Case Study

Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Date of Project
2018
Client Type
This Trek Included
Brand Stewardship
Digital Communications
Organizational Advocacy
Agency Brand Alignment & Audience Engagement
McIlrath Insurance Agency
McIlrath Insurance Agency, founded in 1945, serves the Pittsburgh region, offering eleven forms of insurance suited to accommodate individuals, families, businesses, and owners of commercial properties.
Trailhead: Where We Started
Concerned that their customer base primarily associated McIlrath Insurance Agency with specific insurance plans rather than a full spectrum of insurance offerings including but not limited to automotive, homeowners, life, and renters, they voiced a desire to create a more comprehensive and representative impression of their organization. After further conversation, McIlrath also raised their concerns regarding inconsistencies in branding, as well issues establishing an ideal tone in messaging and social media for McIlrath’s local and regional audience. In sum, McIlrath expressed an overall desire to improve and realign the organization’s branding, digital communications, and methods of audience engagement.
Trek: Steps We’ve Taken
First, the TrailBlaze Creative team worked to advance the promotion and audience awareness of McIlrath Insurance Agency’s robust range of insurance offerings, placing special emphasis on highlighting automotive, homeowners, life, and business/commercial insurance. Simultaneously, the TrailBlaze team created or adapted social media content to improve the organization’s marketing and customer-facing communications, including Facebook Live and other targeted efforts. Throughout this process overall brand improvements were also established: creating unified fonts and color schemes across platforms as well as website updates to ensure optimization and ready adoption of ongoing updates. In an effort to improve engagement with existing and potential clients, TrailBlaze Creative also standardized the McIlrath staff’s email signatures to include individual photographs of agents in an effort to build trust and familiarity with those they serve in the community.
Summit: Vision Realized
By promoting McIlrath’s full catalog of insurance types, new and existing customers became aware of (and capable of enrolling in) multiple forms of insurance through McIlrath’s updated website, which now accentuates the entire spectrum of insurance offerings. Through brand stewardship and organization, McIlrath’s logos, fonts, and color schemes are now consolidated, consistent, and recognizable to the general public. Additionally, the effort to increase trust and reliability with clients by improving the tone and quality of social media and other digital communications, has led to a stronger online presence and capacity to effectively to promote the organization and its services.
Are You Ready to Start Your Trek?

TrailBlaze Creative
PO Box 97930
Pittsburgh, PA 15227