New Way Trucks

Redefining a company to reignite sales — and it’s own sale.

New Way garbage truck featuring the company’s visual identity.

A solid waste equipment manufacturer in search of a solid strategy.

New Way Trucks began as a family business in Scranton, Iowa, in 1971. Owned and operated by the McLaughlin family for decades, the company became the third largest refuse truck manufacturer in America, never straying from the small town values that set it apart — putting customers first. They had an important story to tell. And Red Dot didn’t waste any time.
Our Challenge

Defining value in a transactional industry.

As the largest independently owned refuse truck manufacturer in the U.S., New Way held a unique position in the industry. But they had been unable to define it and share it in a way that proved their value to potential customers. They may have had a smaller budget than their competitors, but we knew we could help them make a “large capacity” impact.

Our Solution

A fearless way forward.

During our brand workshop, New Way leadership shared insights about the company’s fearless approach to tackling customer challenges by cutting through red tape and having real conversations — two things the competition couldn’t touch. We developed a brand position that lifted New Way as efficiently as the arm on their rugged side loader. And the new brand ended up helping close the deal on the profitable sale of the company as well. Win, win, win.

Brand Position

Powerful positioning

New Way’s Fearlessly Forward® position defined their unique process (and attitude) toward helping their customers succeed. Whether their trusted distributors were meeting with municipalities or private haulers, New Way came to the table ready to listen and solve real-world challenges quickly to help move their customers’ trucks and operations forward safely, efficiently, reliably — and of course, fearlessly.

Brand Position
Brand Elements

Boldly branded.

From the eye-popping green and the dominant font, to real-world photography of hardworking trucks and operators, every design element of the New Way brand supports the story of a company that empowers their team to make bold decisions that have big positive impacts. That’s how they roll.

Brand Elements
Trade Show

Driven to dominate.

New Way crushed the rollout of their new brand at Waste Expo. Their space dominated the trade show floor and featured a conversation corner where distributors were able to have real-world talks with customers. Plus, a dynamic touchscreen gave attendees the chance to dive into the details of every side loader, front loader and rear loader. They received loads of positive feedback from everyone who visited.

Trade Show
Video

Getting it done.

The New Way brand came to life with a hype video featured at the trade show and on the new website. It perfectly captured New Way’s commitment to real-world problem-solving with relentless energy, movement, color, and confidence. With punchy, powerful language and dynamic visuals, the brand video is a rallying cry for operators and fleets that are ready to move forward fearlessly.

Success is in the sale.

Just a few months after launching the Fearlessly Forward campaign, the acquisition of New Way to a publicly traded company resulted in a profitable sale for the owners. It was a solid business investment for Federal Signal, made even more impactful by our solidly strategic work.

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