Open Minds Lead to Fresh Branding

05.19.20 · Sonia Greteman

When reinventing a company brand, it helps to approach it with an open mind. That’s exactly what Jeff Arensdorf did. His 40-year-old bus tour, charter, entertainer coach and travel agency is one of the Midwest’s largest and most respected with offices in Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Jeff didn’t want to change the name or the logo initially, but thankfully he didn’t take them off the table. He valued our recommendations. By showing him the results of our high-level competitive audit, he agreed his logo was not as distinctive as he’d thought.

Once we shared our new logo explorations and he got input from his team, he seized on the clear winner. Seeing it play out on his multicolored fleet of more than 140 charter coaches further sealed the deal.

Companies On the Move Need Nimble Names

The wisdom of simplifying the name from Village Tours to Village Travel was not lost on Jeff. “Travel” communicates the company’s tour and charter divisions as well as its travel agency. Now this time-tested company has a big, bold brand, updated website and bus graphics. It also has a new 15-acre headquarters in northwest Wichita, strategically place at the high-traffic corner of K-96 and Ridge Road. You can’t miss the Village Travel names on the facility or surrounding coaches.

Brand standards guide materials moving forward, increasing quality and lowering costs. Jeff says they love their new brand. Several trade publications have featured Village Travel as an industry trendsetter. He feels confident that the new brand will carry Village Travel into the future by encouraging more customers to embark on memory-making trips.

Responding to Challenge and Reinventing Your Service

Of course, Village Travel has been majorly impacted by the coronavirus, with trips called off or postponed as most of the country moved to shelter in place. This spring, Jeff had to lay off or furlough a number of his staff. Ever the entrepreneur and humanitarian, Jeff sent 35 coaches to New York City to provide shuttle service for medical workers needing to get from their hospitals to hotels where they were staying.

When the pandemic passes, Village Travel is good to go. Jeff and his forward-thinking team have packed their brand bag and mapped their course. We’re confident they will go the distance.