Brockenbrough: Bringing New Relevance to a Storied Brand

Lowe Brockenbrough had been a respected leader in financial planning services for generations. Their commitment to personal attention and client service is legendary in the mid-Atlantic.

As a new generation of firm leadership took the helm, they asked Brand Federation to help them chart a course to new growth without leaving the storied heritage of the brand behind.

We began by understanding exactly what makes the firm special. We did internal interviews with firm leaders and the heads of each line of business. We spent time with long-time clients to understand the nature of their unique relationships with Lowe Brockenbrough. And we dug deep into the category to understand the competitive landscape and the positioning of other firms in the space.

We also looked into the firm’s new lines of business to understand how to harness their equity and core competency to help them break into new areas of growth. We did one on one interviews with prospective clients to get a sense of their priorities and decision making process, and to gauge the current position of the brand in their minds.

In every conversation, internal and external, client and prospect, and across every line of business, two themes kept coming up: 

1. The firm’s unwavering commitment to its clients–through good times and bad, over decades, and no matter what needs to be done, Lowe Brockenbrough’s clients know the firm will be there for them. Their clients view Lowe Brockenbrough as more than a financial advisor, they are a partner in their lives.
2. The firm had an “old-school” reputation. While they demonstrated an amazing commitment to their clients, their image lagged competitors in offering the latest and greatest in financial technology.

Our strategy was summed up in a word that captures the firm’s legacy of trust and service, but also allowed them to highlight the modern approaches and long-term vision they apply to their clients’ portfolios: STEWARDSHIP. 

The idea had two equally important components: the time-honored values of commitment and trust to be stewards of their relationships with clients, AND the latest technology and capabilities that enable Lowe Brockenbrough to be effective stewards of their clients’ wealth.

The Stewardship positioning animated a complete re-thinking of the brand.

• The Brand Federation team led the entire firm in a day-long brainstorming session to explore operational and product changes required to fully deliver on the new promise.
• We partnered with a design firm to re-design the brand ID to make it more up-to-date and to capture the two sides of the stewardship positioning.
• We even developed and implemented a name change for the firm. Lowe Brockenbrough became simply, Brockenbrough. A cleaner, simpler approach that signaled a new generation of leadership and innovation.

Not only did Brand Federation conduct the research and develop the strategic positioning, we worked as interim CMO over the following 12 months to implement the organizational changes to bring it to life.