The Best Brands

If there is one word to describe the best brands, it’s authentic.

In my role as a Manhattan Co-op Board President, I’ve had the opportunity to experience the brand promises and communications of companies we have hired and also of the companies we have replaced.

I’ve experienced firsthand how some brand promises ring true and succeed in influencing the Board to hire. I’ve also observed how others miss the mark – sometimes badly, with brand promises that are not based in reality.

The good news is this: despite all the misinformation and disinformation in the world, there are still companies who are exactly who they say they are.

Zimmerman Architects and Engineers

Of the many companies we have engaged, there is one company whose branding and tagline stands out: Howard L. Zimmerman Architects and Engineers.

The first time I called Zimmerman, for a second opinion on a scheduled capital improvement project, I got Howard on the phone. I told Howard I didn’t trust the engineer the Board had retained and that we needed a second opinion. Howard told me they specialize in finding less costly ways to resolve issues and they did not disappoint.

Zimmerman sent Ilya Schtulberg, a senior structural engineer, who recommended an approach that saved us 500k, a significant amount for a 35-unit building.

Months later, when our property manager brought in another engineer whose “wait and see” approach on a water infiltration issue was ill-advised, I called the property manager and said: Just get us Ilya.

When we needed objective second opinions on the condition and value of our vintage, “Moderne” style building (in response to a real estate developer’s offer), Ilya was one of the professionals we consulted. Ilya pointed out our solidly constructed pre-war would never have the costly issues buildings constructed in the post-war decades would have.

When I finally looked at Zimmerman’s website and tagline, I smiled and immediately had two thoughts:

That’s perfect for them.

And then: That might be the best tagline I’ve ever seen.

It’s the first part of Zimmerman’s tagline that speaks to me and rings true:

For the love of buildings.

“For the love of buildings” broadcasts both a genuine commitment to the work of taking care of buildings and a passion for it.

Zimmerman’s love of buildings is reflected on their LinkedIn page where they post stunning, aerial photos of the iconic NYC buildings they’re working on. And it’s reflected in the quality of their thinking.

As a client, we have experienced Zimmerman’s brand promise as deeply authentic and true.

We appreciate the strength of Ilya’s critical thinking, the care and commitment he demonstrates towards our building, and the many prudent, cost-effective recommendations he has made as we restore our vintage “Moderne” style building to mint condition.

Refining Your Brand

To refine your brand, we work with you to conduct a competitive differentiation. We seek to understand and clarify what’s unique, credible, deeply authentic, and relevant to your audiences. We also seek to understand and, if needed, refine your purpose.

With that information we help you create a brand that has impact – one that conveys the truth about who you are and what you offer and that helps you attract and keep the right clients.

Note: Zimmerman is now one of seven strategic partners of Milrose Consultants. Zimmerman’s historic brand, described in this post, no longer exists; it has been subsumed under Milrose Consultants’ generic brand. (The Milrose website doesn’t even let you copy the URL to the page that lists its strategic partners.) Ideally, the new Milrose brand would broadcast the strengths of Zimmerman and all of its strategic partners (rather than bury their strengths).

When acquiring or forming joint ventures with other companies, it’s crucial to do a structured competitive differentiation to clarify the strengths of all partners. You risk losing an enormous amount of competitive advantage if you do not.