Brand Development Completed in Key Categories

Capitalizing on travel and tourism experience, GodwinGroup provided branding and launch support for the Great American Steamboat Company, a Memphis-based firm specializing in luxury steamboat voyages on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

GodwinGroup developed marketing strategies, Web presence and sales materials, with a focus on building brand identity and strong competitive positioning across national markets. The Great American Steamboat Company began business operations last August with the acquisition of the American Queen, the largest, most opulent paddlewheel steamboat in the world.

“We selected GodwinGroup based on their proven track record of working with other leaders within the tourism industry, including previous work on behalf of the fabled Delta Queen Steamboat Company,” said Christopher Kyte, president of Great American Steamboat Company.

The Great American Steamboat Company website garnered a Gold ADDY and the Judges’ Best of Show award in the 2012 Jackson Advertising Federation ADDY Awards.

In Spring 2012, The Great American Steamboat Company began offering voyages ranging from three to ten nights, departing from spectacular cities such as New Orleans, St. Louis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

GodwinGroup also guided strategic brand development and created a long-term marketing strategy for Tegrit Group, an Ohio-based firm providing advanced recordkeeping, software solutions, actuarial consulting, and administration services and solutions for defined benefit, defined contribution, cash balance and retiree medical plans. GodwinGroup’s Gulf Coast and Jackson offices worked together to craft a new brand identity and competitive positioning, including a design and launch of a new company logo.

“We are extremely pleased that GodwinGroup was selected as Tegrit’s strategic ally for building a brand identity that not only exemplifies their mission as a company, but also connects with customers on an emotional level,” said Patrick Leary, senior vice president of GodwinGroup Gulf Coast.

With more than 100 associates, Tegrit provides services to over 2,000 employers and has a total of five offices in Cleveland, Columbus and Akron, Ohio; as well as Livonia, Michigan; and Spartanburg, South Carolina.

In the foodservice category, GodwinGroup provided branding and marketing services to Merchants Foodservice, a broadline foodservice distributor operating in nine Southeastern states.

GodwinGroup was responsible for developing and launching the new brand position with a focus on building and evolving a modern brand personality. Most recently, Merchants Foodservice announced the launch of their new website—www.merchantsfoodservice.com.

Merchants Foodservice currently operates in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.

“Merchants Foodservice has a long and well-substantiated history of being an award-winning provider of quality food products,” said Philip Shirley, chairman and CEO of GodwinGroup. “We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to work with Merchants in establishing a strong, cohesive brand image.”

Headquartered in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Merchants Foodservice provides state-of-the-art inventory management and distribution services to over 5,000 customers from its distribution centers located in Jackson, Mississippi; Clanton, Alabama; Newberry, South Carolina; and Tifton, Georgia.  The company also provides marketing services to more than 200 of the leading foodservice manufacturers in the nation. Merchants Foodservice has been ranked in the Top 10 in sales increases for the last two years by Institutional Distributor Magazine. 

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