MacAllister: Building One Brand Without Losing Two Legacies
MacAllister had owned Michigan CAT for nearly a decade, but the two dealerships had continued to operate with distinct identities and deep-rooted pride. When the time came to align under one brand, we helped uncover what had always connected them and turn those shared beliefs into a foundation employees could believe in and the business could build on.THE CHALLENGE
MacAllister had owned Michigan CAT for nearly a decade, but the two dealerships had continued to operate with distinct identities. Much of the work of bringing the organizations together had already happened. Systems were aligned. Teams were working together. But one of the hardest questions remained: What would it mean to truly operate as one brand?Employees across both organizations had built careers, relationships and pride around brands with decades of history. MacAllister needed a shared identity that could move the business forward without asking people to leave what mattered behind.
THE SOLUTION
We started with executive workshops to establish an initial view of the business. Then, across eight dealership locations, we facilitated discussion groups to understand how employees at every level experienced the organization and what they believed should carry forward.
Employees consistently talked about trust, customer commitment, integrity and pride in quality work. Those shared truths became the foundation for a unified brand architecture, positioning and messaging system and ultimately the communications, creative and training needed to bring it to life.
Service lines activated
- Research
- Strategy
- Branding
- Motion Media
Deliverables
- Executive alignment workshops
- Employee research and cultural assessment
- Brand architecture and positioning
- Messaging and organizational narrative
- Brand guidelines
- Executive and employee communications
- Launch film and motion graphics
- Environmental and rollout assets
- Change management recommendations
- Brand training
THE OUTCOMES
The work created a unified brand and gave MacAllister a shared story rooted in beliefs employees already recognized. The launch film became a rallying point, while the brand playbook, communications and training established a foundation MacAllister could continue building on well beyond launch.
