When Marketing Becomes a Legacy: The Story Behind Anthony & Sylvan’s Laurels Campaign

For decades, marketers have chased the same goal: build a campaign that drives immediate results and becomes part of a brand’s long-term identity. Very few ever accomplish both.

At BRK Global Marketing, we believe the strongest marketing campaigns aren’t built on hype, trends or inflated promises. They’re built on truth, strategy, customer insight and brand integrity.

One of the clearest examples of that philosophy in action came out of our 8+ year partnership as Agency of Record for Anthony & Sylvan Pools & Spas — America’s most trusted pool builder since 1946.

What began as a challenge from company leadership eventually evolved into one of the most successful and enduring campaigns in the company’s modern history: the Laurels Campaign.

Nearly a decade later, it’s still running.

The Challenge: “This Could Be Any Pool Builder”

Every great campaign starts with a real problem.

Anthony & Sylvan had a strong legacy brand, decades of national recognition and an established reputation, but like many mature companies, they faced a difficult marketing question: what truly set them apart from every other pool builder in the market?

During an early strategy presentation, then-CEO Mark Koide challenged our initial creative direction with a statement that immediately changed the trajectory of the work:

“This could be any pool builder.”

He was right.

At the time, much of the industry leaned on the same messaging:

• Quality craftsmanship
• Great customer service
• Beautiful pools
• Family memories
• Industry leadership

The problem wasn’t that those messages were wrong. The problem was that every competitor was saying the same things.

Mark’s directive was crystal clear: “You need to give us another idea that is only us and no one else.”

And there was one additional condition that would define the entire strategy going forward: every claim had to be 100% true, measurable and provable. No exaggerated slogans. No unsupported claims. No “best pool builder in America” positioning unless the company could substantiate it.

That challenge became the foundation for everything that followed.

The Strategy: Find the Truth Before You Create the Campaign

Too many marketing campaigns begin with creative before research. We approached Anthony & Sylvan differently.

Before developing any messaging, we needed objective market validation. Rather than surveying Anthony & Sylvan customers directly, which would’ve introduced obvious bias, we built an independent blind survey experience through a fictitious third-party research brand called “Swimming Pool Advisors.”

The goal was simple: gather unbiased insight from real pool owners across the market.

Participants completed a 20-question survey in exchange for a $100 gift card incentive. The survey generated more than 392 verified responses from homeowners with existing pools.

What we found changed everything.

Anthony & Sylvan Pools emerged as the Most Preferred and Referred Pool Builder among respondents.

That became the first official Laurel. And unlike traditional advertising language, it wasn’t opinion-based creative. It was supported by real consumer research and verified market feedback.

Suddenly, Anthony & Sylvan wasn’t just claiming leadership. They had earned it.

From Features to Brand Positioning

The research revealed something else worth noting.

Anthony & Sylvan customers didn’t see the company as a discount or price-driven builder. They consistently described the brand as premium, established, trustworthy and built for the long term — reliable in a way that felt less transactional and more enduring.

Internally, the phrase became: “The BMW of Pools.”

That insight led to the brand platform: Built For Life.

With more than 70 years of history at the time, the tagline connected both the emotional and practical dimensions of the product: pools built to last, family memories built for generations and a company built on long-term trust.

The positioning aligned perfectly with the emerging Laurels strategy because both were grounded in the same thing: authenticity.

Why the Laurels Campaign Worked

The brilliance of the Laurels Campaign wasn’t just the design system or the messaging framework.

It worked because it answered one of the most important questions in modern marketing: Why should customers believe you?

Every laurel represented something measurable and earned. Over time, the campaign grew into a framework that continues to expand today, including recognitions such as:

• 2,400+ Customer Satisfaction Awards since 2012
• 4.7-star rating across 25,000+ reviews
• A+ Better Business Bureau rating
• #1 Most-Referred Pool Builder in markets served

What’s remarkable is that the visual identity and strategic framework behind the Laurels Campaign has remained largely intact for nearly a decade. That level of longevity in marketing is rare.

Great Marketing Should Outlast the Agency

One of the most rewarding moments in recent memory came unexpectedly.

A resurfacing mailer from Anthony & Sylvan arrived in the mail, still prominently featuring the Laurels Campaign messaging and positioning developed years earlier by BRK.

Our agency has not served as AOR for approximately four years.

Yet the campaign remains deeply integrated into their website, direct mail, branding, sales messaging, advertising strategy and customer communications.

That’s one of the clearest indicators of a successful brand campaign: it continues creating value long after its original launch.

Strong marketing should never feel temporary. When it’s done right, it becomes part of a company’s DNA.

Marketing That Led Through COVID

Our partnership with Anthony & Sylvan also included two campaigns during one of the most unpredictable business environments in recent history.

Two efforts in particular resonated powerfully with consumers:

• “My Pool Is My Escape” 
• “Why Chance It” 

Both campaigns reflected real emotional shifts happening during the pandemic. Families were spending more time at home, prioritizing personal space, wellness and experiences they could control.

The results were strong: exceptional consumer engagement, record-breaking new customer growth and confirmed dig activity throughout that period. More importantly, the campaigns reinforced a broader lesson: marketing works best when it aligns with real human behavior and authentic brand value.

The Bigger Lesson for Brands Today

There is a reason so many campaigns fail quickly.

Many brands chase attention over trust, volume over differentiation and short-term tactics over long-term brand equity.

The Anthony & Sylvan story reinforces something we believe strongly at BRK:

Great marketing is not about saying more. It’s about proving more.

When strategy, truth, customer insight and brand integrity align, marketing becomes more than advertising. It becomes a long-term business asset, one that can keep delivering value for years, even long after the original campaign first runs.

That’s the difference between marketing that fills space and marketing that builds a legacy.