We work with people at the heart of their organisations and are determined to enhance the potential of their brands
We draw on the knowledge, ability and instincts of our people to create the best team for each and every project. We find creative and original solutions, and support our ideas with evidence and rigorous evaluation.
We believe that our collective diversity is our greatest strength and that the best ideas come from working closely with our clients, the skills we nurture in our people, and from sharing our talent and expertise.
We work with global, regional and local brands, across a wide variety of sectors: from FMCG to financial services, government to cities, healthcare to utilities, and telecoms to transport.
Clients come to us to improve the performance of their brands, and to see real, tangible results. They understand the vital role of strong design and flawless execution founded on considered strategy and relevant insight.
SECTOR:
| Alcoholic Drinks | Destination | Industrial | Sports |
| Automotive | Electrical Goods | Media | Technology |
| Business Services | Energy | Petrochemicals | Telecommunications |
| Consumer | Fashion | Property | Transport |
| Culture + Heritage | Financial Services | Retail | |
Ericsson
by alexparr September 16, 2011Ericsson, currently the world’s largest mobile telecommunications equipment manufacturer, engaged The Brand Union to evolve their new brand platform.
While some of the core identity elements were in place, it was necessary to develop a strategy framework as well as cohesive identity and design system, to support brand activation.
Following the development of the brand architecture by our strategy team, The Brand Union’s design team focused on extending the identity platform and defining the principles for implementation of the brand identity across channels, products and services.
To support internal engagement and alignment with the new brand platform across the organisation, The Brand Union developed an intranet-based, ‘brand engagement channel’ for Ericsson’s brand management team. In addition to being the point of reference for strategy, principles and guidelines, it will serve as a company wide hub for brand related communications, project collaboration and interaction with brand assets.
Time Warner Cable
Bringing personality back to technology
Time Warner Cable approached us with a unique challenge: to revitalise the brand by moving it from a functional aesthetic to a more consumer-friendly, lifestyle sensibility. In a competitive landscape, where others were undergoing drastic name changes, Time Warner Cable chose to leverage the equity in its name. However, their visual identity system had become cluttered and caught up in category conventions, rather than focusing on the ethos of the brand: simplicity. So we were asked to address this and help visually communicate those things that the brand had stood for over many years. By elevating the prominence of the iconic eye & ear symbol and showing how its simple, modern and confident design sensibility could be incorporated in branded touchpoints, the team was able to accurately reflect the brand essence. This led to a friendly, differentiated, lifestyle-focused brand that stood out in a category full of cold, technology-driven players.
Time Warner Cable
Shaking off convention
We worked closely with Time Warner Cable’s marketing team to gain a deep understanding of the mission that drives their practices. Based on that understanding we created a refreshed visual identity system, which activated the mission both internally and externally by highlighting the vibrant and youthful tone of the brand. We shook off the category’s complex conventions by refreshing the existing eye & ear symbol, and developing a new colour palette, a proprietary typeface and a unique photographic style to reflect the simplicity that technology should bring to the everyday lives of consumers. Finally, we consulted with Time Warner Cable on the migration of the new brand and its appropriate application to branded items.
Time Warner Cable
Keep it simple
The new visual identity system became a catalyst for the reinvigoration of the brand internally, refreshing, re-energising and re-engaging the Time Warner Cable workforce with their mission of building a platform of technologies that simplify and enhance people’s lives. While a brand advertising campaign and website refresh was key, two of their most important customer interactions – a simplified and redesigned billing statement system and a redesigned fleet of service vehicles – were fast tracked. Since the new identity launch in October 2010, Time Warner Cable has continued to use our expertise to infuse similar vibrancy and character into their sub-brands and additional areas where the brand is brought to life.
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Time Warner Cable
by alexparr March 21, 2011
Motorola
Bringing ‘seamless mobility’ to life
In a sector as highly competitive as telecoms, a distinctive and engaging retail and brand experience is critical in building a relationship with consumers. As such, we were approached by Motorola to create a global strategy and creative solution for the Motorola retail experience. We needed to reflect the very the essence of Motorola and its products, to develop a unique brand experience that would appeal to customers in diverse geographical markets, and create a bond with Motorola’s ‘seamless mobility’ message. It was vital that we found a solution that was simple and flexible enough to adapt for local markets, size of store and level of investment.
Motorola
Harnessing ‘paradox’ to deliver the Motorola retail experience
The creative solution focused on one key insight – that Motorola’s handset designs set the brand apart in consumers’ eyes. We were inspired by the iconic designs such as the Razr and the Pebl, and the inherent visual contrasts in these phones – hard edges but soft lines. By using this ‘power of paradox’ at its core, the new retail space provides an environment that reflects and reinforces Motorola’s unique and innovative range of handsets and accessories. The retail experience now brings ‘seamless mobility’ to life by showing customers how Motorola products work together to make life easier.
Motorola
Global positivity
Through our work we were able to create an engaging retail space that put the products at the heart of the store and enabled customers to freely experience the functionality and aesthetics of a Motorola phone. The overall design created an emotional warmth around the brand’s message of ‘seamless mobility’, while clearly communicating the product values and benefits.
