JD Martin Re-Brands. Communicates a Message

What’s in a logo? For some it’s just a graphic. For others it’s a nod to history. For others it can help send a message about tomorrow and strategy. For those who are thinking long-term, it is the latter. While not explicitly stated, but perhaps implied, JD Martin is embracing tomorrow and communicating its forward looking intent with a logo redesign.

According to a press release:

“The JD Martin Company, a leading manufacturers representative firm for more than seventy years, is excited to announce the launch of its new brand identity. The company engaged Mower, a globally renowned B2B marketing communications firm, to perform the research, the creative, and the value proposition messaging. The rebranding initiative modernizes the look of the company while reinforcing its long-held values.

The rebranding includes a refreshed, updated logo, a vibrant new color palette, and a re-statement of the firm’s value proposition. A new tag line of local power…accelerated growth reflects the company’s operating principals. Local power highlights the J D Martin emphasis on local autonomy for its operating companies and sellers across its seventeen states served territory. Accelerated growth is generated from the corporate processes and centralized back-office functions enabling the operating companies to focus on selling, building local relationships, and targeting fast growing vertical markets for their manufacturers and distributors. Utilizing an enterprise-wide business operating system, a proprietary data management and AI business intelligence tool, Visie, and a leading performance management platform, JD Martin provides the foundation for building customer relationships and accelerating sales growth across the company.

“Upon celebrating our 70^th year and completing a series of strategic growth initiatives, it was the right time to rebrand the company, said Greg Baker, CEO of JD Martin. While the way we look may be different, how we connect with our customers has not changed. Business growth thrives from local connections and trusted relationships. Our core value of being a trusted partner intent on significantly growing sales is the strategic cornerstone of our company.”

JD Martin also created a video to introduce the new brand and messaging. Click the link to the video get introduced to “the new JD Martin” as it goes forward.

Take Aways

• A nice, progressive image and message.
• The positioning as “local” but “centralized” reinforces the value of JD Martin’s local relationship and knowledge supported by investments into a centralized support system. As the upcoming NEMRA Rep of the Future will share (in the 2020 report, Marketing and Demand Generation were two of the 5 Pillars), and the recently released Manufacturer of the Future highlights, localized demand generation supported by data / analytics and quality support (people and technology) accelerates growth.
• JD Martin is investing into the business. Knowing Greg, he has always invested into people and infrastructure. The investment into brand (Mower, as noted, is a global marketing communications firm that also works with a number of electrical manufacturers (so, not “freelance inexpensive!”), is a further step into the professionalization of a rep’s image. The rep of tomorrow is much different than the rep of yesteryear … and is what manufacturers are seeking.

There are lessons in the message.

Congratulations to the JD Martin team (and if you see Greg and the JD Martin team at the NEMRA Annual Conference, congratulation him.)