The Brand Union

The Brand Union appointed as Vattenfall brand and design consultancy

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

From January 1 2008, the branding and design agency The Brand Union (formerly Enterprise IG) will be the main consultancy for strategic brand counsel and design services to one of Europe’s leading energy companies, Vattenfall, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. The agreement, following an international public tender process, involves co-operation across all of Vattenfall’s markets with client coordination led from the Stockholm office. Through this agreement Vattenfall will become one of The Brand Union’s primary international clients.

The Brand Union will assist Vattenfall with an international team, covering professionals from the Stockholm, Hamburg and London offices. The Brand Union’s collaboration partner Moby Dick will support Vattenfall in the Polish market.

"Vattenfall is embarking on an interesting journey that involves challenging developments in the European energy sector, and we are very pleased to be a preferred partner in supporting them in meeting up to their ambitious mission" says Elisabeth Ström, CEO at The Brand Union in Stockholm.

"Our public tender process presented The Brand Union with the highest relative scores in accordance with our business requirements, and we look forward to the cooperation" says Stefan Nerpin, VP, Head of Group Marketing Communications, Vattenfall AB.

The Brand Union has 21 offices across the world, and is part of the global agency network WPP. On January 1 2008, The Brand Union in Stockholm was complemented with the consultancy Everystone (former Lowe Plus), as a part of The Brand Union’s efforts to focus its branding and business development resources to the London and Stockholm offices.

Vattenfall’s vision is to be a leading European energy company. Vattenfall’s main products are electricity and heat. Today, Vattenfall generates electricity, produces heat and supplies energy to several million customers in the Nordic countries and central Europe. Major customers are industrial plants, energy companies, municipalities, property companies and housing associations.

The Brand Union promotes Simon Bailey to Managing Director

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Fresh from its relaunch, The Brand Union (formerly Enterprise IG) has announced some top level restructuring. Client Services Director Simon Bailey will take the reins as Managing Director in London.

Bailey joined The Brand Union in 2004. Since joining, he has assumed the role of Client Services Director with overall responsibility for the agency’s Vodafone account. His move to Managing Director now sees him taking a much broader commercial overview of the day-to-day business.

In turn, Craig Page-Lee has moved from The Brand Union’s Johannesburg office to assume the role of Managing Client Director. With responsibility for developing high-level client relationships and providing strategic branding insight, Craig will now lead the Vodafone account. As a result, he is also part of Team WPP Vodafone, which helps Vodafone coordinate activities across the network of WPP agencies.

Dave Brown, UK Chairman at The Brand Union says of the new appointments:

"Simon is an exceptional talent and combined with his considerable experience he undoubtedly has the skills to strengthen the London office. Both Simon and Craig have been instrumental in defining our new proposition and their promotions herald the first of many positive new developments here at The Brand Union."

Simon Bailey, Managing Director at The Brand Union adds:

"This new position allows me to play a much broader role in the day-to-day running of the business. For the immediate future, I look forward to working closely with the UK Executive Board in helping to deliver The Brand Union’s new proposition."

WPP’s global brand agency Enterprise IG becomes The Brand Union

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Simon Bolton, Worldwide CEO of The Brand Union, announces “This is an important juncture for the company. The new name and positioning takes our network to the next level. I’m pleased with our growth to date, but now I believe we will make a quantum leap.”

In a move that seeks to fully align a business that comprises 21 offices globally, the name change and new identity are just the first steps in a full relaunch programme masterminded by Bolton, who moved to the group from advertising network JWT in 2006. The revitalised agency will enhance WPP’s drive in the global brand arena. This change comes at a time when the agency has won major new briefs from Tesco, Deutsche Post (DPWN), Samsung, Emaar, Schroders and GE Money.

The company has been on a strong organic upward growth path over the last three years particularly in emerging markets. With the business benefits of the relaunch embedded in The Brand Union, we anticipate revenue growth approaching 50% through the combination of organic and planned acquisition activity. At the heart of this new effort is the intention to further professionalise and strengthen the business offer around the concept of ‘Brand Mastery’. The Brand Union’s management is in detailed conversations to create and co-sponsor an international Brand Management course with Goldsmith’s University in London, Tsinghua University in Beijing and MIT in the US.