Positive feedback on a number of parallel initiatives around the world led to further successful test stores in Russia, Chicago, Las Vegas and Switzerland. The concept has now been rolled out across the rest of the world, including in prime locations such as the GUM Shopping Centre on Moscow’s Red Square.
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Mars
by alexparr October 17, 2011The American family-owned business Mars has become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of brands worldwide during it’s past 100 years of existence, with a strong market presence in Germany since 1960. The Brand Union Hamburg has been looking after various brands in their petcare, chocolate and food categories on an European level since 1995.
The Footwall
World Cup fever
As a union of footy fans we were immensely proud of our work on England’s 2018 World Cup bid campaign. Then, what began as a mere flicker of an idea over a few beers one evening, became, less than a week later, an event that generated mass excitement in our industry and our community.
Using our professional skills and a combination of persuasion, negotiation and determination, we consolidated and exemplified our support of the 2018 bid with an ambient, interactive Twitter project called The Footwall. England’s 2010 World Cup campaign was discussed in real time on London’s first ever World Cup Twitter wall, projected onto the four-storey façade of our Farringdon offices.
The Footwall
The sky at night
Using the 2018 bid branding and typography, we projected a live Twitter feed onto our London headquarters every night during the 2010 World Cup. The aim: to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event every evening with match reaction commentary and debate.
We designed, coded, planned and implemented every stage of this project internally, connecting a community through social media and lighting up the night sky with the nation’s hopes and fears.
The Footwall
A benchmark of creativity
The Footwall was a huge success, garnering interest throughout our own neighbourhood, as well as further afield online. In fact, neighbouring creative agencies looked on enviously and used the project as an internal benchmark for creativity. Seeing people stop in the street to take photos was testimony to the success of the project, and for one glorious summer, everyone in our London office was united in pride.
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The Footwall
by alexparr April 22, 2011
Al Rajhi
Making the world’s largest Islamic bank relevant to a new generation
We began our relationship with Al Rajhi Banking and Investment Corporation way back in 2006. The largest Islamic bank in the world had a huge amount of brand equity in the region but they were struggling to appeal to the younger market that saw Al Rajhi as their parents’ bank. Together with the new changes introduced into the financial sector, the bank was feeling vulnerable to competition from the well-known global banking brands. The Bank also recognised that in order to realise their aspirations to become a regional bank by expanding into Malaysia and the like they need well defined compelling brand for the future.
Al Rajhi
What’s in a name?
As the new guardians of Al Rajhi Bank, our job was to refocus and renew their promise of being a truly Islamic bank that provides real customer service. We also had to make the brand relevant to the broader regional banking market, while maintaining and growing the bank’s loyal following in Saudi Arabia.
We began with the name. It was simply too long and not seen as customer-centric enough. So the first thing we did was to shorten it to Al Rajhi Bank in English and to Masraf Al Rajhi in Arabic. It was a small step, but along with the new icon and typeface, it signalled a new future for the bank.
Al Rajhi
Elevated ranks
We didn’t change the bank itself, but through our work we helped them to fulfil their potential and, for the first time, elevated them to the position of 69th best bank in the world.
“The new personality and image that The Brand Union has created, accurately reflects the bank and its mission, now and into the future.”
Moh’d Aba Alkheil, Marketing and Branding Manager, Al Rajhi Bank
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OSRAM
Exciting lighting solutions
We have been working with OSRAM since 2007, as the lead agency for their corporate and packaging design. During this time we have carried out customer interviews and brand and market assessments to really get to grips with OSRAM’s business. We have led internal trainings and workshops to understand and shape the OSRAM brand from the inside out. Our aim has been to transform OSRAM from simply another light bulb supplier in a crowded marketplace, to a leading provider of exciting lighting solutions.
OSRAM
Standing out from the crowd
We began our work with the entire OSRAM Automotive Range with a period of analysis of existing strategy and visuals, which shaped our packaging design, naming and up-sell decisions. We had the opportunity to create a unified look and feel for OSRAM from scratch, and so we are in a process of redesigning the entire luminaires range and organising it into product families, each with a ‘hero’ product. The new branding and product range now stands out from the competition with emotive and high-tech designs. The use of powerful visuals focuses on the product benefits and the use of advanced technology, to promote OSRAM’s brand values in terms of exciting lighting concepts. The new designs really set OSRAM apart from the crowd.
OSRAM
A hat-trick
The hat-trick of awards that our work for OSRAM has achieved speaks volumes. We were awarded two iF communication design awards for LEDs DECO and SIRIUS Torches in 2010, and in 2011 we won the iF packaging award for the launch of QOD.
