Haven

A Marketing Story by zstvns.design about haven.build

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haven.build

Increase Sales

Challenge

Treadlight Construction needed to relate to their target audience and attract top tier talent. Our objective was to diagnose the perceptions of their current brand and develop a more accurate representation of who they are. Backstory: This project isn’t real. There is a construction company in San Diego called Treadlight and they do have a sustainable focus, but we did not actually work with them. We did however believe that their branding could be improved and align closer to their vision. We chose them because they were the only construction company in San Diego to actually have a vision. With us so far? Great. Let’s dive in.

Solution

Project Scope Brand Strategy Naming Identity & Logo Design We identified a target audience, changed the name to communicate the founders' sustainable focus, and developed an identity that stands out from the competition. Clarifying Stakeholder Ambitions: Treadlight is a construction company focused on creating sustainable and environmentally friendly homes in San Diego. With every home they build, they showcase a responsibility to our planet and create a healthy space for people to live in. Their eyes are on the future and health of their clients' families. Understanding the Users: We determined that the core users are women ready to buy/renovate their home, mama birds ready to nest. Peripheral users consist of their husbands and employees ready to make sustainable dream homes a reality. Expanding further, we concluded that the reason for building/renovating is the need to create a home, not just a house. By defining the profiles of target users, we are able to understand what they are looking for in a construction company and how to meet their needs. Brand Audit: Name Out of eight people asked, only one linked Treadlight to “treading lightly on the planet,” a phrase commonly used by outdoors enthusiasts. None of them associated it with building/renovating a sustainable home and it was detached from the users needs. Furthermore, the target audience described the name as heavy, cautionary, and that it sounded more like a product, not a company. Visual Identity When the target audience was asked for their thoughts on Treadlight’s first identity, comments like antiquated, basic, and thoughtless arose. Not exactly what we were looking for. From a technical standpoint, the identity also had issues like scalability and flexibility across applications, like being placed on affiliate websites (Houzz) and even their own website. Competition and Positioning By focusing on sustainability, Treadlight already had a positioning advantage. Most construction companies and skilled tradesman focus on marketing their trades rather than the benefit to the customer or a greater purpose. We were on the right track focusing on user needs and a bigger mission. The task became reinforcing their positioning through their identity. Strategy and Rebrand: Based on the research conducted, it was clear that the name and identity needed to change to better communicate the positioning of the brand and relate to consumers. We had five key goals: Align the identity with the company’s vision Relate to the target audience Create an identity that is expandable and continuous Differentiate from other construction companies Create an identity employees would be proud of and distinguished their craft ‍ Rename When the target audience was asked what Treadlight made them think and feel, the answers were cautious and heavy. Haven evoked feelings of progressive thinking, environmental concern, and a place to build a nest. Furthermore, despite having the same amount of syllables, Haven is easier to say. The room for adaptation also grew with subtle affirmations of the future, like the URL haven.build, and messaging like “home is forever.” Visual Identity To evoke attributes like fresh, poised, and forward thinking, we worked the Haven identity to dwell among new smart home companies like Nest and Ring. The line going through the logotype represented the continuity and long-term thinking Haven would bring to their clients’ homes. Expanding the identity was anchored by two elements: color and line work. Purple is the least common color used within the skilled trades and connoted a quiet confidence. Simplifying the identity elements generated consistency.

Branding Strategy

Corporate Identity