Putting us to the test.

CASTLE Worldwide, Inc. is a certification and licensure testing company that was successful since its inception in 1987. The quality delivered and the service provided made CASTLE the sixth largest testing company in the United States – without benefit of a marketing plan or program.

Then acquisitions changed the industry.

The two largest firms started swallowing up smaller firms, completely altering the competitive landscape. Suddenly, CASTLE was confronted by a whole new set of challenges and opportunities.

To make sure they continued to be successful, CASTLE management came to us.

We had some learning to do.

We conducted detailed fact-finding sessions with the CEO and all other members of the management team. We talked to a lot of the staff. We questioned current customers, lost prospects, and the only two CASTLE clients to ever become ex-clients.

Everyone said essentially the same thing: CASTLE’s two strongest assets were its customer service and its ability to provide a one-stop-shopping solution.

These seemed like solid differentiators on which to build a brand, so we proceeded to conduct a thorough analysis of the competition.

A problem emerged.

We looked at virtually all of CASTLE’s competitors and at what each was claiming as its differentiating characteristics.

Every single one claimed superiority in customer service and a comprehensive list of capabilities.

Back to the proverbial drawing board.

Because saying the same thing as all the competitors are saying is, in our opinion, simply never an option, VisionPoint recommended to company executives that the quest go deeper. They agreed, and sent us to different segments of customers and to employees on the front line, the customer service representatives. What we learned is that it’s really a whole series of small advantages that together add up to a compelling case for using CASTLE.

That knowledge led us to adopt a preemptive branding strategy. By acknowledging that the target audience has a number of vendors to choose from, but stating unequivocally that CASTLE is the only correct choice, we believed we could co-opt the marketplace position of the vendor the others had to try to live up to.

Thus armed with a solid branding strategy, we began to execute the components.

Developing the brand personality.

The branding strategy, and the fact that CASTLE is in the testing business, led to a strong theme line:

Multiple choices, one right answer.

The next step was to create a new corporate identity for CASTLE. The objectives we set out were ambitious:

• Reflect the attributes that distinguish CASTLE from its competitors.


• Communicate that CASTLE is more personal, more contemporary and more agile than the competition.


• Portray CASTLE as forward thinking, offering fresh perspectives and creative solutions.


• Evoke a sense of trustworthiness and professionalism (critical in an industry where reliability, accuracy and attention to detail are highly valued).

Here’s the old logo and the new logo.

Do you think we succeeded?

Applying the new identity.

The first place where the new identity needed to be applied was the website. Here, the challenge was to present CASTLE as both technical and personable.

Two different graphic approaches were developed as choices for CASTLE, both of which gave the company an entirely new personality and dramatically improved the sense of reader accessibility.

More than a pretty face.

The website redesign was not just about how it looked (as important as that is). It was also about functionality and effectiveness. The objectives we set out were:

• Easy to navigate whether the visitor is a client or a candidate (the person who takes the test to gain a license or certificate)
• Clear inner page navigation – we believe visitors need to be able to easily tell where they are in a site, particularly in a fairly large one like this
• Provide lots of useful information and resources to reinforce the notion that CASTLE is “the right choice” for expert advice
• Capture information about prospects for specific sales follow up

Sales materials that really sell.

One of CASTLE’s claims to fame is that its services are highly customized to client needs.

We therefore felt it was important to create sales materials that were not of the “one fits all” variety, and so VisionPoint designed a color coded product sheet system that allows the sales staff to utilize only those appropriate to the situation.

Coming soon.

In the works for CASTLE Worldwide, even as we speak, are a pay-per-click marketing campaign, a series of white papers, online demonstrations, and more. We’ll be sure to show them here, and tell a bit about them, as each is completed.

Preliminary results.

At a recent trade show, managers of one of CASTLE’s primary competitors complimented the CASTLE executives on the new theme line, saying that they wish they’d come up with it first! More important, based on early indications, executives at CASTLE are forecasting growth at three times the industry average.

The complete program hasn’t been fully implemented yet, but we’ll report results as soon as we can. We feel confident they’ll be outstanding.