What’s in a name? Everything.

DiMeo Schneider & Associates came to Grafik as a highly successful wealth management firm with 25 years of experience providing investment consulting services to institutions and individuals in the Midwest. It had just acquired Fiduciary Investment Advisors, a growing firm with a similar culture and focus. The union of the two institutions made perfect sense strategically and practically, but leadership had some uncertainty about how best to communicate the benefits of the acquisition to internal stakeholders, clients, and prospects. Also, there was the question of the name.

The initial assumption was that the new entity would retain the well-established DiMeo Schnieder name, but Grafik identified concerns in a series of one-on-one interviews. Our brand strategists learned there were longstanding issues with the pronunciation of DiMeo, and in many cases, a lack of clarity around the firm’s mission. Similar to our engagement with Wealthspire, we suggested that a new brand name — one intended to frame all capabilities and services — could be stronger than surnames. Despite the fact that Bob DiMeo is still very much a part of the firm, we argued that the acquisition presented a prime opportunity to underscore the true value of the brand.