Brand Strategy and Identity: Unleashing the artist within.
Martin has been making the finest acoustic guitars in the world for generations. They had a fiercely loyal customer base but it was aging and they needed to engage new and more diverse audiences, the next generation of Martin loyalists. The brand had been so focused on product, its brand was neglected, and with aggressive growth goals, a new brand strategy and identity was needed.
A new era of
self-expression for
Martin Guitar.
The Change
For almost 200 years Martin had been the category leader, with an enviable list of players—from Eric Clapton to Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash to Kurt Cobain. But like any category, competition arises, and their competitors were doing better at connecting with musicians. Martin’s fiercely loyal customer base was ageing, and the brand needed to engage the next generation of Martin loyalists. Today’s new guitar players are younger and more diverse. They view music and creativity differently and Martin needed to see the world in the same way. Creativity, not just instruments. Artists, not just musicians. Purpose, not just product.
The Opportunity
Every individual has unique stories to tell and personal journeys to explore. This insight drove the brand purpose- “to unleash the artist within”. The new strategy was brought to life with a refreshed identity that put the artist at the centre—from a contemporary editorial photographic style, a far more expressive type style and a revised colour palette, that built on the Martin green, along with the design system that comprised a fret board inspired pattern that both nodded to the product but also expressed the individuality of artists and wave patterns that alluded to both musical and emotional self-expression.
One asset that could not be redesigned was their iconic logo but it did not perform well in the digital age. We made quiet adjustments so that the logo was optimised for use across digital platforms. We then flexed their identity for their Custom Shop, an offer where every detail is crafted to the customers specifications, creating personalised pieces of art. The Masterbrand is evident yet elevated, with a more muted colour palette, a photography style that focused on the craftsmanship, supported by image crops of detail drawings give a hint of the intricate process of building a guitar.
The Results
Martin just launched the brand in April, coinciding with John Mayer’s tour where he exclusively plays a Martin when playing acoustic. The rebrand is already receiving amazing feedback from the organisation.
“As someone who has admired and played a Martin Guitar since my teenage years, and then stepped in as the first non-family CEO, I knew that evolving a brand heavily associated with quality, craftsmanship and history would be no small feat. The work Coley Porter Bell has done with us on the rebrand beautifully positions the Martin Guitar brand for years to come.”
Thomas Ripsam, CEO of C.F. Martin & Co.
Custom Shop, the endless possibilities
of custom craft.
Owning a Martin is something special, but there is nothing more special than owning a custom Martin.
Every detail is crafted to the customers exact specifications, creating a personalised piece of art, unlike anything else in the world. We needed to celebrate this unique offer and the people that make them. So, we flexed our visual identity system to tell this story.
