EBA Engineering, a regional civil engineering firm with public and private sector clients, engaged Substance151 to reposition the firm at a critical junction in its growth strategy.

The Process

In analyzing EBA’s markets and competitive environment and through extensive customer interviews, Substance151 uncovered that EBA had built a solid reputation for its ability to solve diverse, complicated problems with unwavering integrity and unprecedented foresight. Despite the industry war cry that all that matters is final product delivered on time and on budget, it was actually the “experience” of doing business with EBA that customers valued most.

The Insight

Given the same specifications and the same desired outcome and assuming a similar level of technical expertise among top firms (EBA’s competitors), the end “product” will be similar no matter which firm is doing the work.

When the product is equal, experience is all that matters. Experience becomes product.

The insight that the experience was the real product became the cornerstone of the brand strategy, and we set forth to identify the specific attributes of the experience that had the greatest impact on the perception of value.

The Brand

Returning to data generated during customer interviews, we determined three essential variables that comprised what we termed EBA’s “Formula for Success.”

We developed a new tagline, corporate identity, new website and collateral to convey the story behind the “Formula for Success.” We translated the brand platform into a compelling customer experience that provides audiences with tangible proof of EBA’s promise.

The Result

The “Formula for Success” platform has given EBA a significant advantage by enabling the firm to address hidden customer needs wholly missed by its competitors.