See how a rebrand energized an engineering firm’s competitive edge°

C&I Engineering, an engineering, procurement and construction firm, sought to nurture and build its reputation as a strong, mid-sized firm with tremendous potential to grow. In the midst of an increasingly competitive market, we helped to reinvigorate the brand with a culture-centric position to support recruitment and retention efforts. See how the brand refresh helps C&I share its big picture mission with clients more effectively.

The Challenge

C&I’s brand needed reinvigoration to remain competitive in a changing market. Bigger engineering firms in the market had started offering similar services and going after the same midstream refinery and petrochemical clients, a key industry sector for C&I. The firm was also experiencing a large amount of employee turnover, as these competitors attempted to lure away top talent.

The firm needed a refreshed brand to encourage cohesiveness, employee longevity and help communicate the big picture to clients. Additionally, C&I needed to rethink their web user experience for customers, prospective clients and jobseekers.

The Solution

We began by assessing the existing brand, including conducting a competitive study and interviews where we spoke to both clients and employees to figure out the internal and external perceptions of the company. The assessment revealed gaps in the organizational process, messaging and structure, which contributed to weak sales close ratios and higher than average attrition. 

We developed the brand concept, “Big Picture Engineering,” to describe the firm’s full service perspective, consultative approach and “run it like we own it” attitude. After framing this new position, we refreshed the company’s look and feel and created stronger messaging. To aid recruiting efforts, we made the visual brand more people-centric. We helped reinvent C&I’s mission and vision to resonate and inspire the company, setting it on a new path forward.

The Impact

Internally, the brand refresh successfully generated excitement among employees, giving them a sense of ownership in the organization. The rebrand improved retention rates, and company culture quickly became a selling point for the firm when hiring. 

In terms of external marketing, the company experienced improved online visibility with the development of its new website. We delivered an improved user experience, increased traffic and stronger visitor engagement behavior.

Additionally, C&I is engaging prospects with an improved market-differentiated message and a cohesive value proposition, resulting in larger and longer project opportunities.