Australia’s largest sign printing group is taking its own advice and repositioning itself as a marketing solutions company in an international rebranding strategy starting today.
Signarama, an international company with more than 100 Australian franchise stores, will now offer marketing, design, project management, and business advice services as well as printing signs on their flatbed digital printers.
The move comes as Signarama executes a plan to expand into regional areas, with new stores just opening in Dubbo, Murwillumbah and Bathurst, NSW and another 10-15 new regional stores planned for this year.
National director Evan Foster Foster says: “We’re trying to focus on being a partner to our clients, not just a sign supplier – a consulting service not just taking orders.”
He says not every store will have the equipment and expertise to do everything, but will liaise with bigger nearby ones to provide complete service.
Signarama is also changing its logo to a simplified design that abandons the American-centric stars and red, white and blue colours for a more global look as it now trades in more than 50 countries.
All franchises will also now carry standardised signage and branding whereas they previously took significant liberties with their design.
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“We needed to live by what we say and look at our own branding. It needed to be moderised a bit,” Foster says.
“We’ll be taking a more compliant approach to ensure the customer experience is the same everywhere and we can manage the customer interaction with the brand better.
“The franchisees actually called for it because they feel we need to take our own advice.”
Foster says the rebranding is already in place in WA and will be completed in all stores by mid-March. “They look better than we expected and we’ve had a better than expected response from franchisees and clients.”
The new logo and colour scheme was chosen by an international franchise competition and won by the store in Hoppers Crossing, Victoria, which modelled it on a pennant flag.
Owner Gary Mitchell says: “I chose the flag because it’s always been a symbol of identification. It’s flowing right and angled slightly upward to signify growth and moving in the right direction.”
“We wanted to keep it very simple so didn’t use many colours.”
Foster says Signarama plans to expand into regional areas, with new stores just opening in Dubbo, Murwillumbah and Bathurst, NSW and another 10-15 new regional stores planned for this year.
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