It’s not uncommon for family-owned, multigenerational businesses to engage COHN for brand strategy development. After all, even the strongest brands need a tune-up after 40+ years of business. In our discovery with Hawkins, it was clear that building on Gary Hawkins’ legacy was fundamental to our work, but that COHN should also intentionally envision the future state of the Hawkins brand for the next generation.
COHN sought to leverage Hawkins’ past but also evoke the full breadth of the Hawkins vision and growth strategy in a way that is relevant and impactful to its audiences. For example, in this visual refresh, we knew we wanted to highlight success stories through a people-focused, rather than property-focused, lens. We also knew that we wanted to place a greater emphasis on the services Hawkins offers in addition to retail development—for example, its growing multifamily development team.
Most importantly, nearly every conversation COHN had with internal and external stakeholders circled the idea of integrity. In fact, one of Gary’s quotes repeatedly appeared in conversations we had with the Hawkins team. Gary was known for saying, “I never want to face someone and not be able to say, ‘I treated them fairly.’”
Because integrity is such a fundamental part of Hawkins’ business, its people, and its character, COHN decided to make Integrity the central thesis of the Hawkins brand. Why does Hawkins succeed? Because it values the Return on Integrity (ROI). This concept—that only through integrity can you build a company like Hawkins—became the heart and soul of the revitalized Hawkins brand, carried through to a corporate identity package, style guide, and new website.
