Portfolio strategy unlocks growth for TX holding company
Portfolio strategy unlocks growth for TX holding company
CLIENT
Westlake Ventures
SCOPE
Research
Portfolio strategy
Brand architecture strategy
+
When DMGgo, a back-office support provider for transportation companies, acquired Bright Flag, a recruiting service with a similar audience, the leadership faced key strategic questions:
Should DMGgo split into three brands based on service lines?
Should DMGgo and Bright Flag merge?
Should a new parent brand be introduced, and what meaning should it carry?
Should growth focus on industry expansion or deepening expertise?
How should future acquisitions be integrated?
Should the brands evolve to better fit their market positions?
Referent guided the team through a research-driven portfolio strategy, aligning on the best path forward and laying the groundwork for optimizing each brand’s role within the portfolio.
Optimize the brand portfolio for total value potential while minimizing risk and complexity.
GOAL
Leverage brand and team strengths while providing a focused path for portfolio growth and brand evolution.
APPROACH
01
Research
Services
Internal stakeholder interviews
Client written response
Competitive research & analysis
Customer survey
Brand value assessment
Internal and external research illuminated team strengths, brand opportunities, and the competitive landscape.
Key Insights
DMGgo was a highly relevant brand with few direct competitors.
The brand’s broad offerings were a plus on paper, but difficult to understand for some customers.
The brand’s high ratio of expert services vs self-serve technology was a strong differentiator.
Customers didn’t resonate with “DMG” but did with “go.”
Bright Flag’s niche position was a winning approach.
Brand equities were reflected through a brand value assessment
02
Portfolio strategy
We collaboratively aligned on a strategy to evolve individual brands and introduce a unifying parent brand.
Key Decisions
DMGgo would evolve its name and brand, retaining “go” and key brand equities.
Instead of spinning off new brands, DMGgo’s services would be streamlined into three core service lines for quick customer understanding.
A new parent brand would unify current and future brands around a shared culture, a recognized strength.
The parent brand would endorse child brands, building its own equity over time.
The portfolio would remain focused on the transportation and logistics industry.
Services
Market segmentation
Audience segmentation
Scenario exploration
Mapping current & future brands
Portfolio map
DMGgo
Current lead brand. Evolve brand and launch branded service lines.
Bright Flag
New acquisition. Refresh brand, keep niche, expand audiences.
New Venture
Planned service expansion. Identify partnership or acquire brand and align as-needed.
Out of Focus
Opportunities that are a service fit, but not an industry expertise fit. Not worth opportunity cost.
With each brand’s purpose clarified, it was time to define the relationship between the new parent brand and its child brands, as well as the relationship between “siblings” in the brand family.
Brand architecture
Parent-endorsed
Each brand retains a unique identity optimized for its role, while sharing values and a similar customer experience.
The parent brand unifies internal teams, builds equity over time, and is optimized for investor relations.
Waypoint Group has more momentum than ever with two optimized brands, a new joint venture, and an energized, unified team.
RESULT