After 25 years as a leader in socially-responsible investments, Calvert Group of Bethesda, Md. is making revisions to its corporate image.
The firm has adopted a new corporate logo that identifies the firm as "Calvert" rather than "Calvert Group." It has also shifted its IChing symbol from left to right of the Calvert name. This ancient Chinese symbol consists of six stacked bars. The new Calvert logo has reduced the width of those six bands but stacked them higher. Calvert has also replaced its "The Family of Socially Responsible Mutual Funds" tagline with, "Investments That Make A Difference."
The changes are part of Calvert's broader initiative to bring its marketing up to date and to build stronger relationships with its customers, said Reggie Stanley, senior vice president of marketing at Calvert. Stanley assumed the position last June to oversee Calvert's marketing and product development for all distribution channels.
The original rationale for using the Chinese symbol has been forgotten so the firm decided to revise the logo and give it new meaning, according to Elizabeth Laurienzo, a company spokesperson. The new logo was developed with Wechsler, Ross & Partners of New York. The name used in the logo was shortened because the firm felt that inclusion of the word group diluted the impact of the Calvert name, said Stanley.
Each of the bars of the IChing logo represents one of the company's attributes, including sound money management and support for social values, Stanley said.
Its new tagline also defines just how Calvert's investment philosophy makes a difference - from being active in communities to partnering with financial advisors, Stanley said. Calvert has used many different corporate taglines since its inception in 1976.
The new corporate logo has been included since January on Calvert's marketing materials but Calvert has not called attention to the change. The new logo and tagline will for the first time be used on the fund group's redesigned website when it is introduced at the end of this month, Stanley said. Besides being redesigned to be easier to navigate, Calvert will add more content, including issue briefs that will explore social issues.
Calvert will use its new logo and tagline on two new periodic print publications, "Calvert Advisor" and "Calvert Investor" that will be introduced next month. These publications, which Stanley refers to as "magalogues," or a combination of magazine and catalogue, will be used to build relationships with Calvert's audiences.
The "Calvert Advisor," for example, will contain articles aimed at helping financial intermediaries build their businesses. "Calvert Investor" will contain profiles of socially-responsible investors and discuss asset allocation strategies. Calvert's new logo and tagline are also appearing in three new print ads the firm has recently begun running in trade magazines that target financial advisers, said a company spokesperson. The ads, which play down individual fund performance, instead emphasize Calvert's investments in companies that strive to make safe products or respect workplace diversity. Stanley declined to disclose the cost of the logo redesign or the firm's ad expenditures.