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Telkom
Revitalising a national institution
Telkom Indonesia is a state-owned telecommunications company, which, with over 25,000 employees, provides a broad range of services from fixed line to network and infocomms. Over the years, Telkom had developed an unwanted reputation for being slow to change, non customer-centric and bureaucratic, and once the market was deregulated, Telkom faced the difficult job of retaining its customer base and modernising its image and range of services. Technological progress in Indonesia has also created new lifestyles, moving people away from the fixed-line services that had been Telkom’s core business for decades. To tackle these challenges, Telkom’s strategy was to transform itself from a telecommunications company into a comprehensive TIME company – Telecommunications, Information, Media and Edutainment –so a fresh, relevant and dynamic brand was critical in achieving this long-term business aim. And so we set to work.
Telkom
A trusted brand in a changing world
Our job was to refresh the Telkom brand by leveraging existing strengths but also infusing distinctive change elements. We developed a brand strategy to put Telkom back into shape by focusing on progressive changes to the company. The new brand would guide all businesses and inspire a modern internal culture. Acknowledging that change can be daunting, but also recognising its benefits, a new brand positioning was developed to inspire Indonesians to find new confidence in Telkom and its commitment to support their lives amidst the changes of a fast-paced technological world. To signal this progressive direction, we created a new identity that would not only represent Telkom’s strategic transformation, but also reflect its nurturing personality. The circle and hand combination portrays a sunrise, to signal new beginnings and change, while being in touch with a world of future opportunity, and reaching out to customers and stakeholders.
Telkom
From identity to action: breeding a new business culture
Refreshing the Telkom brand involved an exciting end-to-end corporate branding project, comprising strategy, design, retail and engagement. The new brand was launched in Indonesia in October 2009 and was very well received. Stakeholders immediately acknowledged their personal appreciation by displaying an open-handed wave or salute, inspired by the icon of the new identity. Therein, the new brand set a major milestone for both Telkom and Indonesia, influencing internal corporate behaviour and
inspiring lives.
“Our new brand strategy and architecture have been set by The Brand Union based on their in-depth research and evaluation. The new brand positioning and values are on their way to becoming a new culture that will transform the company.” – Muhammad, Telkom Indonesia, AVP Corporate Communications
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Net 1
It’s all in the name
“Essentially, for citizens it is a question of democracy to be able to access high-quality information wherever they may live or work.” Jan Scherman, member of Net 1´s steering group. A company was started in 2003 to provide mobile internet access across the Nordic region. Today it is already challenging the major suppliers the region and its mobile broadband covers 90% of Sweden. Not bad when you compare that to the 50% coverage for all of its competitors combined. We were asked to get involved to create a new company name and a visual identity in line with a new promise.
Net 1
First place
From our Stockholm office, we set about the task of naming this growing company. Its major competitors included Tele2 and 3 Mobile, so what better name for the number one company in terms of mobile broadband coverage in the Nordic region? Net1. Along with the new name, we were tasked with creating a new visual identity for Net1. As such, we developed a strong, timeless logo for a company that is the leading its field.
Net 1
Double up
Since the launch of the new name and identity that we created, Net1 has gone on to double its client base in Sweden – an amazing result in one of the most competitive market sectors.
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Peroni
Authentic Italian style in a bottle
When SAB Miller wanted to market its new acquisition, Peroni Nastro Azzuro, as a premium beer to new international markets, whilst maintaining the brand’s position in its home market, we were called in to create something special. And with a long-standing relationship with SAB Miller, one of the world’s largest brewers, our team was no stranger to the beer category. However, taking a national treasure such as the Peroni brand, founded in 1846, to a global marketplace required a considered and precise touch.
Peroni
Caretaking history
We began by helping to interpret consumer insights from the existing domestic markets, as well as diverse new international markets such as the UK, South Africa and Colombia. The USA was an important market and because of the pronunciation problems associated with Nastro Azzurro the brand was called Peroni outside of Italy. Time was also spent in the original brewery archives researching the history that would support and inspire the brand proposition. The brand heritage and design needed to be positioned in such a way that would appeal directly to today’s premium-beer drinkers.
The brand idea of ‘authentically Italian’ bred a communications strategy that leveraged the world of Italian culture. The packaging design we developed combines this sense of the authentic with uniquely Italian design codes and detailing. The design reflects the crisp, clean taste of the product, and enables Peroni to challenge established international brands such as Heineken, Budweiser and Stella Artois.
Peroni
The ‘category killer’
Peroni has gone from success to success, entering markets as diverse as India and Russia, on the way to becoming the world’s most recognised and widely consumed Italian beer. Now an established style icon, the phrase ‘category killer’ has been used to describe the effect of the bottle when it’s placed on a bar next to other brands.
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Minute Maid Nutri-Boost
Giving Juice a Boost
Minute Maid was looking for an opportunity to develop a wellness brand in the broader beverage market. They began the creation of a new drink that could offer a refreshing blend of milk and juice, mixed with added ingredients to provide ‘nutrition assurance’. Coca Cola Minute Maid chose The Brand Union Singapore team to develop a visual identity system unique to their new product line, called Nutri-Boost.
Singapore’s challenge was to develop a system that would work across South-east Asia and China while still maintaining the Minute Maid Masterbrand attributes. The visual identity had to reflect the unique freshness and nutritional benefits this product line had to offer and also ensure it could carry across all future range or variant extensions.