Bolton said, “We started with a comprehensive brand audit. Our clients felt that our name no longer represented who we were, or the full array of services that span out strategic, design and engagement capabilities. The Brand Union name, coupled with our new positioning, is our way of saying that we are unified, but not uniform. We now have a client-centric global brand agency that operates in all major markets, delivering the highest standards in brand growth, direction and protection. We want to be valued for mastering the art and science of brand building.”

Bolton continues, “At the heart of the re-launch is the concept of Brand Mastery. For us to live up to that expectation we need to recruit the best talent in the market and we have recently hired Crispin Jameson as Chief Strategy Officer, Julia Rice as Worldwide HR Director, Wally Krantz as Executive Creative Director in New York, John Rooney, CEO in Dublin and David Lett as Executive Creative Director in Johannesburg. Together with our existing talent, this makes us a force to be reckoned with in the world of branding.

Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP comments: “I’m convinced The Brand Union will achieve significant growth, given the talented team and unique proposition that Simon Bolton has brought together.”

Notes for Editors

The Brand Union is one of the world’s leading brand and design networks, bringing together talent from the world’s best agencies into a seamless, global offering encompassing great clients and talent alike. The Brand Union delivers its expertise at all touch points with a footprint that extends from Research to Strategy to Design to Engagement to Evaluation.

Established in 1976 by Terry Tyrrell and Sam Sampson, and formerly known as Sampson Tyrrell and Enterprise IG, the network has evolved to operate across 21 international offices with 500 people. Headquartered in London, The Brand Union also has a presence in Abu Dhabi, Bangalore, Beijing, Cairo, Dubai, Dublin, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Miami, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm and Tokyo.

Recent clients include: American Express, Hewlett Packard, Bank of America, COFCO, SABMiller, Unilever, Mars Inc, Motorola, Vodafone, Credit Suisse, Corus and KPMG.

The Brand Union is a WPP company.

Simon Bolton Worldwide CEO – The Brand Union Biography

A short stint as a chef, a longer stint in advertising and a working career that has led to Simon living in six different countries spanning Asia, Europe and North Amer

The Brand Union creates ideal launch platform for Emaar destination brand

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The Brand Union, the leading global branding agency, has been lauded for its most recent brand development for world renowned property developer, Emaar.

Marassi is the 6.2 million square metre premium, mixed use destination resort being developed by Emaar at an estimated cost of $1.7 billion. The resort, due for completion in five years, is located on a seven kilometre strip of land at Sidi Abdel Rahman and Alamein on the Northern coast of Egypt.

Marassi will incorporate a world-class beach resort, a bustling town centre, a marina, golf course and healthcare facilities amongst Greek, Andalusian, Italian, Tunisian and Moroccan architectural styled districts.

The Brand Union was presented with the challenge of creating a brand strategy that would communicate the development’s premium quality to an elite Egyptian audience.

The Marassi brand identity design took inspiration from the pure natural beauty of the destination and from the charming reminiscence stirred from the generations of families who have fond memories of summer holidays past.

Meanwhile, the design of the Marassi sales centre was crafted to provide a real environment for interested parties to sense what the destination will offer.

"The launch of Marassi was a resounding success creating a real buzz in Egypt," says Rasha Lababidi, Regional Senior Marketing Manager, Emaar.

"This had to be balanced with the need to communicate the reminiscent essence that summer holidays near Alexandria have given the Egyptian population and foreign tourists many happy memories," says Francis Lotz, Design Director, The Brand Union Middle East.

"We created a unique and approachable wordmark that is truly organic by design. The brand comes to life through a visual language that reflects the brand essence that Marassi is truly somewhere else".

"The Marassi brand was brought to life through a sales centre experience aimed to capture the customer journey based around the exploration of the senses: the magnificent view, the smell and sound of the sea and the touch of all the different textures. Located at the site of the development, the sales office provides total brand engagement by allowing potential buyers to absorb the feel of this environment through their senses," adds Cheryl Mundy, Senior 3D Designer, The Brand Union Middle East.

"The result: an exceptional launch platform and a very happy client."

Rahsa Lababidi of Emaar concludes: "The Brand Union worked closely with the Emaar team in Dubai and Egypt to develop the brand strategy and an identity that perfectly captures the brand's essence 'Truly somewhere else'."

The Brand Union backs Creative Excellence Scholarships at Reed’s School

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 02:26:53 GMT

The Brand Union announces today its sponsorship of a series of Creative Excellence Scholarships at Reed's School in Cobham, Surrey.

