Challenger Brand Issue: Uniting 96 separate divisions into one powerful brand.

Insights
L-3 Communications (L-3) is one of the 6th largest defense contractors in the nation and they have grown primarily through an aggressive acquisition strategy of over 50 independent, yet interrelated companies. By 2007, over 96 operating divisions worked in silos of each other handling their own marketing and communications needs. As a result, the advertising felt disconnected and looked completely different among divisions. We also learned that a customer’s familiarity in some cases was only with the division they knew prior to it joining the L-3 family.

Challenger Brand Solution: Symbol of Re-evaluation
So how did we develop a corporate brand positioning and communications architecture and implement it across four business sectors, 96 operating divisions and countless product lines? We first had to uncover the commonalities that existed among consumer perceptions of the various divisions as well as determine what differentiated L-3 from its competitors at the corporate, division and product levels. Next we had to create a consensus among marketing communications officers, understanding that each had different goals and perspectives. We had to recognize the need to sacrifice individual needs for the greater branding goal, yet be able to create a brand style that could be adapted to the individual needs of the divisions. And, from the outset we had to create a brand style that could be adaptable to the individual needs of the 96 divisions.

The first step was to create a unified brand positioning. The positioning line “L-3 Leading” was created based on the insights about their brand that came out of the research.

“Leading” worked on many levels. First, it hit the perception of their size head on. It implied that L-3 was a leader, a top-tier firm and without being too boastful or aggressive. Second, in its own way, each and every division was leading the way in developing technologies for its customers. Finally, the brand promise was broad enough to incorporate the individual marketing communications needs of each division.

We then created an advertising template for each of L-3’s operating divisions to use. This provided a consistent look and tone for all of L-3’s advertising that further unified the brand.

Results
According to a study done by a leading trade publication in the defense contracting industry, L-3’s perception as a top-tier player rose within 12 months of the new advertising having been launched.