A multi-year effort to recast Mead Lumber's image went public July 3 with Mead's announcement of a new logo and rebranding. Now comes an equally hard task: Employing the new look in scores of ways across an organization that spans 52 operating locations in nine states.
To accomplish that, Mead has published a 52-page guide detailing how to use the new logo and branding in over a dozen media. It includes pages with guidelines for print, the web, in-store signage, PowerPoints, stationary, business cards, e-mails, vehicles, apparel, and ads.
"Branding is essential for any business as it helps to create recognition and trust in customers and potential customers," Mead says near the start of its branding guide. "A strong brand helps us stand out from our competitors, increase loyalty among existing customers, attract new ones, build credibility with partners, influence purchasing decisions, bring in higher profits and even establish a following that will champion our products and services over those of others."
One part of the guide is devoted solely to explaining what's in the logo and why (see image above). Other pages deliver the company's mission statement, core values, tagline ("Making You Feel at Home--From Design to Finish"™) and brand promise. There's even a page that details Mead's brand personality:"Warm, welcoming, and knowledgeable, with a focus on creating a comfortable and enjoyable home improvement experience that puts customers at ease."
One of the challenges faced by Marketing Director Barry Kriha and his associates is that Mead has many parts and goes by different names. So Mead produced several individual logos that identify the sub-unit but have the same color and general typeface as the main logo.
The logo is designed so that it can be vertical or horizontal as well as in two-color (red and black) or a single color of red, black, or white. But the guide bars modifications to the logo, like adding effects or printing it in any but the official color or fonts. The guide even suggests how much spacing people should leave around the logo. Shirts are to carry the Mead logo on the left chest, and the marketing department will help local stores find photos and related imagery that showcase the store's community. As part of the rebranding, Mead's websites also were revamped.
The rebranding culminates an effort in which Mead executives considered everything about who they were and what the employee-owned company stood for, even whether to keep "lumber" in the company name.
While other dealers have hired outside firms to do such a revamp, this was Kriha's third rebranding in his career, so he was able to do it himself with help from two freelancers and Mead's internal marketing team.
Kriha, whose title also includes responsibility for communications and branding, estimates it could take until the fall of 2025 to complete the rebranding across all stores. "We'll replace things like business cards, shirts, gear, and truck logos as we need to or run out, and then order new," Kriha told Webb Analytics. We have a remodel schedule for some of our stores, so they will get the new signage then."
Kriha is happy to talk more about this project. E-mail him at barry.kriha@meadlumber.com
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