Minute Maid Nutri-Boost
Picking through the category codes
Taking on the challenge of creating a visual identity for the new Minute Maid product line, Nutri-Boost, the Singapore team dived deep into research to fully understand the various markets and competitive landscape of the beverage industry. Based on our findings and rigorous qualitative and quantitative testing, we were able to develop a design concept that balanced the nutritional and energy benefits of the drink while appealing to the predominantly male audience and observing existing Minute Maid visual guidelines. We also designed a flexible packaging architecture system that has allowed for easy pack navigation. A thorough set of guidelines was developed that clearly illustrates our visual identity system for all markets a platform the translation of our system into other communication channels.
Minute Maid Nutri-Boost
A new beverage category in the region
Since creating Nutri-Boost’s main range of flavors, Orange and Strawberry, Minute Maid Nutriboost has successfully launched in Vietnam, with the other markets and line extensions likely to follow.
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Minute Maid Nutri-Boost
by alexparr October 13, 2011
Henkel
by alexparr September 16, 2011For more than 20 years, The Brand Union has been a strategic partner to Henkel in the home care and cosmetics categories. A broad portfolio of successful power brands, ranging from Schwarzkopf, to Fa, Right Guard, Theramed and many others, have been designed by The Brand Union.
The Brand Union Paris has been the strategic and creative partner of Henkel Int. Adhesive technologies Division since 2009 and is currently working on the 2 major global brands: Pattex and Loctite for which we ensure all major developments. A great relationship with the client has expanded over the years and we are now working hand in hand on a daily basis for Relaunch projects, Brand stretches, Innovation programs, Training sessions, and strategic and creative Consultancy.
Burj Khalifa
Shaping the view
Burj Dubai, as Burj Khalifa was once known, is the tallest building in the world
and promises grandeur and fantastic quality and finishes – in other words, a physical development. But when the tower was coming close to completion, we were asked to transform the Burj Khalifa from a property brand to an experience brand. We were to
take the multitude of visual manifestations of the brand and consolidate and evolve them into a set of Brand Guidelines that would shape the world’s view of Burj Khalifa for
the years to come.
Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa – a living wonder
Looking beyond the physical, we began to unearth the experience that is Burj Khalifa. How will people interact with the tower? What will they remember from their visit? What will their feelings be? By understanding the emotional effect that one of the world’s greatest engineering feats will have, we developed the new brand positioning: ‘A Living Wonder’. We breathed life into the Burj Khalifa brand, allowing it to rise above just being the world’s tallest tower, to connect with people on an emotional and experiential level.
From the development of values to drive the delivery of the experience through the people working at Burj Khalifa, to a brand story to capture a tone of voice and create a more compelling brand world, we gave Burj Khalifa a personality to form the foundation for a more enduring relationship. After all, it might not be the tallest tower forever.
Burj Khalifa
A brand new start
The final output of the project was a comprehensive set of Brand Guidelines capturing every aspect of the Burj Khalifa refreshed visual language. This document covers everything from the size and colours of the logo, to photography style and name badges, and ensures that the brand promise is delivered with consistency for years to come.
The Burj Khalifa was officially opened in January 2010 and is well on its way
to fulfilling its vision as ‘The Living Wonder’.
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Burj Khalifa
by alexparr May 5, 2011
Credit Suisse
Creating One Bank
When a business recognises its growth strategy is at risk, it can be the brand that acts as the catalyst for change.
In 2005, Oswald Gruebel, CEO, Credit Suisse announced his intention to unify the bank’s fragmented global businesses and create One Bank in order to accelerate growth across its three core activities – investment banking, private banking and asset management. He recognised that the task was more than operational, that the brand strategy needed to be reviewed, and so we were called in to help.
Three issues occupied the CEO’s mind and these formed the basis of our brief. Given the diverse nature of the bank’s activities does ‘One Bank’ mean one vision, one message, one name and one visual expression?
Credit Suisse
Bringing it all together
After extensive research we learned that Credit Suisse is not a bank that wanted to be the biggest, but the most ‘premium’. We also discovered that while Credit Suisse was one of the oldest private banks in the world, with 150 years of tradition, its investment banking business, First Boston, was famous for new market and product innovations. We distilled these characteristics into the brand essence ‘A Tradition to Innovate’. In order to signal the unity of One Bank and to reflect the desire to be the world’s premier bank, we recommended a refreshed visual identity. A new logo was created that combined the cues of a premium brand with the bank’s long heritage. This was followed by a roll-out across branch signage, stationery, literature and digital, and through a worldwide advertising campaign.
We were also instrumental in helping embed the brand internally and ultimately unify the fragmented organisational culture.
Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse – in rude health
Only four months after launching the new brand, the Financial Times reported: “Credit Suisse demonstrated the potential of its new integrated ‘One Bank’ strategy with a 36% surge in net profits to SFr2.6 billion in the first quarter.” Then in 2011, Brand Finance ranked Credit Suissse as the 15th most valuable financial services brand, a jump of five places from 2010, with a brand value of $15 billion. While many other financial brands have fallen by the wayside, ‘a tradition to innovate’ would seem to be holding the Credit Suisse brand in good health.