Reed's School's Art and Graphics Department has enjoyed considerable success under the leadership of teachers Alison Johnson and Malcolm Macdonald. In the light of this success, The Brand Union is sponsoring "Creative Excellence" scholarships in the School in the Lower Sixth Form starting this month.

In September 2008 there will be six scholarships. The launch of these scholarships is perfectly timed as Reed's Graphic Design students have been in the top five in the country at A Level over the last few years. Two students were in the top five again this year; Ollie Gibbs and Sophie Paulides.

The Marketing and Development Director at Reed’s, Richard Garrett, explained that Reed's is keen to develop partnerships with local businesses so that more opportunities are created for the students and for the businesses.

Glenn Tutssel, Executive Creative Director, The Brand Union said:

"This initiative represents an opportunity for real talent to be rewarded and I believe it will create opportunities for the scholars to gain work experience as part of their development at Reed's and both University and Art College."

David Jarrett, Headmaster at Reed’s School, Cobham said:

"The performance in Graphics reflects the achievements of Reed's School academically given that this year, 75% of the A Level grades were at either A or B and the GCSE students achieved a 98% pass rate (A* - C). The breadth of our success was reflected in the fact that one pupil, Ben Palmer, was in the top 10 in the country for GCSE Astronomy. Three students in the Upper Sixth also secured places at Oxford and Cambridge."

The Brand Union mixes the old with the new for Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The Brand Union has just completed a comprehensive branding solution for Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage.

Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage was established to fulfil the vision of His Highness the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan of preserving and promoting the identity and culture of the people of the UAE. The authority aims to achieve an integrated approach to the promotion and enhancement of the deep-rooted identity of the United Arab Emirates.

Engaged to take the role of brand builder for Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage, The Brand Union's challenge was to create and develop a brand that would represent Abu Dhabi’s heritage and culture and in particular appeal to the local youth. The brand also needed to communicate with all stakeholders and evoke a sense of pride in their culture and heritage. In addition, there are very few obvious tangible symbols of Abu Dhabi's culture and heritage, therefore part of the challenge was to find something that was iconic and uniquely Abu Dhabi.

To achieve this The Brand Union searched for the compelling truth of the brand – fathering the identity of Abu Dhabi. From this compelling truth, an exceptionally iconic identity was crafted for Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage that captures the spirit of Abu Dhabi – a complex and intriguing combination of many cultures, people, traditions, and icons – in one powerful symbol.

Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage brings cultural awareness closer to the youth, encouraging creative thinking among the community and ensuring culture is accessible to both residents and visitors of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage hosts monthly programmes including lectures, seminars, workshops, and forums, as well as literary and artistic events. The annual cultural activities include the Emirates Film Festival, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair and other specialised workshops and events.

"The Brand Union has successfully captured the spirit and vision of the organisation in an original concept that encapsulates the many facets of Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage. The new brand is an original idea which dared to go beyond the traditional approach of branding for governmental institutions. We see it as a work of art that is both accessible and innovative," says Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General, Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage.

Matthew Laubscher, Executive Creative Director, The Brand Union, says: "By utilising loose, expressive strokes we were able to combine the many facets of Abu Dhabi's rich culture and heritage into a distinguished identity that draws on craftsmanship, expression and interpretation. A modern approach portraying years of customs and tradition, the Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage brand is intended to nurture Abu Dhabi's heritage – educating and exciting the next generation about their past."

"Working with The Brand Union on the development of a new brand for Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage has been a creative and personal endeavour," continues Al Mazrouei. "We are proud of this brand and pleased with the working relationship we have developed with The Brand Union and we look forward to working together in the future on other initiatives."

The Brand Union Madrid to review and update Rioja Designation of Origin's brand

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The Board of Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja has selected The Brand Union Madrid to renew its existing brand and relaunch it globally.

The global strategy, design and brand engagement expert, faces the challenge to redefine the positioning of Rioja Wines, as well as renewing its corporate identity in line with the defined strategic plans for the forthcoming years. With this change, the Council intends to enforce its presence within international markets such as the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom or Germany, as well as reinvigorating its already secured position in Spain.

The Brand Union Madrid's objective consists of creating a new image that truly represents the current momentum of Rioja wines and wineries.

"The evolution of Rioja's brand is a key element for its growth and consolidation in the global market".

Pilar Domingo, Managing Director, The Brand Union Madrid

The Brand Union re-launch Right Guard in the UK

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 02:26:52 GMT

The Brand Union announces the re-launch of Henkel’s British deodorant and body spray brand Right Guard, within the UK market.

