Forty years is a long time to wait, but Guardian Protection Services, which is nominated for three SAMMY Awards this year, is rebranding with an emphasis on home automation.
The Warrendale, Pa.-based company, which has been in business for 65 years in all, has a new logo and a new tagline for its Guardian Home Technologies division that is specifically targeted at the burgeoning home automation industry and homebuilders. The company is replacing a logo and branding scheme that was created by CEO Russ Cersosimo back in 1975 when he bought the company.
The goal of the strategic rebranding initiative is to create a refreshed image which will help to ensure that prospective and existing clients have the correct perception of Guardian as a customer-centric technology firm specializing in security and automation while providing the most reliable, technologically advanced services to homes and businesses. Guardian, owned by the Armstrong Group, touts having more than 250,000 alarm and automation customers.
“The evolution of technology demands that the image we portray to the public – our brand – continue to accurately reflect our vibrant, growing firm, while honoring the phenomenal efforts of the past that have earned Guardian its well-respected position in the marketplace,” says Cersosimo.
Along with the new look, the company is also rolling out a new mobile app for its Alarm.com customers to interact with their systems. The new logo will be incorporated into signage, business cards, stationery, billing statements and marketing materials on a phased basis. There are also correlating versions of the logo for the Guardian Home Technologies division and the Authorized Dealer division. For the home automation/residential and builder division, Guardian is also launching a new tag line: “The Heart of Your Connected Home.”
According to Joseph R. Lininger, vice president of marketing, the goal of the tag line is to reflect not only the fact that Guardian provides home security but also home automation, together forming a robust platform of connectivity.
Guardian’s internal work on the rebranding initiative spanned more than a year. According to Lininger, Guardian worked with an outside marketing agency during certain phases of the development process, as well as its parent company, Armstrong, to gather input. He noted that work is also being done on Guardian’s website which will reflect the findings of the rebranding initiative. That work is expected to be completed in 2015.
“Change in the area of rebranding is sometimes difficult,” says Lininger, adding, “I think we struck a perfect balance in regard to the new logo. It is not a huge departure from the original but it is recognizably different and fresh.”
