ISSUE |
After a decade in business, Smith Henderson & Associates enjoyed enviable success and growth as a federally licensed, registered investment advisory firm in Utah. This was accomplished in spite of the fact that the firm never established an obvious strategic positioning, and that it lacked a compelling name, visual and verbal identity. While these factors hadn’t seriously affected marginal revenue growth during its formative years, the firm’s partners recognized potential strategic barriers to significant future growth and regional expansion.

CHALLENGE |
The firm’s name and identity did not suggest any strategic positioning relative to process, quality, geography, focus, or customer value—all of which the partners counted as sources of competitive advantage. Redefining the firm’s value proposition required, first, a change of name and, secondly, an overhaul of its visual and verbal identity and messaging systems.

SOLUTION |
Vanguard’s Brand Character process provided a strategic foundation for repositioning the company with its external audiences as it created a more powerful internal sense of “ownership.” As part of the process, Vanguard developed a new brand strategy for the firm, one centered on a new name, Soltis Investment Advisors. This strategy, which includes a whole new identity system, is designed to integrate all marketing communications elements, foster strong and memorable brand personality and bolster awareness with key target constituencies.