EdisonLearning

New:  Formal company name, and logo

Launched:  June 30, 2008

Story in brief:
This is a classic case of category expansion --   "we're not just in the Schools business, we're in the Learning business" -- and a rebranding effected here by a game-changing acquisition,  as well as a by a new logo.

The "Edison Project" was formed seventeen years ago by a visionary leader, Chris Whittle, as a research project, and became "Edison Schools" with the conviction that a profit-driven company could create and operate better  schools, in challenging urban communities, than the school districts could. "Privatization" looked exciting; the company went public, set out to create 1000 schools (the current count is said to be 154 schools). Edison had some early successes but  ultimately crashed, and was taken private in 2003 -- its value, a lot of learning about teaching, learning, measuring and managing education.  This has value because  in a vacuum of political will and educated leadership, America's education system is in a state of catastrophic collapse. We need all the help we can get.

Edison's new investors brought in Terry Stecz, a marketing executive from Wyeth, to reinvent the company. Assisted by The New England Consulting Group, Stecz reset the vision toward transformation of education, and accelerated learning for all children, regardless of the process or medium. And in 2007, he realized the "Edison Schools" label would inhibit this vision: a rebranding would be required. BrandLogic won the assignment.

As brand planning proceeded, the timetable was changed to accommodate and incorporate the acquisition of Provost Systems, a pioneering education software company.

The name change, from Edison/Edison Schools to  EdisonLearning, clearly changes the game  -- from 'a building' (a tool or process for learning) to learning itself, the end benefit. It's one word, cap E cap L, in an effort to make us more quickly rethink and relearn the "Edison" reputation.

Given the name decision and its complexity (which invited a two-tier, two-tone wordmark), BrandLogic was virtually forced to seek a symbol-based solution, and gave us a nice monogram, like the encouraging "e" our teacher might have marked for "Excellent!"

Credits:
C.E.O. - Terry Stecz
Identity counsel and design - BrandLogic;  Planning Bill Engler,
design Arban Bushi, Fredy Jaggi directing


 

First Impressions:
Strategy: Excellent! Rebranding will buy a new life for this change agent. We need them.
Naming: E for effort, and understandable; but effective only for short term impact. It is five syllables, close to the limit. It will be difficult to enforce. (Unsolicited advice: Accept that in context you will always be "Edison," but never tolerate "E.L.") 
Design: Effective and functional, especially if backed with a strong and consistently applied visual system. 

Corporate Brand Matrix  ratings, subject to confirmation:  
20% structural,  80% strategic,  0% functional