When ColorCote approached us, they already had decades of credibility behind them. Since 1973, the company had been manufacturing pre-painted steel and aluminium roofing and cladding products for New Zealand buildings. Their products were trusted, proven and deeply embedded in the industry.

 

The problem wasn’t the offering. It was the perception around it.

Despite having a rich history of innovation, the brand itself felt stuck somewhere in the early 2000s. The visual identity had become rigid and corporate. Product naming lacked clarity and personality. Messaging focused heavily on technical detail but failed to communicate the bigger story behind the business.

At the same time, ColorCote’s largest competitor was dominating attention through strong above-the-line marketing and digital visibility. In many ways, they owned the conversation before ColorCote had even entered the room.

What became clear during the strategy phase was that ColorCote didn’t need to reinvent itself. It needed to rediscover itself.

The answer was sitting in the company’s own history.

We developed a new brand platform built around the idea of “Origin Meets Innovation”, combining the company’s long-standing heritage with its ongoing focus on technical advancement and product performance. The goal was to make the brand feel modern and progressive without losing the trust and authenticity that came from more than 50 years in the industry.

The refresh touched almost every part of the business.

We redesigned the visual identity to feel warmer, more contemporary and more approachable, while still retaining the strength expected of a roofing and cladding manufacturer. The updated branding rolled out across brochures, signage, vehicles, stationery, promotional material and a completely redesigned website.

One of the biggest transformations came through the product architecture itself.

Instead of confusing alpha-numeric product names, we created distinctive branded naming systems such as MagnaFlow, AlumiGard and ZinaCore. Suddenly, the products felt easier to understand, easier to remember and significantly more premium in the market.

Digitally, we developed strategies to improve visibility against major competitors, including search approaches designed to intercept customers already researching competing brands and products. Rather than trying to outspend larger competitors, we focused on being smarter and more strategically visible.

The result was a brand that finally reflected the scale, quality and innovation already present inside the business.

Following the refresh, ColorCote won the Marketing Leadership Award at the TVNZ New Zealand Marketing Awards, while the business experienced a reported 10% increase in market share after launching the new brand story.

More importantly, the company stopped looking like a legacy manufacturer trying to keep up, and started looking like the industry leader it had quietly been all along.

TESTIMONIAL: Steve Haines, NZ sales & marketing manager, ColorCote:
“We’ve had a really successful partnership with Steve, Nicqui and the team over the last six years. They have worked with us on a brand transformation project that has touched every aspect of our business from product naming, through to print collateral, trade stands, content marketing and digital. The results have been phenomenal. Significant growth in market share, record sales and a Marketing Leadership award at the TVNZ Marketing Awards.”