With more than 100 years of industry expertise, EllisLudell (formerly Ellis Corporation) has long been a trusted leader in water heating and treatment solutions and industrial laundry equipment. It designs and delivers high-performance systems tailored to the diverse needs of its customers, backed by deep experience and proven results.
Built on Legacy, Branded for What’s Next
Northwoods’ Data-Backed Brand Strategy Positions Industry Leader for Long-Term Success
When Ellis Corporation acquired Ludell Manufacturing in 1996, both brands continued to operate independently, with each carrying strong equity but creating increasing confusion both internally and outside the organization.
As Ellis Corporation prepared to scale growth and introduce its innovative Uptime IoT solution to new markets, the company needed more than a digital facelift—it needed a unified brand strategy to provide clarity, focus, and momentum.
The Situation
- Ellis Corporation approached Northwoods during a key growth phase, facing significant challenges due to a fragmented brand identity and outdated website.
- The company's go-to-market strategy relied heavily on legacy brand names, missing opportunities to highlight the value of its full breadth of products and services and showcase customer benefits more effectively.
- Internally, employees found it difficult to clearly communicate the company's full range of offerings, which limited cross-sell opportunities.
- Customers often failed to distinguish between the two brands and were unaware of the breadth of Ellis Corporation’s capabilities.
The Solution
- Using our proven brand strategy process, Northwoods took a data-driven approach to understand current brand perception through leadership interviews, customer surveys, and competitive brand analysis.
- Our research revealed that while customers were unaware of the company’s full value, most of the brand confusion was internal, underscoring the need for clarity.
- Northwoods recommended unifying the Ellis and Ludell brands under a single name—EllisLudell—to preserve brand equity, while strengthening the company’s overall presence.
- We developed a brand strategy that included new positioning, and a new essence, promise, tagline, personality, and voice, as well as brand architecture that supports growth and long-term success.
- Leveraging our brand strategy work, our UX research team developed a data-driven UX strategy to guide the development of a new website that would help launch the newly combined brands.
The Outcome
- The unified EllisLudell brand is cohesive and scalable, positioning the company to compete in both established and emerging markets.
- Internal teams are now aligned, equipping them to confidently share the full breadth of EllisLudell’s capabilities with customers and partners.
- A refreshed visual identity, including updated logos, color palette, typography, and iconography, helps modernize the brand’s look and feel across both traditional and digital channels.
- The company has adopted a product- and service-first marketing strategy that resonates with customers and moves beyond the limitations of legacy branding.
- The new brand strategy and visual identity, along with UX research, served as a guide for a comprehensive website redesign, providing a seamless experience for both internal and external audiences.
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