• by Karl Greenberg , June 9, 2013

Stanley Tools has changed its look. The maker of consumer and commercial hand and power tools, and an array of commercial grade equipment in security, health care, petrochemicals and other fields, has adopted a more active logo, packaging system and brand direction. The purpose of the change is to bring forward a more active theme that incorporates both commercial and consumer brand aspects.

Says Steve Lawrence -- senior partner at brand and design strategy firm Lippincott, which developed the new brand identity -- “People think Stanley is about hand tools and hand tools only, and don't know the brand for the many other things it does, so we needed to bring the brand into the present to prepare for future.” The new branding includes a new tag line as well: “Performance in Action.” 

The former brand identity had the Stanley name in a stylized rectangle that looked like a nameplate. The new look has a larger letter “N” with an angular cut that gives the entire shape an upward swoop meant to evoke the “Action” theme. 

Marc Hohmann, partner and designer at the firm, tells Marketing Daily that the visual system has been extended to packaging. “The triangular shape is part of the visual system that reflects back to the logo; everything you see ties back to that, and speaks to larger idea of Stanley's extended businesses.”

The new look is meant to give the brand more of an action-oriented feel, sustain the brand for the long run and support the brand's expansion in new global markets, per Lawrence. “Our job was to help them do those three things,” says Hohmann. “Part of the requirement was a [branding approach] that offers a broader identity and more of a focus on B-to-B.”

He tells Marketing Daily that the firm is also working with AOR Leo Burnett, New York on a new campaign to support the change. 

The campaign also has a less overt goal. Lawrence points out that Stanley, which owns Black & Decker, had suffered from vague boundaries with its other brands. “This is a strong decision about what is inside of the brand and what is outside," he says. “In the old days, the endorsement strategy was rampant. Stanley would endorse the smaller brands. Now we have made a system that makes it very clear when Stanley is present.”