The Stars Have Aligned: Coldwell Banker Real Estate Officially Unveils New North Star Branding

Six months after previewing a new logo and identity, Coldwell Banker Real Estate reveals lessons learned from its "transparent rebrand" as it continues to shape the brand's future

MADISON, N.J. (September 12, 2019) – Six months ago Coldwell Banker Real Estate previewed a new logo, dubbed the "CB North Star mark," which symbolized the brand's position as a guide for clients and a leader in the real estate industry. After an extensive testing and discovery phase, the brand has finalized the new logo and corresponding identity standards, yard signs, marketing materials, office concepts and a full suite of branded apparel.

Rebrands are especially difficult endeavors for franchise organizations and as such the Coldwell Banker® brand chose a novel approach to the process. Calling upon the ingenuity that has driven the brand for the past 113 years, Coldwell Banker Real Estate devised the concept of a "transparent rebrand." The past six months have been filled with testing, iterating and perfecting the new brand identity. Four companies served as beta testers, identifying the best practices and signage design that will guide the global roll-out in 2020.

Coldwell Banker Real Estate has now landed on a new look to guide the company into a new era. Based on initial field testing, the new logo was updated to include the "Coldwell Banker" wordmark displayed with the new "CB North Star" icon. The brand also finalized new yard sign designs after real-world implementation in four test markets – Plainfield, Illinois, Washington, D.C., Madison, New Jersey and Greenville, South Carolina.

The brand released the "Coldwell Banker Look Book" along with new identity standards and a "Playbook" to guide Coldwell Banker-affiliated companies through their own rebrands. In addition to these assets, the brand will host sessions at its annual Coldwell Banker Leadership Summit, September 12-14, in Chicago to present learnings from the rebranding process in test markets. The brand is also releasing a weekly podcast dubbed "The Road to Rebrand" and a mini documentary titled "Story Behind the Star."

In their initial planning, brand leaders were very cognizant of the financial and emotional investment involved in a rebrand of this size. The Coldwell Banker brand currently has 3,100 offices and 92,000 affiliated agents. The year 2020 was identified as the company wide rebrand kick-off to allow companies to plan and budget at a steady pace. However, since announcing the new look, many companies are eager to rebrand ahead of the 2020 kick-off, a nod to the success of the transparent strategy.

"For a franchise brand, I believe that a transparent rebrand process is necessary, and this process has been enlightening. Companies that declare a rebrand is happening and don't leave room to test in real-world scenarios put themselves at a disadvantage," said David Marine, chief marketing officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. "We've been able to make adjustments in a number of scenarios where the logo is displayed on signage, marketing materials and more. We saw what works best and adjusted based on feedback. This learning phase gave us invaluable insight before we roll out the new look across our entire network in 2020."

"One of the great things about the process of rebranding has been the response from clients. They shared in our excitement when we switched to the new yard signs. I also had a few clients comment on our remodeled office; some even said the design choices gave them inspiration for their own homes," said Ellen Williams, agent, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group. "Better yet our office got more than just new décor, the way our working space is laid out now is more comfortable and welcoming. The space is inspiring, it motivates us, there's a buzz and energy."

"Coldwell Banker did a great job engaging affiliated agents during yard sign development and selection, the new designs will really help the brand stand out, which is tough in the sophisticated D.C. market," said Sherri Anne Green, agent, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. "Clients are drawn to the modern logo. The clean fresh look combined with the history and strength of the name Coldwell Banker make for a powerful combination."

If you want to be a part of Coldwell Banker Project North Star, visit https://www.coldwellbanker.com/careers and explore how the Coldwell Banker brand can be the North Star to guide your career.

About Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC

Powered by its network of over 92,000 affiliated sales professionals in 3,100 offices across 44 countries and territories, the Coldwell Banker® organization is a leading provider of full-service residential and commercial real estate brokerage services. The brand's mission is to empower their people to leave their mark on the world of real estate. The Coldwell Banker brand prides itself on its history of expertise and honesty since its beginnings in 1906. The brand embraces four core values: home, awesomeness, ingenuity and excellence. Coldwell Banker Real Estate is committed to providing its network of sales professionals with the tools and insights needed to excel in today's marketplace and is known for its bold leadership and dedication to driving the industry forward with big data and smart home expertise. Coldwell Banker Real Estate was the first real estate brand to harness the power of big data; the CBx Technology Suite uses predictive analytics and machine learning to analyze markets, target buyers and sellers and provide agents with a simple platform to create unique and effective marketing plans for each listing. The brand was named among the 2018 and 2019 Women's Choice Award® Most Recommended brands for customer experience and overall quality. Blue is bold and the integrity and values of Coldwell Banker Real Estate give the Gen Blue® network an unbeatable edge. Coldwell Banker®, the Coldwell Banker logo, Gen Blue® and the Gen Blue Experience® are registered services marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each office is independently owned and operated. To join Coldwell Banker Real Estate and unlock the possibilities of Gen Blue, please visit www.coldwellbanker.com/join.