Bradford Systems Corporation came to Miles Design earlier this year. They had a strong reputation in Chicago for selling premium architectural storage products, often used for storing paper and files on shelving. Although their reputation was historically accurate, it was only telling part of their 42-year-old story. As an exclusive Spacesaver dealer, Bradford had grown to become leaders in premium, compact storage for anyone who had any kind of valuable items to store: museums, public safety agencies, medium to large businesses, healthcare providers, academic institutions, and government agencies. In addition, their electronic records and software divisions help clients digitize valuable files and keep exacting records of where physical artifacts are located.

Their existing identity felt more dated and industrial than what the Bradford brand had grown to represent. They needed something clean and high-tech, as well as something that would appeal to architects. As Bradford Systems grows in marketshare and reach outside of Chicago (across Illinois and Indiana), they need a brand that can grow with them.

Our goal in rebranding Bradford Systems was to create a clean identity that would leverage their expertise in consultative services and software offerings, as well as represent Bradford Systems as the architect’s choice for compact storage.

“After 42 years of working side-by-side with architects, designers, and clients of all kinds, we decided it was time to take on a very important renovation project–our own brand. For months, we’ve been working behind the scenes to craft an identity that better reflects our business and our commitment to you, our clients. Today, we’re proud to unveil our new logo, tagline, and website.” – Dave Bradford.

The new Bradford Systems tagline “Smart. Storage. Solutions.” speaks to the breadth of their offerings and their approach beyond selling shelving and hardware. The elegant lines of the new identity echo rows of shelving and imply a “bridging” of data and organization. The convenient number of spaces in-between the letters of “Bradford” allow each vertical rule to line up with the letters of “Systems.” In some of the collateral pieces, the rules continue below the mark creating a pinstripe texture seen both on the website and print collateral.

As part of the rebranding process, we also overhauled BradfordSystems.com to create a cleaner, more simplified look that would appeal to architects as well as the end users of their products and services. Shown below is a before and after of the website design:

You can visit BradfordSystems.com for more examples of their product and service offerings.

I was reading a blog last week on FastCompany.com regarding a report from Vivaldi Partners on the “Social Currency Ranking” of various brands from Apple, to BMW, to JetBlue.

The concept of social currency is different than overall brand value. Where brand value is based on the difference in cost between a given brand and the generic version (think Coca-Cola and the grocery store brand soda), Social Currency Rankings are based on affiliation, identity, information, advocacy, utility and conversation. As Vivaldi states, it’s “the extent to which people share the brand or information about the brand as part of their everyday social lives at work or at home… Our study shows that social currency significantly drives brand loyalty. Moreover, brands with a high social currency command a price premium.”

In short, if your audience adores and talks about your brand on a social level, there’s a good chance they’ll pay more to remain loyal to your brand.

Out of curiosity over the weekend, I polled my Twitter followers about some of their favorite brands. I asked “What brand makes you feel the most proud, special or hip? Which brands do you aspire to use, own, interact with?”

Here are a few of the responses I received:

@a_kilbourne: my local Starbucks knows my name and my favorite drinks. Many times I will go out of my way to stop there.

@MattWallpe: Always though Kenneth Cole was pretty cool and loved wearing it.

@danebenton: target, starbucks, apple, luxury vehicle brands, just to name a few.

@danebenton: for me it’s a close tie between BMW and Audi, based on style and brand.

@meladorri: I gotta admit I really enjoy the experience of driving my Acura. Been impressed with most brand interactions.

@phidaniels: diesel jeans.

Not surprisingly, you’ll see many of these brands show up in Vivaldi’s report. Check out their findings. Some of the results may surprise you:

“The strongest brands in America, according to a new study, are not American. They are German and Japanese luxury car brands: BMW; Mercedes; and Lexus. But the U.S. brand with the greatest “social currency” is one that has existed a mere ten years (and it’s not even an Internet or tech company): JetBlue.” continue reading on FastCompany.com

This past weekend I was reading an article in Fast Company that reminded me of a speaking engagement I had a few years ago.

I was asked to discuss corporate website basics–what websites need and where most go astray. If I remember correctly, the first words out of my mouth were, “Take your mission statement off of your homepage, because nobody cares.” I think I had their attention.

I went on to explain how so many corporate websites showcase their bland, forgettable mission statement prominently on their homepage. A website isn’t helping anyone by telling the world “our team empowers life-long learners to achieve the utmost quality and customer satisfaction in every…” Zzzz… Does that sound like an excerpt from your corporate mission?

