Rebranding is never easy, especially when you’re 203 years old

The purpose of this rebranding effort is to remake the arsenal's image more contemporary and professional in today's business world, said Col. Joseph R. Morrow, the arsenal commander.

This was a bold, quick move by Morrow who doesn't have time to waste as his tenure here will only be for two years, whereas, the last two commanders had the luxury of three-year commands to move the arsenal in a new direction. Morrow took command in July 2016.

Just last week, arsenal employees got a taste of this rebranding effort when they walked into a town hall meeting here and were quickly jettisoned from the early 1900s-era to the future as Morrow unveiled the new logo -- what the Army calls a crest -- and new tagline.

However, some workers here have spent a lifetime under the former crest that proudly displayed crossed cannons, cannonball, and red verbiage. And so, it should not have been a surprise to anyone if they saw employees' body language shifting faster than the changing identity of their beloved arsenal.

There is no doubt that it will take time for some to get used to the new crest, no matter how dramatic the rollout of the new identity was. After all, every arsenal product, from business cards to parade banners to safety signs, had the historical crest proudly displayed throughout their entire careers and throughout every inch of the arsenal.

The tagline, however, did not seem to tweak the emotions of the workforce as much because the tagline has changed every couple of years as commanders come and gone. Just a few years ago, the arsenal touted itself as "The premier cannon manufacturer of the country." This statement didn't seem to excite anyone inside or outside of the arsenal fence line and so, there were no tears when that tagline went away.

Nevertheless, with the new logo and tagline, a new business development strategy will be better supported, Morrow said.

The arsenal is not alone in its rebranding efforts as changing culture and identity of a large business is not only a fact of life, it is critical to the long-term survival of a company.

The same week that Morrow rolled out the new crest and tagline to the workforce, so did the largest life insurer in the United States -- MetLife. Sadly, Snoopy and the rest of his Peanuts gang have been retired after proudly serving MetLife for more than 30 years.

According to the company's website, "To adapt to our changing world, we are re-thinking how we do business. We are moving away from a traditional product-development model to one driven by customer insights," said Steven A. Kandarian, chairman, president and chief executive officer of MetLife, Inc. "Our new brand reflects our company's transformation and differentiates us in the marketplace, ultimately driving greater value for our customers and shareholders."

This information regarding MetLife is not meant to be an endorsement of the company, but as an example that even large corporations, who are industry leaders as MetLife, must continually assess its standing in the industry and then reposition itself for the future.

And, that is Morrow's intent.

According to Morrow, the tagline and crest are bridges to something else. In essence, they are not unconnected products that stand on their own merit. They are part of a larger rebranding strategy to better position the arsenal for the future.

And, in an era of declining and uncertain defense budgets, the fact that much of this rebranding effort is funded by the arsenal's higher headquarters, the Army Materiel Command, helps make the case that the time for change is now.

"We were fortunate to leverage an ongoing contract with a commercial marketing and communications company by the name of Janson Communications that was already assisting the Army Materiel Command with a rebranding effort of their own," said Joseph Turcotte, the arsenal's deputy commander. "At no cost to us, Janson completed a thorough marketing research of our brand, as well as our current market, and then proposed a new brand strategy that would have broader appeal to defense and commercial manufacturing markets."

Nevertheless, during the planning sessions with Janson there was one thing the arsenal would not compromise on and that was any departure from the arsenal's rich history to the Army's Ordnance Corps, Turcotte said.

"We were uncomfortable with any suggestion that sought to rebrand the arsenal as a commercial company, breaking away from our Army and ordnance legacy," Turcotte said. "So, we steered them (Janson) toward modernizing our 1800s-era looking crest, but keeping our rich, historical lineage in the new look."

In tandem with the arrival of a new crest and tagline, Morrow and Turcotte led a series of business development strategy sessions this month with about 25 of the arsenal's key leaders and staff members to better define the capabilities and capacity of the arsenal. The purpose of this effort, which is not yet complete, is to develop new metrics that will not only help guide the arsenal through its current mission of providing readiness to the joint military forces, but also to position the arsenal for future missions.

"I don't want you to build a Field of Dreams," Morrow said to key leaders and staff. "I want you to help me better understand who we are today and what we can become tomorrow so that we can operationally meet the Army Materiel Command's commander's priority of providing readiness to our troops."

And so, the crest and tagline are mutually supporting actions of a broader strategy that is currently under development by the arsenal's leadership. As the strategy matures, so too will be the repositioning of the arsenal for continued success in an ever changing defense and commercial manufacturing environment.

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The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing facility and is the oldest, continuously active arsenal in the United States having begun operations during the War of 1812. It celebrated its 200th anniversary on July 14, 2013. It is a subordinate command to TACOM LCMC and the Army Materiel Command.

Today's Arsenal is relied upon by U.S. and foreign militaries to produce the most advanced, high-tech, high-powered weaponry for cannon, howitzer, and mortar systems. This National Historic Registered Landmark had revenue in fiscal year 2015 that exceeded $138 million and provides an annual economic benefit to the local community in excess of $100 million.

Watervliet Arsenal YouTube video launching new logo (https://youtu.be/q4ak_b-bp8s)

Watervliet Arsenal Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/WatervlietArsenal?ref=hl)

Watervliet Arsenal Twitter Page (https://twitter.com/Watervliet_Army)

Watervliet Arsenal Flickr Page (https://www.flickr.com/photos/69610950@N03/)

Watervliet Arsenal Slideshare Page (http://www.slideshare.net/Watervliet_Arsenal)

Watervliet Arsenal YouTube Page (http://www.youtube.com/user/ArmyArsenal)