Rebranding a market leading realtor

CHALLENGE

Reposition a well-recognized individual realtor to become a fully-fledged, team-based realty.

Not only a true market leader in his home territory of the Cayman Islands, James Bovell is also one of the top producing realtors in the RE/MAX global network. Indeed, our early brand discovery showed that while everyone recognised James Bovell himself - ‘The face of Real Estate in the Cayman Islands’ - there was almost no recognition for his company ‘Dreamfinders’. The enterprise was struggling with a three-way brand conflict: James Bovell the realtor, Dreamfinders the realty, and RE/MAX the global network.

To grow the business, and stay on top, James Bovell needed to leverage his name while providing a brand structure in which other associates could thrive.

SOLUTION

The first step was to solve the brand architecture riddle. With a reputation built around James Bovell, we advised changing the Dreamfinders name to, simply, Bovell. The subtle distinction of ‘Bovell’, rather than ‘James Bovell’ shifted the focus from the individual to a branded company. We then established the rules of hierarchy which identified RE/MAX as an associated endorsement and gave Bovell the ascendancy.

The second set was to develop a clean, crisp visual identity that reflected the Bovell speciality: expertise in luxury tropical property. Beginning with a unique brand signature, we created a full suite of marketing materials necessary for a competitive realty. A key element in the suite was the completely redeveloped Bovell website and accompanying set of social media tools.

RESULTS

Bovell is only now going through the relaunch and so it really is too early to tell how successful the rebrand will be. But the indications are that it has already created a splash in the local industry and the first returns on site traffic are especially encouraging. Watch this brand space.