PHH Arval Brand Launch
When a fleet management company’s brand runs out of gas
Problem
Thirty years ago, there were more than 300 fleet management companies in the US. Today, it’s down to 10, vying for the same customers. And the second largest player, PHH Arval, was facing monumental challenges.
Their competition was badmouthing them after a failed merger with GE. When they finally responded, their messaging was inconsistent. This left employees frustrated, and customers scratching their heads. What’s more, PHH was clinging to a story of industry firsts in a marketplace that had caught up to them technologically.
“We were the first guys to be on the Internet, but that’s yesterday’s news. It’s all about what you’re doing for me today,” says Jim Halliday, Senior Vice President & General Manager at PHH Arval. “We confronted the brutal facts. Now we’re reestablishing ourselves.”
Solution
Working with agency MarketBridge, we developed The Art and Science of Fleet Management, a brand concept that brings PHH Arval’s value proposition to life. PHH chose this direction from a spectrum of concepts we presented showing them everything from highly traditional to extremely contemporary approaches. This enabled them to select a direction that felt true to the spirit of the company.
One of the keys to developing this brand was interviewing key players throughout the company—from senior executives to customer service representatives. Getting employees to talk directly let them tell the story in ways that are impossible to achieve when facing a blank computer screen.
We also used the opportunity to rebuild PHH Arval’s innovation message. By bringing current innovation initiatives to the forefront and putting them in context of the company’s history, we enabled them to reclaim their reputation.
Result
The new brand gives employees a rallying cry that is consistent with PHH Arval’s personality and philosophy. It also crystallizes the company’s future objectives.
“We’ve always positioned ourselves as a combination of capabilities. Data and technology with our people’s experience of and the relationships they develop with our customers,” says George Kilroy, CEO. “The brand does a good job of describing what we do and does it better than we’ve done in the past. It also helps us decide where we’re going to invest in the future. I think we’ll get a lot out of it.”