We developed a new brand positioning with the aim of reviving the brand and strengthening the in-store shelf presence of five key product lines: Right Guard Basic, Woman, Active, X-TREME Bodyspray and X-TREME Dry.

Based on the revised positioning, we developed a new design pattern and modified the brand logo. The sub ranges and their different fragrances were individualised in order to improve the customer’s orientation across the product portfolio.

As explains Elke Pietzsch, Consultant Director, The Brand Union, Hamburg, who led the project:

"A widened and renewed brand message was defined based on a visual analysis of the British deodorant market, current trends towards the new man and Right Guard’s brand values, Right Guard now positions itself with impact as an energy-promising deodorant range for true and multi-faceted men"

The Brand Union, South Africa: Six clients named number one.

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:27:32 GMT

Six clients of The Brand Union, South Africa, scooped top honours in this year's Top Brands survey, South Africa's favourite brands poll. A further 16 brands of the brand consultancy's clients ranked within the top three.

Six clients of The Brand Union, South Africa, scooped top honours in this year's Top Brands survey, coming in as category leaders of South Africa's favourite brands poll. As South Africa's top brand consultancy, The Brand Union is proud to have partnered with these number one brands, tallied by the Sunday Times Markinor Top Brands survey.

Scoring the winning position in their respective categories this year are Absa, KFC, Toyota, Old Mutual, Standard Bank and Mercedes-Benz.

Says Anthony Swart, CEO for the African office, "The Brand Union focuses on brand-led business growth and so we’re particularly pleased to see this evidenced by our clients' consistent performance, not just in the short term but over a number of years." He adds, "All of these clients have successfully retained their number one position, year on year, while a further 16 brands that we’ve worked with rank within the top three of their respective industry categories".

The Sunday Times Markinor Top Brands survey, which started in 1992, is considered by many to be the leading study in the country when assessing an organisation's brand strength and competitiveness. The results are based on a composite metric called the Brand Relationship Score which is an assemblage of three factors: spontaneous awareness, level of trust and confidence, and commitment.

"We’re very proud of our clients' brand successes, which are a combination of hard work, commitment and performance, underpinned by solid brand strategy," says Swart.

A multidisciplinary brand consultancy, The Brand Union offers a holistic approach to brand building through the specialist services of Strategy, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Packaging, Architecture, Retail Interior Design and Brand Engagement – all under one roof.

Over its almost three decades experience in the local market, The Brand Union, South Africa, has worked with the likes of SABMiller, Coca-Cola, Cell C, Neotel, DaimlerChrysler, Aveng, Old Mutual, MTN, BP, Southern Sun, JD Group, Eskom, Sun International, Deloitte, FirstRand, Nedbank, OUTsurance and Transnet – among others.

Operating in Southern Africa for almost 30 years, The Brand Union is owned by the WPP Group and is a division of the world’s largest brand design agency, providing access to the resources and expertise of over 550 specialists in 26 offices in 23 countries.

Front runners of their respective industry categories are The Brand Union's clients:

Absa -- Banks
Toyota -- Cars
KFC -- Fast Food & Restaurants
Standard Bank -- Corporate & Merchant Banks – Business
Mercedes-Benz -- Cars - Business
Old Mutual -- Long Term Insurance

Top talent appointed at The Brand Union’s South African office

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 02:27:30 GMT

Bolstering their international talent corps, The Brand Union, South Africa, is delighted to announce the appointment of David Lett to their African office's executive team. As Executive Design Director, Lett has over 20 years experience.

Bolstering their international talent corps, The Brand Union, South Africa, is delighted to announce the appointment of David Lett to their African office's executive team. A prominent design talent in the UK and overseas markets, Lett takes up the position of Executive Design Director with the multinational brand consultancy next month, bringing over 20 years design and branding experience to the table.

"The nature of the position in our business is very specific," says Africa CEO Anthony Swart. "Our brief required that the candidate have extensive experience in the brand strategy, graphic design, retail and architecture disciplines, and so this involved a lengthy and rigorous selection process. We're therefore, really excited about David's appointment."

Previously Design Director for Small Back Room in London, Lett has worked extensively in both First World as well as emerging markets, working across Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and Russia. Having co-founded two design agencies, Lett's strong entrepreneurial background combined with his design talents is a compelling package that Swart believes is aligned with the pioneering design spirit of The Brand Union.

