2007 MFE Awards
Merit: Marketing & Advertising
When one of Sequoia Equities' founding principals retired, the executive team decided it was a perfect opportunity to redefine the corporate identity and rebrand the company by evaluating who the company was and what mattered to it.
The Walnut Creek, Calif.-based company engaged its employees and external clients to encourage 360-degree feedback, making sure that the corporate identity was a true reflection of the company and that the new brand would both mirror the culture and be positively embraced by its customers. The process provided a detailed blueprint to guide the company, whose vision and goals could be summed up in the new tagline: "The Experience Matters. Experience Sequoia."
The rebranding campaign required a comprehensive overhaul of marketing and advertising at the corporate and property level, including a new logo that focuses on the word "Sequoia," redesigned Web sites that begin with the word "experience," new leasing kiosks, and redesigned marketing materials such as signage and brochures.
Sequoia Equities also is testing a leasing kiosk at one property; the kiosk is an extension of the Web site but features some kiosk-only features such as printing inserts for brochures and 3-D community maps.
Additionally, the company rolled out new training and awards programs as part of the rebranding campaign, while simultaneously establishing partnerships with vendors such as Glidden Paint and Move.com.
As a result, net income has grown, while employee retention has increased from 58 percent to 73 percent.
