A sharper brand identity to reclaim leadership in the industry

The challenge

Black Book wanted to cement themselves as the preeminent leader in Automotive Data as more and more “startup” companies and competitors tried to take market share. They had long been the market leader, but newer businesses were gaining traction through more modern marketing and positioning.

The solution

Start at the foundation. We helped pull out of the leadership team the core elements that made Black Book the leader in the space to begin with and what would be something others in the market could never truthfully say about themselves. We had to articulate their uniqueness.

We clearly saw a team that was passionate about the quality of their data, as they knew the higher the quality of data, the more informed their customers would be, enabling them to make smart decisions.

Next, as we do for all clients, we evaluated the existing visual system and asked if it represented the uniqueness and power of the brand strategy. In Black Book’s case, the brand did not match the cutting edge technology and data-driven nature of the team and message. The old brand was rooted in the print business, but this current version of the business was innovative, digital, and supplying information through world-class APIs. So the team set off to create a visual system that would make the audience feel the innovation and leadership position of the brand.

Following the new visual identity system, the team launched into building a website that married the new message, the powerful visual identity, and effective conversion design. Built with the focus of making it easy for each unique audience to find the exact solution for them, the team structured the site, the content, and the products in focused groups that made it easy for the target audience to learn and act.