Creative Company Completes Rename and Brand Design for Oregon RV Dealership
MCMINNVILLE, OR: In January of 2013, Creative Company completed a new name and new brand identity for Wine Country RV in Dayton, Oregon. Because the dealership was often confused with a “Wine Country RV Park” nearby, the new owner knew he needed a change. It was also important to make a clean break from the name the previous owner used.
For its work with Waterdog RV, Creative Company received a Gold Award from the 11th Annual Service Industry Advertising Awards for Logo/Letterhead Design in the transportation category.
The new owner, Tom Stout, was referred to Creative Company by an investor who found great success in working with the firm in the past.
GOLD WINNER in the Logo/Letterhead Category
After an initial consultation and review of names and identity systems for other dealerships in the Northwest, Creative Company recommended a new name that would be unique in the industry and easy to remember. Rather than a descriptive name such as “Funtime RV” or “Camping World,” Creative Company’s goal was to create a picture in the mind as a memory hook, an image that would be easy to remember and visualize.
Family-friendly and playful design
It was also important to create a new name and new brand identity that was family-friendly and playful, to inspire the wish to get to the mountains, lakes or the ocean as a family, to enjoy the great outdoors.
“I knew that if I was going to invest in renaming the company, I needed to do it right the first time,” said Stout. “I wanted to support local business and it just so happened that a nationally-known, award-winning branding agency was in the area and came highly recommended.”
Tom’s pet boxer and his earlier career in the pet industry inspired the Waterdog RV name, along with the tagline “Stay dry or make a splash. Get there with Waterdog.”
The goal for the new name and new brand was to create a playful look that’s very different from other dealerships. The cartoon illustration boxer, vibrant color palette and handwritten fonts were a hit with customers. Kids talk about the dog, families like the theme and dads like the cartoon that echoes mascots for sports teams.
At a Portland Metro RV show, “Kids were running up to us and talking about the RV dog and the parents were getting their picture taken with our signs!” added Stout.
In addition to the logo design and messaging, Creative Company developed a stationery package of business cards, envelopes, letterhead and a fax template.
“I was uncertain of how this process would go, but I was pleasantly surprised at how simple Creative Company made it. They even took care of printing the new stationery and were always available for a meeting or discussion,” added Stout.
“Plus, they were willing to tailor the work based on my budget. Overall, it was a great experience and I’m happy with where it ended up.”
Creative Company’s president, Jennifer Larsen Morrow, added, “Tom was a delight to work with. His enthusiasm for his business was infectious. He embraced our suggestions … and now his signs even include the bright gold background and the waterdog mascot! We’re happy to be part of his success.”
Thinking about a new name and new brand?
Talk to us about what you want to do. Our clients have seen extraordinary results when they have renamed and rebranded to fit their focus, culture and persona.
Or you can download our worksheets or read more to get started:
- Download our 6 steps to a new name worksheet
- Download our 5 reasons to rebrand worksheet.
- Visit our website to see more examples of new names and brands
- Read our blog post on restaging your brand for more insight
Let us know if you would like to talk further. You won’t believe the impact a new name and brand can have on your organization … rallying the internal team, bringing fresh attention to your purpose and accelerating response! Let’s talk.