"David's experience on paper is only outdone by the anecdotal feedback received from his current clients,” says Swart. “Having already built a personable rapport with our senior team, we are extremely positive about the impact David will have on our company."

David Lett

Lett's responsibilities will include working actively with strategy-led design ideas, championing world-class concept and design thinking. He will lead an award-winning multidisciplinary team of graphic designers, architects, design technicians, interior & retail designers and brand specialists.

Says Lett ahead of his new role, "Joining The Brand Union is a fantastic opportunity and a challenge I am very much looking forward to, particularly the prospect of working with this agency's impressive calibre of clients." Lett's previous client portfolio contributed in excess of R25-million to Small Back Room's annual turnover.

Awarded a Masters placement at the Royal Art College of London, Lett later read for a BA in Environmental Design at De Montfort University with first class honours. He is deeply committed to growing and building talent through experience and opportunity and will work with the various design heads in the agency to promote knowledge sharing and skills development.

Lett's addition to the African office's executive team adds to the design agency's international credibility and talent pool. Considered a talent hot house in the industry, The Brand Union regularly effects staff exchanges through its global network of 26 offices in 23 countries to encourage international learning.

"Our brief required that the candidate have extensive experience in the brand strategy, graphic design, retail and architecture disciplines, and so this involved a lengthy and rigorous selection process. We're therefore, really excited about David's appointment." – Anthony Swart, CEO, The Brand Union, Africa.

Merc’s new South African showrooms are show-stoppers

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 02:27:31 GMT

Mercedes-Benz has stepped up the gear of its offering to commercial vehicle customers with their new head turning facilities, designed by The Brand Union, South Africa.

Mercedes-Benz has stepped up the gear of its offering to commercial vehicle customers with their new head turning facilities in Centurion and the East Rand in Gauteng, South Africa.

Unusual for a commercial vehicle centre – which sells trucks, buses and fleet vehicles – the new facilities have taken key design ingredients from their sisters in passenger vehicle sales, aligning the two customer sets’ experiences.

Says Faan Nel, Creative Director for The Brand Union, South Africa, "These buildings challenge the conventions of commercial vehicle centres which are traditionally drab and overlooked in favour of the more glamorous passenger vehicle showrooms. Mercedes-Benz has raised the bar of what CV customers everywhere will come to expect."

The Brand Union, South Africa’s leading brand consultancy, designed a showroom that proudly displays commercial vehicles in an enclosed, celebrated space – uncommon in a CV centre which traditionally neglects this area. Staff-customer relationships are key to sales in this sector: albeit less frequent, CV sales represent significantly larger one-off transactions than passenger vehicle sales.

The first class facilities capitalise on their highway location with excellent highway visibility for both the Centurion and the East Rand centres while delivering on all the brand values of the Mercedes-Benz brand.

In keeping with the premium status of the Mercedes-Benz brand, top quality finishes have been used and attention to detail with the same design principles applied here as to passenger showrooms: porcelain tiles, tiled walls, large expanses of glass and imported woollen carpets in the sales area. A comfortable bistro caters to visitors and waiting customers and a retail store sells Mercedes-Benz branded merchandise.

Centurion’s showroom boasts a circular, double volume brand gallery that resides in the centre of the building, celebrating the rich heritage of Mercedes-Benz with brand-relevant lifestyle visuals displayed on the walls.

This gallery is also the centre point that links the three areas of customer interaction – Parts, Sales and Service – radiating outwards from the centre.

Says DaimlerChrysler’s Gary Dodds, "We have created a facility that successfully aligns the aesthetic with various operational practicalities. These centres cater to the needs of the sales floor, the service workshop, parts facility and pre-owned vehicles – all under one roof."

The space proudly displays the service environment – the workshop is specifically angled to as to be visible to the highway and large expanses of glass allow the customer views into the workshop from the showroom and vice versa. Large display graphics form backdrops to the vehicles on display in dedicated bays outside that face the highway.

The Mercedes-Benz star rotates on top of the building, on the roof above the central gallery and is strikingly illuminated at night.

While adding to the aesthetics of the building, the design promotes technical competence, minimising service downtime, a key requirement of a CV customer. The Centurion centre has since been awarded the group DCSA Chairman’s Award for Dealer of the Year.

