Perpetual Guardian is a company that is committed to seeing all New Zealander’s who should have a Will, have a Will, by making them affordable and accessible to everyone. One of Perpetual Guardian’s core values is people–first, as they care about the well-being of those who have entrusted them with the safe guarding of personal assets.
This value has been a key factor in welcoming change and fostered discussions on a national rebrand. Merging two companies then undertaking a national rebrand is not easy, however, there are particular elements that make the rollout process smooth.
“Choosing a signage supplier, especially for a national rebrand, is a large decision as a business is entrusting to us their most valuable asset – their brand. Any signage company can slap a logo on a building, however we partner with our clients to ensure they get the best quality branding solutions the industry can offer” says Peter Smythe, Speedy Signs Franchise Owner.
Charlotte Lockhart, Sales & Marketing Director at Perpetual Guardian explained that the initial vision of the rebrand was to revamp the company’s ‘look and feel’ and to relocate offices to more accessible locations for the general public. “The signage of some offices was run down and displayed old branding, so it was time for a freshening up. The establishment of Perpetual Guardian provided a great opportunity for fitting out new offices with new signage.”
One Liaison Nationally
Communication is a vital element in ensuring that projects match the scope, time, and budget, and a national rebrand is no different. Often large projects have input from different parties, and this can impact these three core project elements, causing challenges when finalising details.
Project coordination is made easier with one signage contact as once concepts and designs are finalised the signs are manufactured locally and then distributed throughout the national signage network for installation. “Speedy Signs was incredibly convenient due to their location, and they provided a one person contact which made the entire project more easily manageable” says Lockhart.
“As we’re part of a national network of sign writers it meant our store could deal direct with Perpetual Guardian and once a decision is made we can communicate that to the other stores in the group for installation. This centralisation approach ensures clarity in instructions, and the rollout ultimately becomes so much more efficient” says Smythe.
Consistent Branding
A national rebrand requires consistent imagery across all offices and company vehicles so the brand remains unaltered and easily recognisable to the market in any region. “This project included developing a range of different signage types such as exterior and interior signage, window graphics, illuminated signs, and vehicle graphics. We also needed to remove old signage from old office locations. So that the colours and quality remained nationally consistent we manufactured everything locally, and then dispatched it for local installation from other Speedy Signs franchises within the group” says Smythe.
Design Support
Rebranding requires a huge amount of design time because each element needs to be considered. While the company logo was finalised, there were other design elements that had yet to be confirmed.
“A majority of the rebrand design work was completed by our in-house design team however Peter and the team at Speedy Signs were a key part in the rebrand as they heavily assisted with taking our logo and applying it to different applications. They were instrumental in the design for our vehicle fleet” says Lockhart.
Although the rebrand has not been completed as yet, a majority of the work has been finalised, and the overall feedback has been positive. “Naturally a project of this size takes time, however we feel it has been a smooth transition with little disruption to business. The national signage network and design support means the whole process becomes very efficient, making any rebrand rollout smoother. While there are a few more locations to be completed we are delighted with the positive outcomes achieved” explains Smythe.
“Overall the rebrand has had some great feedback and everyone loves the new look and feel” says Lockhart. “It’s great for staff moral and we hope that the new look, and more accessible office locations, allows New Zealanders to feel comfortable approaching our team.”
