Reflective Apparel
Reflective Apparel is positioning itself for future business growth – and gaining attention from potential acquirers in the process. With changes in leadership, their focus shifted toward brand development and process optimization. Most of their business came through referrals or legacy customers.
A Brand Equity Analysis suggested positive sentiments among employees and customers. Yet, outward-facing content and assets did not match these favorable perceptions. In addition, there was a lag in business processes, tools, and resources. To achieve business growth and compete at a higher level, Reflective Apparel needed to update their brand assets, messaging, and operations management.
What began as a branding initiative evolved into a multi-year partnership that helped clarify Reflective Apparel’s value, accelerate growth, and elevate the company’s profile in the industry.
Discovering Gaps And Opportunities To Elevate Brand Value
id8 began by conducting research through a Brand Equity Analysis and stakeholder interviews. This process provides an opportunity to gauge the pulse of the brand and where the business stands in the marketplace. As we dive deep and explore all aspects of the brand, we discover gaps, blind spots, and opportunities in brand perceptions.
Using our research findings, id8 created positioning and messaging that distinguish and increase their value in the market. Then, once we got a clear understanding of their goals for the future, we created a strategy to get them moving in the right direction. id8 provided a Brand Strategy with short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals to help Reflective Apparel establish a blueprint for business growth – and set the stage for long-term enterprise value.
Matching Visual Perceptions With The Brand Experience
As Agency of Record with a marketing retainer, id8 continues to work with Reflective Apparel to achieve their strategic goals. Beginning with their short-term goals, the first steps focused on the brand’s visual representation.
As we started designing marketing materials, id8 enhanced brand value by establishing a look and feel that matches the brand personality. The people and culture of Reflective Apparel are described as caring, passionate, and authentic. To bring the visual perception of the brand up to par with the brand experience, it had to be authentic and appeal to their different audiences.
Photography and Brand Guidelines were created to describe the brand look and feel. It is approachable and professional and uses black with bright colors to tie back to the nature of their reflective products. These design elements are intended to guide internal and external communications, sales materials, and all depictions of the brand.
This consistent brand presence – built from the inside out – played a key role in elevating how the company was perceived across the industry. Reflective Apparel is now widely recognized as a rising player in the safety apparel market, with peers and competitors taking notice.
A Brand Refresh That Aligns With Business Growth
Reflective Apparel decided to extend this new look and feel to their website. Before updates were made, the website did not represent their current brand. The website was not responsive (mobile-friendly), and messaging and photography were outdated.
Now that the brand is poised for growth, a Website Refresh shows customers and employees the business is ready for the future. Aligned with new design elements and messaging, a strong marketing communications plan combined with digital and social advertising increases both brand and business value.
As Reflective Apparel continues to scale operations, their website and marketing efforts serve as a positive extension of the entire brand experience. And the impact is clear:
- Revenue growth of ~45%
- EBITDA doubled
- Stronger brand recognition and industry visibility
- Inquiries from competitors and counterparts, drawn to the company’s momentum and market position
What we have now, that the company didn’t have for the previous 30 years… is a consistent message."