Case Studies

Roughly 1 in 44 children are living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of the most impactful methods of early intervention and treatment is Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy. During ABA therapy, children learn different techniques to help them understand and practice expected and unexpected behavior in different social settings.

Sonder Autism Center came to MTN, Inc., seeking a new name, brand identity and marketing materials they could use to build and scale a franchise that would help children around the nation.

To submerse ourselves into our client’s world, we conducted a discovery call and participated in a facility tour at their Orlando headquarters. Through this process, we gained perspective into how the client (the person living with ASD), the family and the behavioral analyst collaborate to help reduce challenging behaviors and increase appropriate ones. This helped us understand how ABA therapy works, what’s required to make a program successful and what resources are needed at a facility to meet the individualized needs of each child.

With that baseline of knowledge in mind, we assessed the competitive landscape regionally and nationally. We looked for similarities and differences and how to set this ABA therapy franchise apart, based on its company philosophy, values, and marketing goals.

Franchise Name. Based on our research, MTN presented a variety of names for the company’s consideration. Each name carried meaning, set the company apart and had the potential to evoke a powerful emotional response from Board Certified Behavioral Analysts, who might someday become franchise owners. The names also took into consideration the client-family-analyst ecosystem that would be integral to each business’ success. The team collectively chose the “Prodigy Autism Center” or “Prodigy” for short, inspired by the idea that each of the young individuals who are seen at the facility have exceptional qualities or abilities — and that the company itself is a thought leader in ABA therapy.

Identity Development. Once the name was finalized, we integrated it into six visual brand identity concepts. The Prodigy team narrowed it down to their favorites, which ultimately went through a series of tweaks. The final brand identity leveraged the concept of celebrating uniqueness through a powerful visual: A fingerprint. It’s what identifies each of us, makes us human and it’s also one of our sensory receptors. The concept reflects that touch translates to neural circuitry and stimulation. The fingerprint also serves as a maze, where therapy is applied and processed, the child is reached and positive behaviors prevail. The pattern is both organic and technical — and it helps to deliver the concept that the Prodigy Autism Center is the leader in new ABA techniques. The color palette used spans a visual spectrum from cool and calm to vibrant and stimulating.

Brand Guidelines + Asset Development. To communicate its purpose to the world, we helped Prodigy craft its company philosophy (mission, vision and values). We then mapped out the visuals used to represent that philosophy in a brand guide, including its logo, color palette and typography. Brand guidelines help to protect a company’s brand identity and ensure consistent implementation inside and outside of its four walls. MTN also built supporting marketing materials including iconography, photography and branded materials (internal/external communication, environmental/signage graphics).