Ardwell
Disciplines
Brand strategy, repositioning, visual identity, website design
Industry
Energy technology
Overview
Ardwell spent forty years drilling oil and gas wells. Today it uses the same rigs and the same crews to drill for geothermal heat. Blomdahl&Co developed the repositioning, rebuilt the identity, and designed the guidelines, the motion system and the website.
Challenge
The business had changed; the brand had not. Utilities and investors looking for geothermal expertise saw an oilfield contractor and moved on. But the company's history was also its strongest argument — and its 400 employees needed to see their work continued, not written off.
Approach
We kept the name and changed the meaning. Where young geothermal companies sell technology still being proven, Ardwell sells experience: nobody has drilled more deep wells. The positioning — "We know the way down." — turns the oil and gas years into the reason to choose the company, and replaces environmental claims with a claim of
Outcome
A rebrand that changes what the company stands for without pretending it has become a different company.
