Best Defense Security and Fire Protection
Best Company Logo Design
Sponsored by ISC Expo
When he started the company 16 years ago, Carter Rierson, president of Waunakee, Wis.-based Best Defense Security and Fire Protection, was fully aware that name recognition is a big part of growing a business. Thus, he wanted to create a logo that not only caught the eye of his community, but one that represented the company well.
What he developed was a SAMMY award-winning logo (created in-house) featuring a knight riding on horseback, which has become a major icon in his community. “People remember the horseman,” explains the first-time SAMMY winner. “It associates chivalry, gallantry and, most importantly, protection.”
Of course, when young ones recognize the symbol, it proves to be a good sign. Such was the case when Rierson’s one-year-old pointed at a local restaurant’s door decal of the logo and said, “Da Da,” instantly recognizing the horseman as the logo of the family business.
“Strong recognizable branding helps us develop sales by adding credibility to our name,” he says. “Customers are more likely to buy from us if they’ve seen our decals and trucks prior to the sales appointments.”
Though the company’s logo is seen on a great number of things, such as vehicles (Rierson provides the vinyl himself), business cards, yard signs and the company’s Web site, Rierson admits that with today’s economy, the marketing budget has gone down. Because of the reduced budget, Best Defense had to evaluate what techniques brought in the most sales. Upon realizing that very few customers were brought in through ads posted in the Yellow Pages, the company withdrew its ads and noticed a savings of a few thousand dollars a month.
Additionally, Best Defense installers must wear the company shirt that features the logo. And with access control being one of the markets the company caters to, Rierson has placed his company logo, name and phone number on physical access cards for name recognition.
Rierson couldn’t be more thrilled with his first SAMMY win adding, “[Receiving national recognition] shows that we’re doing something right. People want to choose a winner, and now, with this award Best Defense is a winner. It builds confidence, which is what sales are all about.”
Print | posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 2:10 PM