Case Study: Branding - Identity
Smith & Carson

Situation

Smith & Carson – the oldest investigative firm in the United States – had a loyal client base, but believed it could attract new clients through higher visibility. Existing business development materials were out of date and did not reflect the firm’s current attitude and services. Also like many firms, the corporate identity was inconsistent. The firm hired Max2o to address this and other business development issues.

Objectives

• Strengthen brand image by creating a new corporate identity
• Create business development materials that would energize the firm’s new business activities
• Increase the visibility of Smith & Carson among target audiences

Strategy

The target audiences for this campaign were top litigation attorneys of leading law firms in the United States and in-house attorneys for Fortune 500 companies.

After an initial information gathering phase, Max2o created a new corporate identity that projected stability, trustworthiness and professionalism. The new identity featured a blue and grey logo using all capital letters and a serif type. The result of the stamp-like logo was a "Wells Fargo" connotation that invoked a sense of security.

Famous U.S. statues, monuments and buildings known for their power, grace and symbolism were chosen for the new business development materials, to convey stability and longevity.

The monuments were cropped at unusual angles to show that Smith & Carson uses a fresh perspective when investigating corporate and litigation issues. The unique vantage points also reiterate the new tagline: "Perspective only experience can bring."

Results

Smith & Carson was reenergized by the new identity and embarked on an integrated marketing and business development campaign to attract new clients and retain existing accounts.