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Credit Suisse
by alexparr March 24, 2011
Emmi AG
New brand presence in Europe
Emmi AG, the biggest Swiss milk processor and one of the leading premium dairies in Europe, approached us to develop a complete new brand concept, packaging the entire brand portfolio under a European-wide umbrella brand. To this end, we developed an integrated concept and created the packaging design of 150 products, ranging from milk, yogurts and desserts, to cheese and fondue.
Emmi AG
‘Be Invited’ by Emmi of Switzerland
Our first step was to gather a team from key international markets to generate consumer insights and formulate a consistent and clear positioning. We also launched an international survey to assess the essence of Emmi and the connotations of ‘Swissness’, where we found that across the world Switzerland represents precision, hospitality and a sense of humour. Based on the analysis, a brand strategy was created, focusing on the positioning ‘Authentic Swiss Indulgence’. This in turn led to the creative design concept ‘Be Invited’, where Emmi invites you to experience the pleasures of Switzerland, a world full of authenticity and taste, all with a twinkle in the eye! From there we developed a brand umbrella incorporating typical Swiss symbols, such as the flag-waver, the cow and the alpenhorn player, all silhouetted in the Swiss colours – a design concept providing the basis for high-quality food presentation and product appeal across the range.
Emmi AG
Expressing a world full of Swiss authenticity
Introduction of the range was accompanied by an exciting and unique event, an illumination project by light artist Gerry Hofstetter. To tie in with the new design concept, this event was held on the Swiss National Day and gained Emmi wide public attention and international press coverage. Since then, the impact on the market has been a huge success. Emmi received placements and shelf impact that it had never experienced before, and reactions from retailers, consumers and employees have been hugely positive, particularly due to the combination of formality with a little self-ironic Swiss pride.
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Barbie
Unapologetically girl. 100 million new Barbie girls – of all ages – can experience the lifestyle brand in all its glory
Barbie began life as a toy. Along the way, she became a fashion icon, an artist’s muse, and a collector’s item. Her 50th anniversary gave Mattel an occasion to create a stage to celebrate and showcase every aspect of the Barbie lifestyle. Around the world, Barbie has achieved beloved iconic status. So where better to redefine Barbie’s relevancy than the premier fashion district of one of the global economy’s fastest-growing markets Shanghai, China.
Barbie
The House of Barbie opens its doors in Shanghai. Eight floors of playground meets luxury boutique – all inspired by one little doll
A larger than life figure needs a larger than life home. The creation of the Barbie flagship store was the fulfillment of Richard Dickson’s, GM, VP of the Barbie brand, vision of bringing the world of Barbie to life. More than brand stewards, we acted as creative catalysts – crossing disciplines to collaborate with architects and experience developers. Creating a showcase unlike any other – part fantasy, part groundbreaking marketing laboratory for exploring new ways of merchandising the Barbie brand at all levels of retail. Across eight floors, customers can shop a full range of Barbie merchandise, model Barbie fashion on an in-store runway, sample Barbie cosmetics, relax at a spa, dine and socialise, and enjoy the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of Barbie dolls.
Barbie
Build it and they will come. Barbie’s dream house has been enthusiastically embraced as a retail and lifestyle destination: over a million girls and women have explored the store within its first year
Heralded by industry experts and recognised for “innovative strategies that help business achieve specific goals”, the store was awarded the 2009 BusinessWeek and Architectural Record Excellence Award. Its other awards include Interior Design Magazine’s prestigious 2009 Best of the Year award for interior design. With the fusion of business, brand, entertainment and lifestyle, the iconic doll now has a global landmark to headline her ever-expanding role in China and the world.
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Fa Nutriskin
Fa NutriSkin – Creation of a New Sub-brand for Europe & CEE
One of the current top trends in the body care market is ‘nutritional cosmetics’, - body care products that have a nourishing effect on the skin. Our long-standing client Henkel was striving to make its mark in this new product category with Fa NutriSkin, Fa’s first sub-brand comprising of an entire product range. We were tasked with developing the concept and design for the range (including shower cream, cream bath, deodorant, body lotion and cream bar) and bringing three distinct product categories – hand, body, and deodorant – under one umbrella brand.
The challenge: Fa is well positioned in consumers’ minds as a brand that offers ultimate feel-good freshness. With NutriSkin, Fa was looking to extend this positioning by highlighting the scientific sophistication of the range, and its nutritional qualities, which needed to be reflected in the brand and packaging designs.
Fa Nutriskin
Bringing NutriSkin to Life
For Fa’s new sub-brand, we created a coherent brand architecture, design concept and packaging design. In order to bring the NutriSkin concept to life, visual cues were taken from both the cosmetics and science category. The silver finishing and high proportion of white communicate intensive care, while the ball icons symbolize the multifunctional performance of the product’s seven nutrients.
Fa Nutriskin
Beyond Freshness & Fragrance
Fa’s innovative body care range is a great success with consumers who are excited by the combination of intensive nourishment, feminine fragrances and multifunctional performance.
