A rebrand retrospective

A little less than a year ago, we proudly re-launched our brand. The pandemic made it difficult to celebrate this milestone, but all the positive reactions were uplifting, nonetheless. What did we accomplish with the refresh? To get a broader range of perspectives, we sent a survey to our business partners and employees.

Our partners

We asked our partners to tell us what they liked about the new branding, what it conveyed to them, and describe it in one word. They felt the modern look & feel is what stands out the most – it suggests a young, innovative organization that’s shaking things up. One respondent remarked: “You have dusted off a well-established brand and shown yourselves to be progressive.” Others described our new look and logo as “sleek,” “ingenious,” “regal,” and even “iconic.”

”Young, innovative, dynamic.”

The rebrand has clearly changed the way our partners look at Marcuard Heritage. They can see how we differ from the competition. Marcuard Heritage is now a memorable brand – in an industry lacking strong brands. The new aesthetic is fresh and clean: “It’s very to-the-point and transparent,” one partner said.

“Simple, clear, and to the point.”

Even though we’ve changed our appearance, partners can see we still offer the professional service they rely on. The newfound simplicity and clarity convey transparency and reinforce our brand values. One respondent remarked: “There is no overindulgence or exaggeration of the company’s purpose and the services you provide. To me, this conveys honest and trust.”

Our partners also feel the new website is a significant improvement. It’s well-structured and much easier to navigate. The images are welcoming and convey professionalism and trust. On a scale of 1-5, our website received an average rating of 4.2.

“The iconic logo is probably the best thing about the successful brand.”

Practically all our partners like what they see, which of course delights us. But what’s even better? Our 100% retention rate: all our business partners have remained with us during the rebrand.

Our team

Behind the scenes, the impact has been even bigger. That’s no surprise – the entire team played a vital role in the new branding, from brainstorming through to execution.

“I am proud that Marcuard Heritage is now showing itself. It makes me proud to work for this company.“

“We finally have a corporate identity that looks professional and modern.”

Overall, the employee survey results reflect the enormous sense of pride in our brand and its new look & feel. In many respects, their feedback matches the responses from business partners. What’s more, the rebrand has boosted motivation and team spirit. Our colleagues have sensed new energy within the organization. People are collaborating more often now. New ESG initiatives, such as ocean bottles and projects in our communities, are also gaining traction.

Our team would also like to enhance our brand visibility. For instance, by increasing our exposure in the press, being more active on social media, or publishing more content on our website. Some even suggested expanding our selection of branded merchandise to help increase visibility.

“Modern and fresh look & feel – striking and simple as well as forward-looking.”

Despite all of these activities and a growing sense of excitement, our brand should remain grounded in our values, stay humble and human, and avoid hubris.

The survey revealed some criticism of the new imagery and colour scheme. One colleague found the colours in the PowerPoint template challenging and the selection of images a bit random. Another pointed out that our photos reflect the current era. That means we will need to update them periodically.

“Can`t really put a finger to it, but it certainly looks much better than the previous one.”

Overall, our team is quite pleased with our new look & feel. Like our partners, they gave our website an average of 4.2 points on a scale of 1-5.

Our branding agency

Another team is quite pleased with the result, too: our branding agency, schneiterpartner AG. They now use our project as a best-practice example of how to develop and execute a brand strategy. In an upcoming interview, schneiterpartner will offer some insight into the complexities of the rebranding process.

Final thoughts and what’s next

Marcuard Heritage took a giant leap forward last year. We are proud of what we have achieved and the impact it has made – despite the challenges of marking this milestone during the pandemic. So, what now? Brand building is a long-term endeavour. We will continue to implement our new corporate design, improving and finetuning as necessary. But our primary objective remains the same: to ensure that everything we do fully embodies our brand values and brand promise. We can’t thank everyone enough for their commitment to this vitally important project. Our achievements are a direct result of your hard work and dedication.