From Facebook to Meta, Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin, and JH Communications to Main St. Media, there are many reasons why companies rebrand. It could be to signal a new direction, or to better reflect the refined image they represent today.
While I can only surmise why Facebook and Dunkin rebranded, I can tell you why we did it. For us, JH Communications will always represent our founding principles, but Main St. Media is more in line with who we are today.
In the marketing-communications world, communications is synonymous with public relations. And that’s how we started. I’m a PR guy who loves advertising. As we evolved over 20 years we became more of a full-service marketing agency. While we always had a strong focus in video communications, we focused more on this medium during the pandemic when people were challenged more than ever in how to get their message out. This led us to develop a complete video department that has been complemented with our media placement professionals and new digital marketing specialists.
When we looked at our client base – insurance companies and agencies, hospitals and medical practices, retirement communities and assisted living homes, small businesses and nonprofits – we realized that these organizations needed a full service marketing department representing them. We felt that Main St. Media better reflects who we are as an agency today.
So what’s in a name?
In our case, it’s all in the name. We are a Main Street agency and our tagline reinforces our mission: Where Madison Ave. Meets Main St. We believe that we deliver Madison Avenue quality advertising, public relations and marketing to Main Street businesses. We went with Media instead of Communications because so much of our business today is centered around video production and media placement.
The look matters.
The most difficult part of any branding is coming up with a mark that truly reflects the brand. We all know the Nike swoosh and the Apple icon, and when we see them we know what the brand represents: cool athletics and innovative technology. Our M logo includes a red play button which is a throwback to our original JH colors while signaling our new focus. Blue is one of those enduring colors that highlights our 20 years of experience and endurance. Our tagline complements the logo and is part of our registered trademark.
A rebrand is not for the faint of heart. Change is difficult, especially if it’s your own initials and something you’ve become comfortable with for two decades. But if the great disruption over the last two years has taught us anything it’s that we either change with the times or the times will change us.
