Client
Year
Deliverables
Branding
Strategy
Situation
MichAuto, a statewide automotive association, enlisted the help of the Franco team to evaluate the organization’s mission, strategic focus areas and overall brand. A lot has changed in the automotive and mobility industry since MichAuto was founded in 2007, and leaders wanted to ensure that MichAuto was also evolving to continue best serving the needs of its investors and ultimately the automotive industry in Michigan.
Approach
To determine the role MichAuto was currently playing in the industry, and more importantly the role it should play in the future, our team conducted a thorough audit and research process including member surveys, group visioning sessions and nine one-on-one interviews with key industry leaders. This research was instrumental in revealing MichAuto’s key differentiators, the current perspective of MichAuto in the industry and the role key stakeholders need MichAuto to be playing as the industry faces a historical transition.
Following our data collection and research, our team defined talent, advocacy, industry transition and economic development as MichAuto’s key brand focus areas and determined they should be the foundation for the brand moving forward. We used these focus areas to develop a new visual identity for MichAuto that reflects the vibrant automotive ecosystem and continual evolution of technology within the industry.
Before
After
The most critical part of the project came when it was time to introduce the new MichAuto brand. Our team developed a full integrated rollout strategy that focused on introducing MichAuto’s new brand and strategic focus at the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference. Our fully integrated plan accounted for MichAuto’s communications channels and how to leverage them to introduce the new identity while positioning MichAuto as a critical resource to the automotive industry and Michigan’s economy.
The MichAuto team and key stakeholders deemed the rollout and refresh process a great success.
Learn More
MichAuto Executive Director Glenn Stevens Jr. and Detroit Regional Chamber Chief Strategy Officer Megan Spanitz came on the frankly… podcast to discuss the rebrand process. They shared the importance of growing and changing alongside the ever-evolving automotive industry and went into the strategies and ideas used to make MichAuto’s rebranding a success.
