NORTH KINGSTOWN, R. I. — Howes is rolling out a new look.
For almost a century, Howes has provided its customers with additives that are designed keep up with changing fuels, engines and injector systems.
Now, Howes is updating its look to match.
The new brand look is centered around clarity and improved messaging, making it easier for customers to quickly purchase the Howes product that best suits their needs, according to new employee Phil Colacchio, vice president of marketing, who has spearheaded the initiative.
Unique and creative, the Howes brand platform will flow from the packaging on shelf all the way through to its new, easy to navigate website that will be launched this month, he said.
“The Howes family was ready to shake things up. Joining the team and helping to improve customer satisfaction has been a wonderful opportunity, and an effort that we are intent on continually improving,” Colacchio said. “We’re thrilled with our new brand look and how it clearly identifies each individual product and communicates what each product does and how to use them. By using distinct colors to differentiate the products and helpful icons to point out their features and benefits, the new branding offers a very simple purchasing experience.”
Best known for its flagship product, Howes Diesel Treat, Howes offers a complete line of additives and lubricants for diesel fuel, gasoline, and even oil.
“We want our customers to know that we are more than just a winter additive company and that we offer the best performing products for all of your additive needs,” said Howes President Robert Howes. “Products that work in trucks, tractors, RV’s and even home heating oil. Plus, we still carry my great grandfather’s original secret formula; a Multi-Purpose Lubricating and Penetrating Oil that, to this day, surpasses all other products in its class. In short, we make the most reliable performance fluids for moving parts and vehicles and we want to help you easily find the one that you need when you need it.”
The new branding effort brings more than just a new visual identity for Howes. It highlights the family’s core values and culture. For many years, Howes has used the tagline “Professional Grade Performance Since 1920.”
Accompanying the new brand effort, Howes has chosen to help portray its identity through a new St. Bernard logo which will serve as the new brand mark and represent the strength, loyalty, dependability and trust that form the foundation of the company, Howes said.
“Never releasing a product with which we are completely satisfied, we tirelessly test and test again, until every product we make is proven safe and effective, according to Rob Howes II, vice president of strategic development.
“All of our products are safe to use and contain absolutely no alcohol or harmful solvents. Our products are tested in and out of the lab by experts, by us personally, as well as by our customers,” Rob Howes said. “We refuse to release any product that is merely average, we strive for excellence. If it’s a Howes product, it’s a reliable product. We make sure of it. You don’t even have to take our word for it. Ask a friend, ask a colleague, ask anyone who has used it and they’ll tell you, this stuff works.”
As a fifth generation, family owned and operated company, Co-Owner Deb Howes said the company is committed to providing its customers with not only the best products, but with the ultimate in industry knowledge and customer service.
“This is not just a business to us. This is our legacy,” Deb Howes said. “This is our family, and that extends beyond our office doors to our employees, our distributors, our customers. They are all family to us. Their success is our success and vice versa. That’s why we put 100 percent into every product we make, and why we stand behind each one whole heartedly.”
Howes earns trust not by just the superior products they put out, but by really being there when they are needed, said Vice President of Business Development Erika Howes. “We answer our phones when someone calls, you aren’t greeted by machines and recordings,” commented Erika Howes, vice president of business development. “We are out in the field, we are talking face to face with people and we listen to what they have to say. We are always looking to learn all we can about people’s needs. It’s one of the things that make this change so exciting. We saw that our customers needed more, and in our commitment to excellence, we’re dedicated to giving them just that.”
The new brand will be unveiled at the Mid-America Trucking Show March 28-30 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