“For Fa, NutriSkin represents a new dimension in the body care market, and is leading the way in the deodorant, shower gel and body lotion categories. The NutriSkin brand effectively positions itself as a scientific approach to body care whilst simultaneously reinforcing Fa’s brand claim ‘Feel Fantastic’.” Thomas Geister, International Director Brand Management, Fa
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Fa Nutriskin
by alexparr September 16, 2011
Direct Asia
Creating a bold challenger brand in a conservative market
DirectAsia.com is a game-changing, direct-to-customer insurance company from the Whittington Group. The Whittington team wanted to provide an alternative to the ‘closed shop’ of the big three dominant insurance providers in Singapore that continued to use agents and middlemen and kept premiums artificially high. DirectAsia.com’s vision was to create an approachable, affordable, 24/7, online insurance offering of the kind that had revolutionised the industry in the UK and Australia. We got involved to create a complete brand strategy and identity to see DirectAsia.com to market.
Direct Asia
Building on promises
Despite growing dissatisfaction with rising premiums and poor service, Singaporean consumers were reluctant to break away from the traditional agent-led relationships. Something disruptive and challenging, but at the same time credible and trustworthy, was needed to break the cycle. Our strategy was to keep things simple, straightforward and vibrant, and every aspect of the DirectAsia.com brand was built around a refreshing and distinctive brand promise and values. This promise underpinned every facet of the new brand’s personality, visual identity and communication and was used as the basis for an engagement programme with DirectAsia.com call centre operatives, who would be on the frontline in delivering the brand promise. We also used the brand essence to inform the design and décor of the DirectAsia office in central Singapore.
Direct Asia
A feature in the changing insurance landscape
A year on from launch and DirectAsia.com has contributed significantly to a much-changed insurance landscape in Singapore, where online providers are growing and the pressure on pricing and agents has dramatically increased, giving Singaporean consumers more choice, better deals and improved service delivery. The bright, bold DirectAsia.com identity is now a familiar sight on the streets of Singapore and online.
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Direct Asia
by alexparr May 12, 2011
Proffice
Under one roof
Proffice is the leading staffing company in the Nordic region, with over 12,000 employees in around 100 offices across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. The company provides temporary staffing, recruitment and outplacement services, and is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm, Mid Cap List.
We were asked for help in bringing together Proffice Group’s 10 different brands under one single master brand. They asked us to create a new, strong visual identity and brand architecture to reflect the new company structure.
Proffice
The missing link
After close consultation with Proffice, and with an extremely short timetable, we developed three different design ideas in the form of mood boards. After just one presentation Proffice was convinced by the strength of our proposed design path: The Missing Link. Proffice’s main aim is to help their clients unlock their growth and performance potential by finding the missing links in their business, the essence of which we captured in our proposal. Within three months we developed the idea of The Missing Link into a comprehensive visual identity programme that included logo, typography, colour palette, stationery, classified ad design, PPT design, image style, printed matter, tool box and a completely new web design. Not bad in just 12 weeks!
Proffice
The waiting game
From our Stockholm office, we brought together 10 different Proffice brands under one new brand, strong new visual identity and comprehensive brand architecture. All this has only just been launched, and so we wait to find out the impact of The Missing Link.
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The Coca-Cola Company
by alexparr March 29, 2011Over the last few years, The Brand Union has worked with multiple divisions across The Coca-Cola Company. Teams from our New York, London, Paris and Singapore offices have partnered with their global design and innovation groups, as well as regional brand marketing teams to develop a range of initiatives from brand strategy to visual language systems to pack design.
Our work has impacted their leading brands, including Coca-Cola, Sprite, and Minute Maid, as well as cross portfolio initiatives focusing on sustainability.
visionapp
A new brand vision for visionapp
visionapp is a leading player in the cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS) market. Formed as a spin off out of the Dresdner Bank, the company needed to differentiate itself in what remains a cluttered and crowded marketplace. We were tasked with creating a new identity that would strengthen the business positioning and could be seamlessly applied across its sub-brands, including the modular product brand CloudFactory.
visionapp
The “Cloud Identity”
We developed a design concept that truly embodies the positioning, bringing the dynamism and flexibility of the cloud to life, as seen from the end-user’s perspective. While the competitors focus on explaining the workings of the cloud, our concept is centred on the view that ‘the cloud is in your hands’, with the unconventional ‘birds-eye view’ photography demonstrating the view from inside the cloud, into the customer’s world.
The concept deploys a distinctive brand iconography and a system of individual colour coded logos for each product module, providing simple navigation and a strong brand umbrella over the entire portfolio.
visionapp
The next generation of cloud computing
visionapp chose to launch the brand at the 2011 CeBIT trade show, presenting their concept of the next generation of cloud computing to a broad range of ICT professionals and it was resounding success. As Marina Walser, CMO visionapp AG commented “The large number of compliments from our peers in the IT industry and our clients was only exceeded by the overwhelming feedback from our own employees.”
“From the first brief to the strategic and creative development, right through to implementation, The Brand Union team did a great job. The new CI reflects the internal values and communicates the character of the brand, products and employees in a perfect way.”
