Going Beyond ‘Cars’
Automotive Brand-Building
Brief
The Leven Car Company is an automotive retailer specialising in the sales and servicing of high-performance vehicles. The organisation. As a new-start company, the leadership team were looking to embed strong values and a more ‘client-focussed service’ to this more prestigious part of the automotive trade.
They wanted to create a new brand which would help them stand out in a very competitive marketplace as well as appeal to a variety of stakeholders.
Naturally, we were delighted to assist.
Results
We worked very closely with The Leven Car Company over several years. The results of our work helped the organisation to…
– Attract some of the finest global brands in the automotive industry.
– Secure and retain ‘purpose-driven’ individuals to work with the organisation.
– Increase the perceived value the brand, and the service it provided, in the marketplace.
– Sets new standard of ‘working excellence’ for both staff and suppliers, associated with the brand.
– Systemise and standardise communications.
– Use the brand-building process itself to improve team morale
– Engender a sense of pride in the organisation for all stakeholders.
Services Used
Brand Strategy | Strategic Communications | Brand Positioning | Brand Storytelling | Brand Activation | Creative Strategy | Branding | Graphic Design | Design for Print | Copywriting
How This Was Achieved…
We were able to carry out the above by positioning the organisation more as a company that excels in ’service’ and ‘relationships’ in addition to cars. This idea gave the brand a clear point of differentiation in the marketplace and set it apart from many/all other competitors. The highlights of this approach were…
Captivating Messaging
The messaging for the brand centred around longevity, client-experience, service, etc. We wanted to share words that were potent and that would tell a story to all stakeholders – absolutely critical for a brand like The Leven Car Company – this included new clients, existing clients, employees, third-party suppliers and the executives of the automotive OEMS who carefully select prospective retail/franchise partners.
Storytelling Identity
The final brand identity once again showcased the idea of The Leven Car Company as a service brand as opposed to an automotive brand. We used the silhouette of faces as the main identity – a nod to ‘Chinese whispers’ and that a good deed carried out will be shared amongst the community. Very much in keeping with The Leven Car Company’s core values.
The logo was brought together as an infinity loop to suggest ’no limits’ for the quality of client-service that they would provide.
Adding Beautiful Craft to the Mix
Many beautiful materials were created as part of the branding exercise – most notably the beautiful letter-pressed, silver foil business cards created by Glasgow Press.
Embedding Clear Brand Values into Every Communication.
After the completion of the branding exercise – we continued to work with The Leven Car Company over a number of years. Over several projects, we created additional communications which brought the brand message to life.
“THE LOFT created a brand for The Leven Car Company, one with which we are incredibly proud. The company gave a very personal service, took the time to understand the business, consulted the entire team and they provided us with a top-quality design culminating in a brand that sits alongside two of the world’s finest – Aston Martin and Rolls Royce – without looking out of place.”
Chris McMahon, Managing Director & Co-Founder of The Leven Car Company
Additional Project Images
The branding work carried out played a big part in helping The Leven Car Company attract some of the worlds’s top automotive brands.
We ‘designed-in’ many different elements to give the new identity a real storytelling edge. We wanted The Leven Car Company’s executive team to be able to use their logo as a prop for conveying what their brand stood for in the marketplace.
The creative process itself was exhaustive.
The idea of ‘Chinese whispers’ was a key idea in the brand story. A key part of the creative process in creating the new identity.
Some of the initial creative/strategic activities.
