Impact Health Centers.

In 2015, Ric Crawford Clinic had the opportunity to merge with Positive Impact in Midtown Atlanta to grow their influence and business. Each clinic had a unique set of services that complimented the other, so the merger was a great next step to allow these organizations to help more people through additional funding, resources, and staff members. The biggest gain for the community is that the two organizations were able to combine the expertise of Aid Gwinnett’s medical treatment focus with the expertise of Positive Impact’s behavioural health focus. Now, a merged Positive Impact Health Centers is a community-driven force that has established itself as one of the largest HIV caregivers in the metro Atlanta area. They are highly involved in the Atlanta community, hosting free educational events, partnering with other venues and treatment centers, and providing a safe and caring environment for ANYONE seeking information or treatment. With the expanded demographic, the new organization needed to reflect the culture of both organizations in their new logo, website, stationery and promotional merchandise. The brand still needed to be vibrant and diverse, but also a more upscale feel for the Midtown location.

Case Study: United Methodist Children’s Home

Challenge:

Within the last year, United Methodist Children’s Home brought on a new CEO to reinvigorate the organization. This caused a turnover of staff members, including the entire communication department. Randy Redner was brought in as the new Director of Sales, and being a long-time colleague of ours, he gave RPS a call. Randy was in the process of hiring his new team, but the deadline for the upcoming end-of-year appeal was fast approaching. This annual appeal is hugely important to the organization, because it generates more than 50% of the year’s donations. UMCH needed a team to handle this, and the only person who had been a part of the project in previous years was the printer. On top of that, donations had drastically dropped off in the past 5 years. This end-of-year appeal was a critical opportunity to change the direction of the fundraising.

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