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Unilever
Living the vision through interaction and experience
Unilever has been going through an unprecedented period of change. After a slimming down of the brand portfolio and significant cost restructuring, new CEO Paul Polman wanted to align the business around an ambitious and inspiring vision to double in size while reducing environmental impacts. Unilever realised that the full engagement of all 160,000 staff around the vision and manifesto (‘the compass’) was vital to its success. We were approached and asked to design, plan and lead the programme from launch through to cascade.
Unilever
Helping Unilever to launch a new vision
We themed the programme of engagement ‘small actions, big difference’ to reflect the vision, and the emphasis throughout was on involvement, interactivity and inspiration. We reached our various target audiences through senior leaders events, town hall meetings, manager workshops and toolkits, and a microsite.
The programme was designed with easy-to-use tools to help spread through the business very rapidly. We provided ‘freedom within a framework’ to allow for global message consistency with local flexibility and tailoring to ensure maximum relevance.
Unilever
Impressive results in a rapid timescale
The scale of the project was as impressive as the results themselves. Over the course of the programme: 345 leaders were upskilled as ‘change leaders’; 700 manager workshops were run within eight weeks of the kick-off event; 100 town hall meetings covering 50 countries were held; 20,000 managers reached in 6 weeks; and 21 films were created in the space of four weeks. Within three months, the programme had reached 80% of Unilever employees globally. And the results? Within just three months, belief in the new vision and the compass had reached more than 85%, along with unprecedented change in employee engagement. As such, Unilever enlisted our help on the second, and now third, stages of the programme.
“The quality was of a very high standard, which was remarkable considering the tight deadlines. It could not have happened without your personal commitment and leadership.” Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever Plc
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Tegra
Creating the Brand to Support Syngenta’s Future Growth
Syngenta is a leading global agribusiness based in Switzerland. In a world where we are challenged to feed a growing population while safeguarding our natural resources, Syngenta’s purpose is “bringing plant potential to life”. Leveraging its expertise in using innovative technologies to help farmers grow more from less, Syngenta developed an integrated rice offer with the ambition to transform rice farming in Asia.
Tegra
Talking Smarter
To bring this offer to life, we collaborated with Syngenta to create the service brand, Tegra™ – one of the first of its kind in a product focused business. As Tegra™ represented a new means to rice farming, the brand needed to change the mindsets of farmers accustomed to farming methods practiced for generations. As an integrated offer, Tegra™ comprised of healthy seedlings development, modern transplanting, and expert agronomy advise to ensure excellent harvests. We positioned Tegra™ as a smarter farming approach designed for rice farmers looking for improved yield performance and greater convenience in the field. So, they experience visible change and feel relieved of uncertainties in planning and realizing the potential of their fields, believing in better lives and futures.
Tegra
Instilling Confidence to Deliver Change
Not only was Tegra™ creating change in rice farming in Asia, but as a new service brand representing a new business, it was also breaking ground within Syngenta. Internal brand engagement was a key component in transforming the way Syngenta viewed brand launch and assimilation:
“Having a brand to hitch our demand creation campaigns to has helped our promoters and customers to identify and understand Syngenta’s integrated rice offer, TegraTM better. The brand engagement workshops in particular played an important role in lifting the confidence of the sales team, clarifying the value proposition with consistent messaging and role playing exercises, and turning participants into confident brand ambassadors.” Ruchika Kapoor, Syngenta, Business Manager
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Blackrock
by alexparr September 16, 2011In 2009, BlackRock’s acquisition of iShares from Barclays Global Investors proved to be a transformative moment. The acquisition would significantly change their business. BlackRock looked to The Brand Union for help. The combination of two power brands into one would impact everything from the name of the new entity, the visual identity, brand strategy, brand positioning, culture, and communications.
Working closely with BlackRock, we conducted extensive internal and external research, which led to key strategic insights that would guide our work and the brand. Strong recognition of the BlackRock brand and its industry-wide reputation for disciplined risk management meant that this was the master brand to keep. An evolution of the BlackRock logo signaled change and helped define the brand’s new identity.
Using our research findings, and leveraging the WPP network, we developed print, out-of-home, digital and brand engagement communications that brought a revitalized brand look and feel to life by way of the ‘Full Spectrum’ campaign. The new communications platform debuted simultaneously in key business markets worldwide and is currently active globally.
SoMi
So driven ...
Find a need and fill it. This was the overarching goal of Shanghai Espark Investment Co Ltd. Their aim was to transform their existing ice-cream offering into a premium ice-cream brand that capitalised on the growing interest and demand from Chinese consumers.
The competitive playing field was still largely open, with an affordable, ‘fast-food’ brand like DQ operating on one end of the spectrum, and a ‘super premium’ brand like Haagen Dazs on the other. And so, a real opportunity existed to build a premium-quality ice-cream brand that captured the imagination of the Chinese ice-cream-loving public. We were excited to be involved.
SoMi
So ingenius ...
With the challenge to create an engaging and differentiating story for a commoditised product such as ice-cream upon us, we set about doing four things.
