Streamlining the brand
There are few companies in Cincinnati with more name recognition that Graeter’s.
"I could probably put it in a brown paper bag and wouldn’t have a problem (selling it)," says Graeter.
However, knowing the Graeter’s name and being able to identify its logo are two different things.
"Our brand appeared probably five different ways in our stores," Graeter says. "The Columbus stores had their look and feel, we had ours. The Kentucky ones were a little different, even the stores in the same city were a little different. Our Kenwood store looked different than our Western Hills store."
And that, he says, created identity problems that had the potential to hamper expansion.
"We thought that if we were going to franchise, we needed to have those essential foundation blocks – the brand ID and the store look and feel. In a very big way, the projects my partners and I have worked on are building blocks."
The idea of developing building blocks for a 135-year-old company may sound strange, but for any consistent growth strategy to succeed, the brand is an essential component. Companies go to great lengths to protect their brands – consistent brands provide consumers with trust and reassurance that if they purchase a product, it will be the same quality no matter where they buy it. The same goes for consumables, such as ice cream.
So last May, with the help of Cincinnati-based branding firm Libby Perszyk Kathman Inc., Graeter adopted various components from existing logos and compiled them into one streamlined version, rolling out a new corporate logo and an updated package design.
"We now have a very high-end, classy, professional-looking logo," Graeter says. "Our pints carry that logo and our candy and bakery product line will soon be carrying it. We also have gift cards that have that identity."
This achieved Graeter’s most important building block — a consistent, upscale look that could compete nationally.
"(The) brands now look and feel the same caliber as the quality as, say, Godiva chocolates," he says. "There is a big difference between one that has been well-thought-out and executed and one that has been done on the side, as a secondary product or project, over a hundred years. That’s what we had. We haven’t had a real brand other than the quality of the product.
"People recognize Graeter’s, but I wanted them to recognize the brand and identify it together with the ice cream."
