A Matter of Trust
As with any stimulating project that leads to a positive conclusion, we’re proud to have authored the rebranding of Liberty Property Trust. But this one hits a little closer to home – not only is the company one of the most influential and highly regarded commercial real estate entities in the world, Liberty lifted the skyline and spirit of our hometown and continues to shape its future.
Every project has its interesting nuances. In this case, as we surveyed the perceptions and needs of the constituencies that matter to Liberty – brokers, tenants, community groups, the internal team across its markets – it was clear that Liberty Property Trust’s essential humanity, and the trust it creates, is a towering strength evident to all who interact with the company.
Yet because commercial real estate is a relationship business, just about every firm out there is using similar words to tell its story. While the data suggests that the trust stakeholders have in Liberty is at an altogether different level, brand development is about differentiation. For the messaging piece that drove the identity and tagline, it was not enough to use a similar approach as other firms and hope the market knows the difference. Nor could we say that ‘they may say it, but we REALLY mean it.’
From a brand differentiation perspective, the way to transcend this sea of sameness is to look beyond words anyone can use and define benefits not everyone can deliver. In the case of Liberty Property Trust, this meant unpacking what trust actually means in context and how the unique assets of Liberty support the goals and dreams of their tenants and partners.
As we built the benefit ladder, we re-discovered the 2006 Covey (the son) work, ‘The Speed of Trust’. The book makes the case that the practical benefits of establishing trust include time and money. Translated to commercial real estate, relationships built on a foundation of trust enable deals to run more smoothly, to make coming to terms more of an agreement than a dance and most often result in greater satisfaction for both parties.
That’s where ‘accomplish more,’ the new tagline, comes in. One of my favorite sayings is that ‘it’s not what you do, but what you accomplish.’ The foundation of trust at the heart of Liberty enables those who partner with the company to spend more time and energy on what really matters – growing a business, satisfying a client, integrating a new development into a community, advancing a career. Clients and partners define their own accomplishments with Liberty’s extraordinary office and industrial environments providing the staging and, in many cases, inspiration.
With the message in place, the visual identity is designed as a bold trustmark – a signature that celebrates what Liberty and its clients accomplish together. It is only the 3rd logo in the company’s history (quite a responsibility) and works extremely well on various forms of signage, marketing materials, the web and the extensive uses needed for such an extensive corporation – from trucks to uniforms and beyond.
Liberty Property Trust is an extraordinary company comprised of friendly and passionate people. We are gratified that they trusted Finch Brands with this project and – as residents of a region in which their creativity is in evidence daily – can’t wait to see what happens next.
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Bill Gullan, President
Tweeting: @BillGullan
