Blair Franklin
Blair Franklin was one of Canada’s leading boutique asset management firms specializing in fixed income hedge funds with approximately C$625 million in assets under management.
Industry
— Financial services
— Asset management
Branding to
— Articulate value
— Grow marketshare
— Build internal cohesion
— Be better understood
Services
— Brand & value proposition strategy
— Brand identity & visual systems
— Website design & development
— Marketing collateral design
The Situation
Blair Franklin had been founded with two distinct businesses, an advisory business that operated as an investment banker and a hedge fund that was specialized in fixed income asset management.
Following the founder’s passing, the asset management group wanted to separate from the advisory business and engaged Yield Branding to advise them on how to best differentiate themselves, articulate their brand strategy and whether or not and in what form, they should retain the Blair Franklin name.
Human Catalyst
Everyone wants to lower the risk of their high-risk investments.
Our Solution
Following stakeholder research, Yield Branding confirmed that there was still significant equity in the Blair Franklin name, a carry-over from the founders and their deep imprint on financial markets. However, there was confusion about what the firm stood for and its business focus.
Yield Branding advised the firm to retain the core Blair Franklin name, but recommended adding a qualifying line so it became Blair Franklin Asset Management. The brand strategy was focused on the firm’s persistence and tenacity in the fixed income space and their ability to deliver consistent returns quarter after quarter, despite market volatility.
The visual identity system both differentiated the firm from the advisory business through the use of a dramatically different colour palette, while visually delivering the value proposition with a graphic treatment suggesting an upward market trend.
The Yield
The re-branding increased the brand equity of Blair Franklin and helped them attract three top US portfolio managers while increasing the firm’s AUM to the point that Gluskin Sheff made a successful bid to buy the firm for $72 million.