This approach is called “fusion branding,” a successful brand architecture for evolving organizations.
Bringing Multiple Brands into a Unified Fusion
Elevated Facility Services
While there are many details and considerations to be sorted in company mergers and acquisitions, the most successful transitions prioritize branding in a thoughtful, cohesive way across the brand entities. As complex as mergers and acquisitions can be, they can also provide a unique opportunity to refine and strengthen a brand’s identity.
Originally founded as Oracle Elevator in 2004, steady growth through acquisition campaigns over the years positioned them for mergers with new companies. Elevated Facility Services(EFS) became the parent company and now includes several leading regional Vertical Transportation and Automatic Door Maintenance brands, including Oracle Elevator, Premier Elevator, EMR Elevator, and Oracle Entrance. Together, they represent one of the largest independent providers in the elevator and escalator MRO sectors. As a crucial component of the company’s merging of these brands under the new parent company, EFS engaged Someone & Somebody to manage their brand strategy throughout this complex transition with an eye toward the future.
The various companies being acquired under EFS preferred the idea of bridging the brands, and maintaining their brand equity so an overall cohesive brand standard and use of logos and imagery became the defining structure for the branding across the board. This approach is called “fusion branding,” a successful brand architecture for evolving organizations. The process involves looking at the current identities of each company or brand and identifying distinct areas of overlap that can naturally link those identities together.
This process made it easier to highlight shared identity elements across the EFS companies while always keeping in mind who this merger ideally serves––the customer and their expectations of service.
The larger brands that were acquired––EMR Elevator and Premier Elevator––maintained their names and historical identities, while also adopting the Oracle Elevator brand standards.
The EFS-acquired companies of smaller stature merged with the dominant sub-brand of the region. In some cases, a shared brand of Premier/Oracle Elevator proved necessary, particularly with long-standing customers of each company in mind. EFS now structured as the parent company and governing body of these various companies and brands, it represents top-level management and is responsible for future growth.
The approach was to first conduct research into each of the brands, getting to know their histories, strengths, weaknesses, customer base, degree of customer loyalty, and the general perception of each of them in the market. This process made it easier to highlight shared identity elements across the EFS companies while always keeping in mind who this merger ideally serves––the customer and their expectations of service. In the fusion branding strategy that was developed, Oracle Elevator–––now being one of many––would retain its logo and refined brand standards (including established font and color).
This anchoring strategy of maintaining the logo and brand standards of Oracle Elevator has proven to have staying power. Maintaining name recognition also provides the acquired technicians, staff, and management personnel with continuity and a sense of ease. The growth and educational benefits afforded within EFS have also given them security in the workplace and within the new company structure.
Meanwhile the EFS brand would evolve to represent the governing body. While it shared the Color palette of the subbrands, silver was used to identify it as the executive branch, with arching imagery to stand for the upward movement of the trade and the company’s elevated services. Owners and stakeholders being offered partnership and merger benefits into EFS has resulted in a unified corporate culture at the executive level, as well, which is communicated in the EFS branding that sends a strong message about the integration and priorities of the newly consolidated company. As a result of this successful merger and fusion branding strategy, EFS currently serves 58 markets in 24 states.
