MacSpring
Brand
Introduction
McAllister Industries, aka Macspring, is a century-old manufacturing powerhouse from Metro Vancouver. They are the OG industrial spring manufacturer selling springs across North America. They have a storied reputation for pioneering innovations within the steel manufacturing sector in Canada and the United States.
With a dynamic, old-school ethos and a legacy of reliability, MacSpring caters to a broad spectrum of industries through direct B2B sales to OEMs. Their enduring commitment to quality and their expansive industry influence make them a cornerstone in the commercial industrial spring market.
BRAND STRATEGY
- Brand Discovery + Development
- Audience Insights + Journey
- Market Research
- Positioning + Strategic Narrative
BRAND FOUNDATION
- Brand Visuals + Identity Refresh
- Digital Brand: Website Design & Development
The
Challenge
Developing a brand strategy for a business that has been around for over 100 years presents unique challenges and opportunities.
McAllister Industries has not only witnessed but also thrived through monumental events such as the Great Depression, World Wars, and the Cold War. That is a long history and can be intimidating for a novice brand strategist. Not for REX; we live for challenges like this one.
Although McAllister Industries has roots stretching back to 1915, their challenges are distinctly modern. Despite possessing ample resources and a talented team, the company struggled to fully realize its potential.
Our task was to diagnose the underlying reasons for this disconnect and to develop a brand strategy that not only addresses these issues but also shifts the status quo. This approach aims to unlock McAllister Industries’ inherent capabilities and propel them towards new heights of success in their industry.
Our
Approach
As brand consultants, our role is to uncover opportunities and challenges that may not be immediately apparent to a company’s leadership team.
We delve deep into understanding what sets the company apart—its unique value proposition or “secret sauce”—and how it differentiates from competitors.
In the initial discovery phase, our focus was on gaining a comprehensive understanding of the product (industrial springs), the machinery that utilizes these springs, and the various industry verticals that could benefit from their application. This foundational knowledge is crucial for us to understand:
- Product and its types. (There are so many different types of springs)
- Product usage
- Industry verticals where these springs are used. (They are used in a wide variety of industries from Automobile to Aerospace)
Once we grasped our knowledge of industrial springs, we sat down and figured out the Why, How, What, and Who of Macspring. This iterative process involved deep dives with the McAllister Industries leadership team.
We designed a F.O.C.U.S research with the following participants:
- Mid-size OEMs (priority aligned to the verticals McAllister Industries wanted to expand in)
- Steel Spring Retailers
- Steel Product Manufacturers
In parallel, we also conducted digital landscape research and a visual industry audit by our design team. We also interviewed the Macspring team to document their product knowledge, which our strategists used to develop product differentiation and positioning.
BRAND COMPASS
WEBSITE
The
Results
The process of creating the MacSpring brand was quite challenging. A manufacturing business is a traditional setup, and information is difficult to find.
Our team spent a lot of time collecting data and developing insights that helped create a unique brand that can propel Macspring to grow in the next 100 years. At the end of this project, we created an award-winning brand that defines an old-age business in a new-age language. It’s a brand that will rally employees, partners and customers to create meaningful growth for McAllister Industries.
2023 AVA DIGITAL AWARDS GOLD WINNER.