Overview
Levy Group, a prominent player in the technology professional services industry, faced the challenge of redefining its brand to accommodate rapid growth and expansion into new markets. The existing brand architecture, although successful in its original markets, required a transformation to enhance its global presence and provide clear distinctions between its services. Black Slate, an agency with a strong track record in strategic brand development, was tasked with creating a comprehensive brand strategy for Levy Group. This strategy aimed to align its services with its evolving market presence while ensuring consistency and impact across its global operations.
Challenge
Levy Group had successfully established itself in the UK and the Netherlands, providing executive search services for high-level positions and consultancy services through two primary offerings: Levy Search and Levy Professionals. As the company sought to expand into the United States and Germany, they recognized the need for a more unified brand architecture that reflected their expertise, services, and global footprint.
Additionally, Levy’s rapid growth created the need for a cohesive and well-defined employer brand. Their diverse and highly skilled workforce, including permanent staff and seconded professionals, required better integration into the company’s identity. Levy also wanted to emphasize its commitment to employee satisfaction and community building, essential elements of its organizational culture.
Objectives
- Establish a unified global brand identity for Levy Group that could be adapted across multiple regions and services.
- Clearly differentiate between Levy Group’s two key services: Levy Search and Levy Professionals.
- Enhance Levy Group’s online presence with an updated website and domain structure that would support its global expansion.
- Strengthen the corporate and employer brand to ensure consistency across all touchpoints and resonate with both clients and employees.
Solution
Black Slate approached Levy Group’s brand transformation by focusing on four key areas: brand proposition, architecture, online presence, and employer brand.
- Brand Proposition:
The new brand proposition positioned Levy Group as “Global Experts in Technology Professional Services.” This clearly communicated the company’s breadth and expertise across markets, including the UK, Netherlands, US, and Germany. Levy’s unique strength lay in its ability to offer both executive search (Levy Search) and consultancy services (Levy Professionals). This dual focus was emphasized through messaging that highlighted Levy’s industry expertise, internal bench strength, and access to passive candidates.
Black Slate helped Levy hone their messaging around their global talent pool, their personalized approach to client needs, and the multilingual, multicultural diversity of their team. This was designed to differentiate Levy from its competitors and emphasize the company’s commitment to quality, both for clients and employees.
- Brand Architecture:
To clearly delineate the two service offerings while maintaining a cohesive brand, Black Slate developed a new brand architecture that comprised a parent brand (Levy Global) with two sub-brands: Levy Search and Levy Professionals. This architecture was structured to support Levy’s global presence while allowing each sub-brand to target its specific market and service offering.
Levy Search was positioned as the executive search arm of the company, focusing on high-level technology positions. In contrast, Levy Professionals was branded as a consultancy service, providing personalized project solutions. This clear distinction helped potential clients understand the full scope of Levy’s services and allowed for targeted marketing and communication.
- Website and Domain Strategy:
Black Slate recommended a comprehensive overhaul of Levy’s online presence to reflect the new brand architecture. The existing website (levy-professionals.com) was consolidated under a new domain: www.levyglobal.com. This provided a unified landing page for the parent brand while creating separate subdomains for Levy Search and Levy Professionals. Each subdomain was further segmented by region, with specific content tailored to the UK, Netherlands, US, and Germany.
This approach ensured that Levy’s global audience could easily access the information and services relevant to their needs, while maintaining consistency in brand messaging and visual identity. The updated website also featured client testimonials, case studies, and career opportunities, helping to build credibility and attract both clients and top talent.
- Employer Brand:
A key part of Levy’s transformation involved strengthening the corporate and employer brand. Black Slate developed a strategy that focused on employee satisfaction, timely payments, and social support for seconded professionals. These elements were designed to create a sense of belonging among employees, who were integral to the success of Levy’s project-based consultancy services.
The company’s commitment to diversity and relocation services for international hires was also highlighted as part of the employer brand. This messaging underscored Levy’s dedication to creating a supportive, inclusive environment for employees, while positioning the company as a top choice for skilled professionals seeking international opportunities.
Outcome
The brand transformation undertaken by Black Slate allowed Levy Group to effectively position itself as a global leader in technology professional services. The new brand architecture provided clarity around Levy’s service offerings, helping clients easily navigate between executive search and consultancy services.
The updated website and domain structure gave Levy a cohesive online presence that supported its global expansion into the US and Germany, while maintaining strong connections with its established markets in the UK and the Netherlands.
Moreover, the refreshed employer brand helped to strengthen internal cohesion and promote employee satisfaction, which is crucial in a service-based business where talent is the key differentiator. Levy’s focus on diversity, employee well-being, and personalized client solutions has enabled the company to build stronger relationships with both clients and staff, setting a solid foundation for future growth.
Summary
Through a well-executed brand strategy, Black Slate helped Levy Group align its services and identity with its global ambitions. The comprehensive approach ensured that Levy could maintain its boutique feel while scaling internationally, offering clients the specialized expertise they needed to thrive in the fast-moving world of technology professional services.
