Rebranded for What’s Next. Acquired for $3.1 Billion.
Following the retirement of its founder, Laredo Petroleum entered a new era under CEO Jason Pigott with a strengthened balance sheet, a new strategy and ambitious plans for growth. Savage partnered with leadership to reposition the company, create the new Vital Energy name and corporate identity, develop its employer brand and culture strategy, and bring the new direction to life through employee activation, executive brand and communications and ongoing internal communications.The work gave leadership a unified story for where the business was headed and a brand designed to signal meaningful change inside and outside the organization. Less than three years after Laredo Petroleum became Vital Energy, Crescent Energy completed its acquisition of the company in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $3.1 billion.
We exist
to energize
human potential.
The purpose Savage developed with leadership became the foundation for a new name, a new identity and a new era for the company.
Approximate value of Crescent Energy’s all-stock acquisition of Vital Energy, inclusive of net debt. The transaction was announced in August 2025 and closed on December 15, 2025.
extending the strategy beyond launch into the everyday employee experience
around a shared positioning and direction for the organization
Unafraid, Unshakeable
and Unbiased.
Our potential is limitless.
A Leadership Transition Created an Opportunity to Reimagine the Company
After 13 years under its founder, Laredo Petroleum entered a new chapter with newly appointed CEO Jason Pigott and a leadership team that had not worked together for long. Pigott spent his first years focused on operations and strengthening the balance sheet, creating the conditions to turn attention toward where the company was headed next.
The business needed more than a refreshed identity. Leadership needed clarity around the company’s positioning, ambitions and values, employees needed a compelling reason to believe in the new direction, and the market needed a visible signal that the company was changing.
There was also no established internal communications function to consistently connect employees with leadership’s strategy and priorities.
Savage Helped Define the Company Vital Energy Was Becoming
Savage worked with the leadership team to articulate a positioning that connected the company’s business direction, culture and stakeholder ambitions. The strategy centered on energizing human potential and was supported by three values: Unafraid, Unshakeable and Unbiased. That strategic clarity became the basis for a much broader transformation.
Savage created the Vital Energy name and corporate identity, giving the company a new external expression aligned with its future rather than its legacy.
The employer brand extended that strategy inward, creating a unified story and visual system that could engage current employees and attract future talent as the business prepared to grow.
We see a future in which people are powered in sustainable and abundant ways.Vital Energy // Vision
To fulfill its purpose, Vital Energy must be Unafraid, Unshakeable and Unbiased.
Unafraid
- Dare to dream
- Seize opportunities
- Seek feedback
- Challenge precedents
- Experiment unapologetically
Unshakeable
- Stay true to what is right
- Anticipate obstacles
- Push past perceived limits
- Pivot when needed
- Celebrate the journey
Unbiased
- Invite diversity
- Lead with curiosity
- Follow the facts
- Get comfortable with conflict
- Listen with an open mind
The New Brand Had to Be Experienced Across the Organization
Savage developed a culture launch and activation strategy designed to introduce the new direction directly through leadership rather than relying on written communications alone.
A campfire-inspired launch concept centered on the idea of igniting the organization. The initial Tulsa event was followed by a leadership roadshow to field locations, ensuring employees across the company could hear the strategy firsthand, ask questions and connect it to their own work.
Savage supported the activation through presentations, talking points, video, environmental graphics, activities and communications.
The launch was then extended through an ongoing activation and communications strategy spanning the intranet, Microsoft Teams, newsletters, workplace signage, recognition programs and other employee touchpoints.
Savage Extended the Brand Through the Voice of the CEO
Sustaining the transformation also required a consistent leadership voice. Savage partnered closely with CEO Jason Pigott to translate the company’s strategy into an executive communications strategy and messaging employees could understand and believe.
Over the following year, Savage supported CEO talking points and communications for company-wide meetings, quarterly updates and other leadership touchpoints, effectively serving as an extension of the executive communications function.
The strong, resilient business we have all worked so hard to build.Jason Pigott // CEO, Vital Energy, on the Crescent Energy agreement
The Brand Became Part of a Much Bigger Business Transformation
Vital Energy’s growth after the rebrand was not simply a brand story. The company pursued acquisitions, expanded its Permian portfolio and continued executing the strategy leadership had established. The brand gave that transformation a name, identity and story that employees and external stakeholders could recognize.
In August 2025, Vital entered into an agreement to be acquired by Crescent Energy for approximately $3.1 billion, inclusive of net debt. CEO Jason Pigott told employees the transaction recognized the value of the company and “the strong, resilient business we have all worked so hard to build.”
Follow the facts.
Listen with an open mind.
Push past
perceived limits.
A new name, a new identity
and a culture built to carry it.
Anthem Video
Work Gallery
Build the Brand
for What’s Next.
When new leadership is changing the direction of a business, Savage aligns brand, culture and communications so people inside and outside the organization can see where it’s headed.