Hydrogen harnesses the power of “A” for BDA rebranding.

Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. (BDA), is well known among Fortune 500 enterprises, major sports, leagues and global entertainment holding companies as a merchandise agency. But as a matter of fact, BDA does far more than just “put logos on stuff.” At the end of 2007, BDA turned to Hydrogen to help them shift perceptions by rebranding their company and by helping them introduce the new brand to their employees, or “associates” as they’re known at BDA, at a special launch event.

After taking a close look at the company’s history, culture and capabilities, Hydrogen crafted a tagline that more accurately reflects their holistic approach to marketing. Rather than focusing solely on the merchandise BDA creates, we shifted the spotlight to the end-benefit their branded merchandise delivers: BDA brings the world’s best brands into the real lives of real people. Hydrogen distilled this thought in the tagline: “BDA. We make your brand an experience.”

The new logo takes its inspiration from the company’s culture, which is unusually close-knit, loyal and enterprising. It gives a special shout-out to the associates who are the power behind BDA’s success. Thus, BD&A is now BDA, eliminating any barriers between the associates and the founding partners. To further emphasize the power of the associates, the ‘A’ is elevated and circled in a contrasting color, which symbolizes activation, affinity and the company’s 360º approach to business.

In addition to the new logo and tagline, Hydrogen helped BDA ensure a successful internal launch by creating:

• A campaign of teaser e-mails and posters displayed throughout BDA’s Woodinville headquarters two weeks prior to the launch event

• A 24-page brand book introducing the new logo, tagline and brand identity

• Copy and design for BDA’s new Web site

• A brand video

On April 28, 2008 at their Woodinville headquarters, BDA’s Vice President of Marketing Alison Paisley introduced the new brand to hundreds of cheering BDA associates as balloons cascaded from the ceiling. Each employee received a BDA brand book and something even more exciting: a brand new perspective on BDA.