I have talked about the importance of niche positioning and how a mission statement often reflects poor positioning. Which should come first, the mission or the positioning? I’ll be the first to admit it’s a bit of a chicken/egg thing. We prefer to begin by developing a strong positioning and let the mission statement flow from that language. But to be fair, today we’ll look at the mission statement as a starting point.

Ideally your mission statement should be the guiding light that directs the course of your business. If your mission is a little lackluster today, let’s look at four ways to reconsider where you’re going.

1. The Rational:
What do you do? What is your product or service, and who do you do it for? What is your market? How far is your reach? What are actions that your company uses to describe its services? This step should be pretty straight-forward. Once you’ve wrapped up, move on to step two.

2. The Emotional:
How does your organization make the world a better place? Who does your company benefit? Who would miss you if your organization disappeared? Why should anyone care? Make a list of some of the most emotionally charged benefits of your company. If the world reaped the utmost from your benefits, what would that look like? Once you’ve given this ample consideration, move on to step three. Still scratching your head? If you’re stuck on this one, consider enlisting some professional support.

3. The Radical:
What is the one thing that you do better than anyone else? Are you the best at it in your market or region? Can you claim “only-ness?” Complete this sentence: We are the only (blank) in (blank) that does (blank). When you fill in the blanks, what do you get? If it sounds the same as your competition, you may need to dig deeper. Give this plenty of thought before moving on to step four.

4. Simplify:
Taking what may be several pages of notes from the above exercises, begin simplifying the message into statements. If you’re really focused, you may be able to distill it down to a few succinct words. One of our clients has their corporate mission statement polished down to two words. “Inspire Hope.” Here’s a hint: Corporate senior leaders need to own this. Hiring a professional to help word-smith your mission statement is wise, but this is not a task meant for a committee. That’s important. No mission statement committees. Got it?

So how do you know when it’s right? It should be clear, concise and inspirational. A two-word mission isn’t the right fit for everyone, but if your mission is unclear, ambiguous or wordy, keep working. Are you inspired yet to get started? It’s your business. Make it your mission.

I recently had the privilege of presenting an activity at a local networking event for the Keystone at the Crossing Rainmakers meeting. The activity revolved around the concept of identity and how taking time to learn more about someone at a networking event could positively impact your business. And while my presentation at Rainmakers was specific to that event, here’s a slightly edited version of my presentation for this context:

The top grossing movie of 2008 is all about identity. The Dark Knight. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s the latest installment in the Batman series. One of my favorite scenes finds Batman’s true identity, Bruce Wayne, off to dinner at a swanky restaurant. He’s been rejected by his longtime girlfriend, Rachel, who is one of the few people in the world who knows his secret identity is Batman. Of course, it just so happens that Rachel is out at that same swanky restaurant with her new boyfriend—the City’s District Attorney, Harvey Dent.

As Bruce Wayne walks into the room with his Russian Ballet girlfriend on his arm, he pretends at first not to see them, but then he’s “surprised” and feigns a smile to greet the new couple. Rachel is annoyed at first but responds as cordially as possible. “Bruce… this is Harvey Dent.” Harvey doesn’t seem to feel the tension and smiles back at Bruce, “Rachel has told me everything about you.” To which Bruce replies, “I certainly hope not.”

Identity can be a complex thing. Like yours, there are many elements to my identity. I’m a business owner. I’m a father. A husband. A brother. A son. An artist. A writer. And some things I don’t care to share in public. Some people know me very well… others don’t know me at all.

What about your identity? What makes you who you are? Are you more than a sales person? More than a business owner? Who is it that most people think you are? And who are you REALLY?

I don’t know for sure, but I’m willing to bet you’re somewhat like me… you want your public identity to be more than your life roles. More than “just a salesperson.” More than “that tall guy who wears jeans.” There are some things that you want to be known for, and there are other things that you would just as soon keep to yourself.

Now what if I flipped that and asked, “What is the true identity of your company?” Your brand identity is one of the most valuable assets that your business owns. Is your “true identity” crystal clear to your customers? Most importantly, has the public perception of your brand kept pace with how your company has grown? Do we see your brand like you do? Our company specializes in positioning high-end services and premium products. We help companies clearly define who they are, what they do, and why consumers should care.

Our goal is clarity in how the public perceives your brand. When your brand “walks” into a swanky restaurant and encounters your next potential customer, what is it they will say about you?