Insights

 The Flagstar Strand Theatre is a beautifully restored historical theatre in the heart of Pontiac and it was experiencing brand confusion. They needed a clear message to go to market. As with theatres and entertainment venues across the nation, their revenue had all but disappeared during the pandemic. It was a perfect time to rebrand.

CHALLENGE:

The most pressing issue was that their nonprofit work (Encore Performing Arts Center), their commercial entertainment side, the Strand Theatre, and Charlene’s Theater Bar led to market confusion. Communication issues were arising when describing the three entities and how they work with one another.

SOLUTION:

When we hear that an organization needs a clear message and a consistent look and feel, we implement the same strategic branding process that big box stores and billion-dollar enterprises do! A brand is a brand no matter the size and our signature Amplify & Thrive process can easily scale to fit the specific needs of any organization's size. 

Our first step was to identify the leadership, management, and stakeholders to be a part of the brand discovery sessions. Marilyn Trent led two, two-hour strategic branding sessions in which she took the group through a facilitated deep dive into the who, what and why of the Strand Theatre.

Marilyn’s philosophy is that brands are defined internally and when taken to market, sales, marketing, management, and frontline employees need to speak with one voice and have a consistent message. This is where the most brands fail.   



OUTCOMES:

We gained consensus for the language necessary to describe the relationship between all three entities and created a brand road map that would help guide all internal and external communications. We established that the Flagstar Strand Theatre is a branded house like Coca Cola— the theatre is the prominant brand, and the sub-brands are Encore Performing Arts and Charlene’s Theater Bar.

We crafted a brand promise that states: “Flagstar Strand Theatre creates a ‘wow’ experience from the moment you walk through the doors to the final applause.” As a part of the brand road map, there is a positioning statement, value proposition, key message points, and go-to market language. The new tagline, “Where Arts Connects Us” defines their commitment  as a community gathering place for the celebration of arts and culture.

POSTITIONING STATEMENT:

The Flagstar Strand Theatre is a community asset that offers diverse and high-quality arts programming that contributes to the culture, education, and economic development of Pontiac and its surrounding communities. It is beautifully restored with multi-use spaces for events ranging from national acts to small private celebrations.

As a part of their commitment to giving back, the Flagstar Strand Theatre’s nonprofit programming STArt is a regional leader in children’s theatre performance and education.

Kyle Westberg, Managing Partner at the Strand, stated, “I have been part of strategic brand development sessions before and this comprehensive approach and the time you (Marilyn) took made all the difference. This is something I can go to market with.”