NETGEAR, a global provider of wireless networking products for the home and small and medium business—and one of the most competitively spirited companies in its space—was searching for a way to articulate its brand reputation that fully reflected its top-tier success.
Despite recent surges in sales and considerable strength in retail, the company’s brand meaning was lagging in commercial and service-provider markets. NETGEAR needed to stand up and stand out in a marketplace where most contenders look the same. But its messaging was muddled. No longer just a “router” company, NETGEAR’s product mix had grown to include complete networking solutions that not only create a network, but also let you do more with it. It was a transformation that called out for a common brand across the company and a unifying message that would build on NETGEAR’s retail strength, transcend audiences and lift the company to even greater heights.
A redefining connection
Qualitative and quantitative research conducted by Siegel+Gale highlighted the opportunity to bring simplicity to the forefront. Combined with an increased focus on people, it would help differentiate the brand across audiences.
In the most practical terms, simplicity and ease of use had always defined NETGEAR’s brand and competitive edge in the retail space. Now it was time to redefine connectivity in a way that moved beyond routers to solutions that take advantage of the network for both home and office.
NETGEAR would become the “champion of connectivity.”
Building on that strength, Siegel+Gale developed a people-focused purpose that made every employee a champion furthering that cause.
To express the brand’s new direction, we optimized the existing NETGEAR logo and developed an adaptive and robust visual design system with a faceted graphic motif as the centerpiece. By introducing a tiered color palette and photographic categories, we were able to tailor communications to key customer segments and help NETGEAR gain more ground in the business networking space.
To launch the brand internally, we conducted training workshops, drafted extensive design guidelines, created a variety of templates for print use, as well as on-screen applications, and rolled out an environmental signage system to offices worldwide.
We also prepared NETGEAR for the future, re-imagining the customer experience based on the new brand strategy and developing customer journey maps to illustrate the experience and prioritize initiatives to ensure that NETGEAR continues to fulfill its brand promise.
Signaling change
With everyone in the company fully engaged, NETGEAR recently unveiled its new brand platform and visual identity at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
“Siegel+Gale had a challenge to define a brand promise that was powerful across three very different business units—and they delivered with great success,” said Robin Selden, NETGEAR’s Vice President of Global and Retail Marketing. “Their attention to detail with great research and design gave us the platform we need to stand out and showcase our brand as we grow.”
