The Rebranding Story of PMG Construction
Ten Years in the Making
In 2014 we launched PMG Construction (Progress Management Group). We saw an opportunity for a quality dedicated contractor to service the growing tenant improvement market. Over the last ten years, we worked hard to establish a solid reputation with small landlord and property management clients. We gained more experience, added expertise, built capability, and fostered an internal culture of collaboration. But in 2020 Covid changed everything.
Farewell to the Traditional Office
According to the Pew Research Center about a third of U.S. Workers who can work from home now do so all the time. An Upwork study projects that 22% of the American workforce will be remote by 2025. And Colorado has the highest proportion of remote workers according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The hybrid work environment has now become commonplace and is here to stay.
“The offices of the past were more about surveillance than collaboration. But the future isn't about cramming as many cubicles as possible into the square footage but rethinking the space with the user experience in mind.” (Why the Traditional Office is Dead, July 20, 2023 Forbes)
In a post-Covid work environment companies are rethinking their approach to office design. Hybrid working is on the rise. And the concept of an office is changing. Employee expectations of the office experience is driving creativity and innovation. In fact, creativity is one of the top 4 reasons that employees are attracted back to the office. Companies now place equal importance on the quality of "work-life" experience just as much as efficiency and functionality.
More is expected from architects, designers, and contractors to deliver on high-end work environments.
Change Drives Progress
At PMG we knew that these changes in the workplace were an opportunity. It was time for us to take the next step. We expected more growth in the higher-end, more complex, and lucrative tenant end-user segment that would cater to new work-life expectations. And now was the time to reposition our brand. We needed to build awareness and trust with architects, designers, and clients. The change needed to be more than evolutionary. It was time to break into a new category. And our brand needed to reflect that.
Branding Is More Than a Logo
Branding isn't necessarily top of mind for most contractors. But it is equally important for contractors as much as brands like Apple, AT&T, or BMW. Brand is often simply seen as a logo and other forms of visual expression. But the core of branding is driven by vision, mission, and other strategic dimensions of what the brand stands for. The role of the logo is to reinforce these brand attributes. It must have a purpose. And it must be relevant to what the company does and the industry it is in. And, at PMG, we needed to ensure our brand would be relatable to our target market. Defining brand character is how we did that. It was the cornerstone of how we rebuilt our brand.
It is brand character that reinforces the perceptions that people associate with the brand. The old PMG logo was perceived to be traditional, conservative, and formal. It was time for a change in character. The rebrand perceptions needed to shift to reinforce creativity, progress, and welcoming engagement. The new identity needed to be built around simple, clean, modern, structure, and bold attributes. An internal staff survey helped define these reinforcing attributes with the aid of architectural and graphic image stimuli.
The character attributes for brand expression distilled down into one core idea — Clear Gritty Sophistication. This reinforces our strategic platform while creating category distinction. This one idea is what drove the design of our new logo.
Signalling Change
We knew that in rebranding PMG needed to send a strong signal of change. The identity that had served us so well over 10 years had to transform and align with its new market positioning. A new identity needed to connect and resonate with an expanded category of clients and designers. We needed to change the logo, typography, symbol mark, and all of the other identity elements to create a holistic look and feel.
It was essential that our identity be distinctive. We needed to stand apart from our traditional competitors. But we also had to establish distinction among a broader category of new competitors. On one hand it was important to retain any recognition equity. On the other hand there has to be noticable change that would reinforce the PMG brand of the future. And still maintain credibility within the construction industry.
Design with a Story
Logo design is more than just aesthetics. It must have meaning and purpose. Meaning and purpose provide relevance. And it opens the opportunity to tell a story about the brand that creates engagement and connection. Meaning and purpose-built into the logo will build stronger awareness, recognition, and retention.
The new PMG logo was designed around six "brand reinforcing ideas".
Interior environments is what PMG builds is a tenant finish contractor. The goal is to bring business to life as envisioned by interior designers and architects.
Space is multi-dimensional, a characteristic of the skills and expertise of PMG.
Perspective is what drives vision and foresight.
Collaboration among the PMG team, clients, designers, and partners is what it takes to get a job done.
Warmth is an important characteristic associated with welcoming engagement.
Direction is what points the way forward. Advancement leads to progress.
These are the core ideas that are imbedded in the PMG logo. They provide a "brand story" that makes the brand relatable and distinctive.
Putting the System to Work
System consistency and continuity is what drives brand recognition. For that to work the system has to be able to adapt to all kinds of applications. Each touch point matters. Every detail is important. Managing it long term is what builds brand equity.
A Story Worth Telling
A rebrand is a unique promotional opportunity. But people need to know about it to take full advantage of a positioning change. A brand launch strategy is essential to inform and educate clients about the "what" and "why" around the change. It's important to communicate that the rebrand is not just a "fresh coat of paint." There is meaning and purpose behind every design decision. This not only reflects on the rebrand work but the company behind it. It's a great story to tell.
Driven by People. Delivering on the Promise.
Our rebranding work has been launched. Our look has changed. But now we have to deliver on what our brand promises.
We are confident that the progress we have made will exceed what our clients expect.
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