Wood Group is a $7 billion leading international energy services company that provides a range of services to the oil & gas and power generation industries. The company is involved in engineering, production support, maintenance management and industrial gas turbine overhaul & repair services … everything needed to support the full lifecycle of oil & gas and power generation.
It all adds up to a diverse energy services organization comprised of three businesses: Wood Group PSN, Wood Group Kenny, and Wood Group Mustang. And as Wood Group continues to grow and expand, it is constantly acquiring new companies.
While this kind of business growth is certainly desirable, it presents several challenges. Not the least of which is creating and maintaining a consistent brand identity across all the entities that make up Wood Group.
All in the Family
Until recently, the companies that make up Wood Group all operated as separate entities. They had very little in common. They did their own marketing and there was little or no consideration given to cross-selling or even creating a brand identity for Wood Group.
But not long ago, new corporate leadership pointed out that, while the different companies each delivered unique services, they were all part of the same corporate family; and their clients were all in the energy business. There was, indeed, a potential for cross-selling among Wood Group companies, and there were other reasons why it would be beneficial to build awareness of Wood Group.
As they acquired more companies and expanded their capabilities, Wood Group leadership understood that they could make the whole organization stronger than the sum of its parts.
Recruiting Good People
Why even care about the organization’s public persona if they never do business directly with the public? One reason to establish a Wood Group corporate identity is the ongoing need to attract and maintain talented people. It’s easier to recruit people when they know who you are.
It’s also easier to attract customers when they’re aware of who you are and what you’re accomplishing around the world.
Creating A Name And Giving It A Face
So Wood Group began to create a cohesiveness among its companies, all united under the Wood Group brand.
All Wood Group companies now share the same logo. The U.S. Corporate Communications Department of Wood Group began building awareness of the organization. They reached out to the media, telling the Wood Group story and establishing Wood Group executives as authorities in their various energy specialties. They’ve also gone out into the communities they serve, supporting and sponsoring school groups and other civic organizations.
“Thank You for Calling The Wood Group”
An important part of creating the Wood Group brand identity was delivering a consistent message to callers of all Wood Group companies. With the help of Mind The Gap, callers now hear the Wood Group story when they’re put on hold at any of the companies; and all the on hold messages have a similar feel and a professional sound.
Callers to one company are now hearing about what the other Wood Group companies do. In some cases, that information is turning into new business and creating customers that are now working with two or more Wood Group companies. Even when it doesn’t lead directly to more business, learning more about the company – especially when it’s a worldwide leader – creates more confidence and strengthens the business relationship.
Those on hold corporate messages are easy and inexpensive to do, but they go a long way toward building a strong organization that grows even more powerful as its individual entities grow.
