Dixon Schwabl rebrands, changes name to Dixon Schwabl + Company (DS+CO)

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Dixon Schwabl has changed its name after 34 years in business. The independent marketing company, headquartered in Rochester, New York with a second office in Buffalo, is now called Dixon Schwabl + Company (DS+CO) as part of a rebrand that was unveiled to the DS+CO team earlier this summer.

The core of DS+CO’s new brand is the promise to provoke progress — for brands, for people and for good. Shifts in workforce dynamics, rising consumer expectations for conscious brands and the entrance of new challengers are just a handful of factors DS+CO considered during brand development.

“More than ever before, brands need trusted, forward-thinking partners with the ingenuity to solve complex challenges,” DS+CO Chief Executive Officer Kim Allen said. “They need partners with the vision and passion to grow their business. To best position ourselves to meet future client needs, we reevaluated our brand identity against ever-changing societal, environmental and competitive landscapes.”

The rebrand comes after a major leadership succession in 2020, when founders and (former) CEO Lauren Dixon and President Mike Schwabl stepped into roles as board chair and vice chair of the board, respectively. This leadership change welcomed Allen as CEO and Jessica Savage as president.

“For us, this represents the natural evolution of the vision established by Lauren and Mike,” Savage said. “We are an organization founded on a determined, make-it-happen approach to brand advocacy and, as the agency has evolved, we’ve made sure to remain rooted in the original vision of our founders while expanding our perspectives and capabilities.”

The new visual identity represents the agency’s approach to building a fluid brand — one that can withstand unpredictable market changes.

“By moving away from stringent creative guidelines and narrowly defined color palettes, DS+CO is now able to adapt our brand and messaging to be more inclusive of the voices behind it and more effectively reach audiences with creative that resonates,” Chief Marketing Officer Kellie Adami said.

As part of the rebrand, DS+CO has reorganized its existing integrated marketing services under three core offerings: Intelligence, Strategy and Amplification. The new offering structure will better help brands uncover high-growth opportunities, understand audience behaviors and activate conscious brand experiences.

“Brands have endless vendor options when pursuing projects with clear visions and defined budgets,” Adami said. “However, modern business challenges are often nebulous and ill-defined. These problems require consultative agency partners who are able to build progressive solutions and inspire stakeholder alignment.”

A complete view of how the marketing company’s core service offerings work together to connect brands and communities is available on DS+CO’s new website and featured in our CMO’s latest blog.

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