"These centres are outstanding in many respects – from a vehicle display point of view, staff-customer interaction, sales and service, customer comfort and first class facilities", says Nel.

Iconic landmark buildings positioned on prominent roadside real estate, they are indeed traffic-stopping.

"These buildings challenge the conventions of commercial vehicle centres which are traditionally drab and overlooked in favour of the more glamorous passenger vehicle showrooms. Mercedes-Benz has raised the bar of what CV customers everywhere will come to expect." – Faan Nel, Creative Director, The Brand Union

New CEO for The Brand Union Dublin

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 02:39:58 GMT

The Brand Union has announced the appointment of John Rooney as CEO of its Dublin office.

John Rooney

John takes up the role on 23rd July and will have overall responsibility for the running of the office which currently employs 26 people.

John started his professional career at Sean MacHale & Associates where he was involved in the layout of the entire Croke Park stadium development and responsible for marketing of the development to corporate clients.

Steeped in FMCG experience, John has worked with some of the most famous international brands such as Kellogg’s, Jacob’s and Campbell Soup. Most recently he has been the General Manager of Premier Foods (formerly Campbell Soup) leading a team of nearly 200 employees through major transition in the Irish market, culminating in the takeover of Campbell’s by Premier Foods in August 2006.

John is very active in the marketing community and was until recently President of the Association of Advertisers in Ireland.

Jim Dunne, joint founder of The Brand Union Dublin, will remain on as Director and Senior Consultant and continue to work closely with key clients. "We have found a first class candidate in John and are delighted to welcome him," said Dunne.

Rooney added, "This is a fantastic new opportunity for me and I am looking forward to building on the legacy that Jim Dunne and Peter Kruseman have created. I am fascinated by the branding business and extremely excited by the prospect of working with such a high calibre of clients."

Tourism Ireland appoints The Brand Union for major review of Ireland Brand

Sun, 20 May 2007 02:26:55 GMT

Following a competitive tender process, Tourism Ireland has announced the appointment of leading international brand strategy consultants The Brand Union, to assist in a major review of the Ireland brand.

The last comprehensive review of the Ireland Brand was undertaken in 1995 which led to the development of Tourism Brand Ireland which has been used in all marketing communications since that time and refined in 2001 and 2004 to reflect the changing nature of the island of Ireland.

The current expression of the brand has served the island of Ireland well and has been a key contributor to attracting increasing visitor numbers to the island of Ireland, culminating in a record 8.8 million visitors to the island in 2006.

The review will be comprehensive, incorporating all aspects of the brand from a tourism perspective and will include extensive research amongst consumers and trade in overseas markets, as well as consultation with both industry and stakeholders on the island of Ireland.

The Brand Union develops new brand identity for the International Business Leaders Forum

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:26:54 GMT

The Brand Union unveils today a new visual identity for the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), a not-for-profit organisation set up to promote responsible business leadership.

The new brand identity will support the organisation's aim to raise its profile and position the IBLF as an authority on sustainable business development.

We led the development of the brand identity concept, which involved carrying out comprehensive stakeholder research and presenting the full concept to IBLF's Board of Trustees to ensure the delivery of a consistent message across all platforms.

The result is a brand architecture that has a cleaner and more spacious feel, helping to reflect the brand's core values that are central to IBLF's work; namely change – helping to put sustainable business at the heart of development; catalyse – raising awareness of issues that are not yet in the public eye and connect – connecting individuals and organisations from business and government.

The new visual identity helps bring all these values to life and adds extra gravitas to the look of the brand - from the fluid curve of the wave logo which connects the original black and white imagery on the page to the sophisticated grey typography; to the box containing the logo, which acts as a catalyst for change and, to some extent, is symbolic of the organisation itself. The new identity will be rolled out across all platforms including printed collateral, website and above-the-line activity.

Robert Davies, CEO of IBLF comments:

"Over many years IBLF has been seen by its supporters and partners as being at the leading edge of business and development issues, but we have recognised that in order to achieve our goals, we need an identity which communicates this. This new brand and identity, together with our long-term strategy will give greater clarity for IBLF to do this, as we engage with new audiences and stakeholders. We are grateful to Enterprise IG for producing our new brand which so clearly captures what IBLF is about."

John Mathers, CEO of The Brand Union, UK, adds:

"We are delighted to have partnered with the IBLF on the creation of the new identity. This is an exciting step which will help position the IBLF as an organisation at the forefront of sustainable development."