Marketing Support
Hallberg Marine
Brand Strategy + Brand Activation: Turning Strategy Into Story-Through a Refreshed Brand, Content Plan + Marketing Rollout
Project Overview
Hallberg Marine has been a Minnesota mainstay since 1959, representing trust, integrity, and a deep love of lake life. The business began as a humble family-run operation and has grown into one of the Midwest’s most recognized full-service marine dealerships. Today, Hallberg Marine offers everything boaters need: sales, service, storage, parts, and accessories, all under one roof.
With the third generation of leadership stepping in and customer expectations evolving, Hallberg Marine saw an opportunity: to honor their legacy while positioning the brand for future growth.
Mercury Creative Group partnered with the Hallberg Marine team to modernize their brand, clarify their message, and create a marketing foundation that resonates with longtime loyalists and new customers alike.
Client Goals
The brand refresh was shaped by multiple motivations – strategic, emotional, and generational:
- Preserve legacy: Honor the Hallberg family name, community presence, and rich history.
- Clarify value: Elevate awareness of the full-service experience (sales, service, storage, parts) that many customers only discovered once onsite.
- Attract the next generation: Position the brand to appeal to younger, tech-savvy customers without alienating long-time, loyal fans.
- Unify internal and external brand experience: Align messaging and visuals with the exceptional service and culture already present inside the walls.
To guide the process, Mercury led an extensive insights phase that included interviews and surveys with customers, employees, partners, and even Gene Hallberg himself. These voices shaped every decision and ensured the refreshed brand remained deeply authentic.
Project Focus
We began by listening. Interviews and surveys revealed clear patterns:
- Customers described Hallberg as “family,” “trustworthy,” and “full-service”—a place where personal relationships, deep expertise, and unforgettable service experiences are the norm.
- Employees echoed these sentiments, describing Hallberg Marine as a fun, supportive place where long-term loyalty and product knowledge fuel service excellence.
- Gene Hallberg emphasized that boating is about joy. Gene commented, “Boating is fun and we’re in the business of helping people enjoy their lives.”
These insights became the foundation for the brand strategy. From there, we defined:
- A clear brand story rooted in community, lifestyle, and the joy of lake life.
- A refined messaging framework, including an internal-facing value proposition and external-facing key messages like:
- “Helping you maximize every moment on the water”
- “Enjoyment and relaxation start here”
- “A community hub for boating enthusiasts”
- A visual refresh that updated the logo system, streamlined layout elements, and introduced a more modern yet familiar look and feel across digital and print channels.
- Customer personas, reflecting the values shared by Hallberg Marine – quality time, dependable service, and seamless experiences.
We supported rollout with signage concepts, sales tools, and updates to web content, all designed to strengthen Hallberg Marine’s presence, both in-store and online.
Ongoing Marketing Partnership: From Brand Strategy to Marketing Activation
Following the brand refresh, Mercury continued its partnership with Hallberg Marine to implement a content-forward marketing strategy. The brand foundation informed messaging and shaped ongoing marketing priorities and execution.
To ensure new content truly reflected Hallberg’s unique knowledge and customer relationships, the Mercury team conducted targeted discovery meetings with the Sales Team and the Service Team. These sessions surfaced practical insights, expert advice, and insider tips that would resonate with both new prospects and loyal Hallberg customers.
Armed with those insights, Mercury developed a flexible, sustainable marketing plan designed to:
- Empower the small but mighty Hallberg Marketing Team to regularly publish aligned content.
- Provide high-value, customer-facing education that supports all clients.
- Build Hallberg’s authority and visibility across channels – especially online.
Strategic Marketing Objectives:
- Increase leads for new boats, used boats, and parts & service through targeted topical content.
- Build trust and authority by sharing educational content on boating topics like trailers, sales timing, and service tips.
- Strengthen brand identity with consistent, customer-focused messaging across all platforms.
This phase of work ensured that the Hallberg brand is no longer just experienced in person—it now extends through digital channels with the same warmth, clarity, and credibility customers experience on-site.
Results
With the brand refresh and marketing strategy in place, Hallberg Marine is experiencing:
- Renewed energy and internal alignment: Staff have new, updated brand messaging, which reflects the culture they’ve helped build over decades.
- More cohesive messaging: Sales, service, and marketing teams are now working from the same playbook.
- More consistent digital presence: Social content and blogs now reflect the brand’s personality and priorities.
- Clearer customer engagement: Educational and lifestyle content offers meaningful, timely support.
- Stronger marketing operations: The internal marketing team now has tools, templates, and a clear roadmap for sharing the Hallberg story across multiple platforms.
Deepened emotional connection: The brand reinforces Hallberg’s role as a trusted partner in “helping maximize every moment on the water”!