The Issue:

Gough is one of the UK's market leaders in the design, supply, installation, commissioning and support of conveying systems, bucket elevators, conveyors, feeders, controls and solutions.

A long history of working with other agencies had led to a situation where the brand and associated marketing collateral had been produced without any overall plan or strategy. Consequently, branding was inconsistent, the company was not clearly differentiated from the competition and key messages had become diluted.

The Challenge:

To devise a branding strategy which would pull together all marketing activities, in a way that would differentiate the company from the competition, deliver the key messages clearly, simplify the production of marketing collateral and keep a tighter control of costs.

Our Response:

Creative Avenue analysed previous research and work done by other agencies and felt that the haphazard, inconsistent output had not made a significant contribution to the sale of Gough products. The branding of the company was old-fashioned and the company's products were not clearly defined or explained.

The Execution:

Our first step was to design a new, identity that would front the company. The existing 'cog' logo was tired, but it was well recognised. Consequently, we chose to keep the idea of a cog, but create a new, precision, 3D interpretation, complete with a new strapline - Engineering Solutions - emphasising the company's ability to provide complete solutions from the out-set.

Gough had four key product areas that would relate to all target audiences, so we recommended that each became a product sub-brand range. These sub-brands were colour-identified abstracts of the main Gough 'cog' brand - each accompanied by a no-nonsense name - Screens, Conveyors, Feeders and Elevators. We were then able to promote these sub-brands, and showcase their associated products, in their own right. The four sub-brands are particularly important as they cross-sell and act as 'door openers' from which Gough can sell complete assembly line solutions, involving their other product groups.

We also went on to introduce a new, lively colour palette, and supply creative copywriting which introduced clearly written product descriptions and cross-selling strategies.

"Initially, we approached Creative Avenue looking for a cost-effective design strategy for a programme of seven exhibitions.

We were immediately impressed by Creative Avenue. They were the only company who looked well beyond the basic requirements of the exhibitions before delivering their proposals. They started with a thorough examination of our product range, our markets, our previous marketing approach and our competition.

New competitors were entering our market, and Creative Avenue proposed that, before developing a solution for the exhibitions, they should create a new brand identity to bring our brand up to date.

Their expertise helped us understand our brand better and showed how we could group our product lines in a way which aligned precisely with our customers' needs.

Creative Avenue designed new branding for the company, and suggested four new product group sub-brands, each with its own visual identity. They then went on to incorporate these new designs into the strategy for the exhibitions.

Over the last year, Creative Avenue has also helped us with UK and overseas exhibitions, copywriting and translation. We can recommend Creative Avenue as they are total professionals, offering expertise and a positive attitude to business."

Managing Director