Gillingham & Associates is the nation's leading provider of insurance for outdoor recreation businesses. Covering a wide range of operations, Gillingham insures hunting guides, dude ranches, RV parks and campgrounds, and bed & breakfasts, among others. A Colorado company, they have been in business since 1991, and remain competitive in the face of the larger, more monolithic insurance companies.

The company's old logo had served them well while they were focused primarily on outfitters and guides. The logo shows a duck hunter and fisherman, both wading in a stream, with a mountain behind them. The company name is placed below the woodcut-style illustration. But as Gillingham & Associates grew, adding new markets to their client roster, they also outgrew their brand. To remain competitive and "stay ahead of the curve", as their CEO put it, they contacted Notchcode to rebrand their organization and make it relevant to their now-broadened market.

Notchcode worked closely with the CEO, President, and other internal stakeholders to determine the goals for the new brand: It had to reach out to their new markets, while maintaining their unique, outdoor and recreation-based personality. An independent review of their company, their industry, and their competition was completed by Notchcode to flesh out the big picture of Gillingham & Associates' place in their market. Calls were placed to clients, getting a feel for how they perceived the company. Then all of these impressions and learnings were distilled down to a set of key messages, concepts, and words.

Once these key brand points had been defined, Notchcode created a series of brand identity concepts that fit what had been learned. These identities ranged from Adirondack to Arts and Crafts to Western Campground in style. Two key themes that ran through all of the concepts were a connection to the outdoors and to the people that enjoy the outdoors. "Insurance is insurance", we had been told over and over, by both internal and external interviewees. What makes Gillingham different is their connection to the outdoor life and the personal touch they provide.

The final brand identity uses a woodcut-style typeface combined with a color often associated with recreation: dark brown. The addition of iconography used in roadside signs strengthens the tie to recreation and the outdoors. A library of stock photography emphasizing people's faces, engaged in outdoor pursuits, makes those ties even stronger, as seen in the ad above. Other key elements included creating the slogan "Expert guides for specialty insurance", as well as other key phrases. A comprehensive brand identity campaign was initiated, launching the brand makeover both internally and externally through the use of brand identity guidelines documents and trainings, and via a print ad campaign. The brand is now fully integrated into the organization's daily workings, showing up on everything from e-mail to faxes to exhibit displays to direct mail brochures.

Contact Notchcode today to see how we can make your brand fit your company better.