Is an Investment Company a brand? A big question that rattled around in our heads when we were introduced to the team at Lough Shore; a new investment company established in Northern Ireland with some seriously inspiring goals. We kicked off our discussions around the company’s need for a new brand identity and their ambition for a website that would act as their principal marketing platform.
Brand is a word so deeply burned into the psyche of western business culture that it feels like it’s always been part of our lexicon. Its origins go back to the post industrial age in America where competing products distinguished their wares through benefits that promised a better future. Fast forward to the emergence of corporate branding in the late nineties and today’s explosion of brand culture across every product, place, business, even people.
In recent times, our creative team at Frank has tackled branding challenges for charitable companies, arts and cultural organizations and now, investment vehicles. Everyone it seems is in on the act. And true to this age of social media, the latter two examples are in the business of leveraging influence and building communities — audience and portfolio respectively. Brand is a powerful mobilizer for both.
Great brands tell stories that are shared, create influence and inspire action. And Lough Shore Investments has a compelling story to tell. In the words of founder Danny Moore:
‘Lough Shore’s mission is to invest in high potential management teams and partner with them to build great businesses. Our goal is to bring ten great companies to exit or IPO by 2025’.
We facilitated a lively workshop with the team at Lough Shore to mine their ideas, attitudes and thoughts. Plotting a series of points, we shaped these into a model for the brand comprising a set of governing beliefs and the essential truth that defines the business. We articulated this idea asthe pursuit of greatness.
Signing off on the blueprint for the new brand, we identified a creative springboard around which we could begin to visualise and test our thoughts. The notion of expedition chimed with our client team, capturing the brand’s emergent DNA as well as the commitment and rigour required to build a world-class investible business.
Following a collaborative process to sketch, reduce and refine a visual approach, the new Lough Shore brand identity sprung to life. And as with a previous blog, logo is just a part of the story. Most importantly, the creative team at Frank have given Lough Shore a distinctive visual language that will grow and evolve, always reflecting the firm’s quest for achievement. As it happens, the Lough Shore logo is rock hard and iconic. Reminiscent of a causeway stone, its 6 sides represent the home counties with a nod to lone star swagger.
On reflection, brands need commitment to become great. Commitment from their owners to a big idea… as well as alignment across purpose, voice and identity. This requires control — best delivered through a trusted creative partnership — and confidence to allow flexibility, change and opportunities presented by new technology.
So back to our initial quandary. Is an Investment Company a brand? In recent times I’ve come to think that the truly great brands possess two critical attributes: 1.) The power to define a culture and 2.) The ability to inspire a following.
These being the measures, this investment company most definitely is. It might just be one of the greatest.
– Damian Cranney (Director, Frank)