Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

New:  Name and logo

Launched:  June 2, 2009

Story in brief:
"The Global Wealth Management Group of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, and the Smith Barney division of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., have combined into Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC."  It's a 51/49 joint venture, with Morgan Stanley calling the shots.  Another way to look at it -- the once homeless, still battered Smith Barney family, hanging tough, finds a foster home warmer than sleep-deprived Citi  (and much closer to its brand heritage... "We do it the old fashioned way.")

C&G Partners' assignment was "to create the identity for this joint venture." The length of the four combined names was obviously a challenge but an "MSSB" solution was quickly dismissed; instead, C&G  treated the four names as two pairs, to make them seem less like a law firm's partners and more like a two-brand partnership. Type stayed close to Morgan Stanley's logo, subtly refined with serif-ed h and n's and a slightly brighter blue; "SmithBarney" was shifted to the right simply to  make the mark a bit more dynamic.

Credits:
C.E.O. - James Gorman, Chairman (and Morgan Stanley Co-President)
Brand - Ramona Boston, MS Managing Director, Financial Marketing
Identity design - C & G Partners; directed by Steff Geissbuhler

First Impressions:
Strategy:  There's no argument -- combining the two brands provides transitioning comfort to Smith Barney customers and employees alike.   But ultimately it's another step in the migration of  historic financial names to the dustbin of history, where Smith and Barney will in due course join Pierce, Fenner, Beane, Dean, and Witter (and soon to be joined by Lynch and Merrill, too).
Design:  For the unit itself, it's an appropriate and elegant signature. But it can't help but dilute, no matter how mildly, the visual integrity of the Morgan Stanley identity designed by Carbone Smolan.

Corporate Brand Matrix ratings:  
100% structural,  0% strategic,  0% functional (est.)