Budget Brake & Muffler Auto Centres

There's an old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". We walked that line with this one.

Elton Media has handled the advertising for Budget Brake and Muffler since 1986. Since that time, the company's brand has changed very little. The brand has also enjoyed significant recognition through British Columbia.

That however, had become double-edge sword.

For years, Budget has been providing all kinds of automotive services far beyond just conventional brakes and mufflers. But when you call yourself Budget Brake and Muffler, it's kind of hard to get the market to think of you for anything other than that.

The client felt it was time to refresh the look of the brand, and take that opportunity to let the market know once and for all the company did more than just brakes and mufflers. In the same breath, the client was quick to remind us that the Budget brand had developed considerable equity over the years and to be very careful not to do anything that would minimize Budget's recognition in the marketplace.

In effect, our challenge was to change Budget Brake and Muffler without changing Budget Brake and Muffler.

Again, as with all brand development and re-brands, the process began with an intensive two day brand audit at budget headquarters in Coquitlam.

What we came to realize was that Budget was a throwback to an old ideal of the neighbourhood service station. Store owners operated their shops that way and the company's philosophy was very much inline with those principles.

Your local Budget shop was like the local repair shop down the street growing up. There was nothing glitzy about them. They were just the guys who knew cars, and knew how to fix them.

From that simple thought the new Budget brand was born.

For practical reasons we kept the circular shape of the logo but brightened its colours to freshen it. We kept the name but finally repositioned the wording so it actually read Budget Brake and Muffler as opposed to Brake Budget & Muffler.

Finally we added a simple "Auto Centres" to the name. By doing this we would still be recognized as Budget Brake & Muffler, and enjoy all the equity that name had earned, but now consumers would associate us with a broader range of services.

The new brand will continue to roll out throughout 2011.