Repositioning Franklin Skills

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Franklin Apprenticeships had outgrown its original brand. In addition to apprenticeships, the company offered Fortune 500 clients services like reskilling, upskilling, candidate pre-qualification, and success coaching. The "apprenticeships" umbrella was too narrow, especially since many in the North American market did not fully understand apprenticeships outside of traditional trade roles. 

Whilehiring managers often readily understood the value, business decision-makers did not. The narrow brand limited their messaging and appeal. 

Rebranding provided an opportunity to:

• Shift the focus from apprenticeships to the broader skills development category
• Lead with the company's value proposition to employers
• Align the brand to market dynamics around innovation, shifting demographics, and the need for more agile, skills-focused talent development

Given Franklin Skills' history of struggling to gain consensus on a rebrand, it was crucial to include the leadership team in defining the brand strategy. The process involved:

Goal setting and alignment: Determining the value proposition for both employers and individuals was critical; historically, Franklin's focus was its mission-orientation around elevating candidates. While still key, it needed to be balanced with messaging that spoke to employers' business needs too.

Research: Clarifying mission, vision, values; auditing stakeholder needs, perceptions, and competitor positioning  review. This involved customer interviews, surveys, and insights gathered from internal and  external sourceds.

 Brand strategy development: Positioning platform, attributes, naming, and key messages at th corporate and product/service level. 

Identity: New name, logo, visual identity, website, and brand guidelines

Launch: Internal and external rollout across digital and collateral assets, including a brand new website.

Franklin Apprenticeships became Franklin Skills, a name and brand that more effectively conveyed the company's expanded value proposition. The warmer, more human-centric visual identity amplified the people-focused impact of their work.

Within the first month, website traffic for targeted employer personas increased by 34%. The new messaging and brand positioning strengthened Franklin Skills' standing as a leader in the skills development category.