Firstly we interpreted consumer research to redefine the product offering, inspired by the preferences of adult consumers and emerging trends in the ice-cream category. Then we engaged SoMi stakeholders through a positioning workshop to develop a sharper brand strategy and positioning centered on the pure, unadulterated happiness of enjoying ice-cream. From this we developed Somi’s new brand attributes – colourful, innocent, happy and enlightening life.
We developed a catchier brand name, shortening the original Sofie Mix to SoMi, to reflect the direct happiness from eating ice-cream and finally, we transformed SoMi’s retail environment into a bright, uplifting and happy space.
SoMi
So compelling ...
The result was a simple yet engaging offering that competes with existing competitors who either talked about affordability (DQ) or indulgence (Haagen Dazs). SoMi relaunched from a fairly average, virtually indistinct ice-cream brand to a new, exciting, vibrant brand that can deliver on its bold growth ambitions by directly connecting with its core target audience.
The new brand identity system has also enabled SoMi to fast-track its expansion plans in key cities around China; it opened five new shops in Shanghai in just three months.
SoMi is also exploiting the countless possibilities of communicating its brand and product attributes through the ‘So…’ vehicle. Whether it’s ‘So delicious’ or ‘So much fun’, this is a brand that promises to innovate, excite and deliver happiness to its consumers through its premium-quality ice-cream and experience.
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Al Hilal
“We could have been green, but we chose to be orange” – a new approach to Islamic banking
Why another bank in the over-banked UAE market? Simple, the customers and citizens of the UAE needed it. The legacy of banking in the region has been to make bold promises but to fail on their delivery, which has meant low levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Here was an opportunity to develop a banking experience that does deliver on its promises – to put people first and build a banking experience on the foundations of values, principles and culture.
Al Hilal
Building real wealth for the nation
The Abu Dhabi executive council put into action a business plan to develop an Islamic bank that could support the values and principles of the people of the UAE. We worked closely with the council at every stage, and helped identify the best brand platform that would leverage gaps in the market. We carried out extensive research and consultation, which revealed that the missing link lay in understanding people, their wants, their needs, their reality. This couldn’t be simply another bank selling financial products, it needed to be a pillar of the community, listening to and understanding the real concerns, daily needs and dreams of local people. For the last four years we have been there every step of the way, helping the council realise this ambitious and meaningful purpose through all their marketing and communication efforts.
Al Hilal
Al Hilal Bank makes a big impact
Al Hilal Bank has consistently delivered on their promise of putting people first. To engage with customers and the community, it has created and sponsored a variety of events. These have benefited the less fortunate during the holy month of Ramadan, brought families together at auto festivals, encouraged children to learn about culture, and inspired young football fans to reach for their dreams. Al Hilal Bank opened a banking mall that caters to every member of the family and has developed innovative facilities such as being able to walk into their car showroom (at the banking mall) and leave with a car, financed and registered in one hour. And the result? After just two years of operation, Al Hilal Bank finished in 11th position out of 51 banks in the UAE.
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Castrol
Castrol gets its strength back. The lubricant heavyweight gets more than just a new look
Realising that customers were rapidly losing interest in the category, Castrol commissioned us, and our WPP sister agencies Added Value and Ogilvy, to undertake a complete review of the global lubricant marketplace. Our task: to reverse the downward trend and reinstate Castrol as the worldwide category leader.
Early on we uncovered the fact that the relationship a customer has with their vehicle has changed. Unlike previous generations, many drivers no longer know or care about vehicle maintenance or what happens under the bonnet, but they do care, often passionately, about what their vehicle means to them. In other words, a vehicle means a lot more than just mobility – it’s a livelihood, a passion, the way to support a family, an escape, a dream – it’s freedom. Connecting Castrol to this emotional idea was the key to re-engaging customers in the category and putting the strength back into the brand.
Castrol
Bringing ‘the strength within’ to life
Our primary task was to bring the brand essence – ‘the strength within’ – to life. This required a fully integrated team, combining the best creative and strategic thinkers, to work in parallel across the full extent of the Castrol branded world – packaging design, point of sale, service bay signage, racing and sports sponsorship, and B2B and B2C communications.
Rationalising the Castrol product range is where we started, introducing a simpler, more customer-friendly product architecture to cut-through the technical complexity and give customers a simpler, easier-to-navigate experience. As part of the simplification exercise, the Castrol brand was given priority status over its many products. Not only did this help to simplify customer navigation, but it also began the process of reinstating Castrol as the leading lubricant brand in the minds of consumers.
Castrol
Unifying support
Re-establishing Castrol’s visual strength was achieved by adopting the famous Castrol roundel at the heart of the new packaging design. The unique form and colour combination of that motif was extended across the branded world to establish a stronger, more unifying brand identity. The visual system was re-enforced with a consistent typographic system and photography style that reflected the emotional relationship between a customer and their vehicle.
As part of this project we also set up the Castrol Brand Centre – a global marketing portal – created to support local teams though the sharing of brand updates and best practice and assets, including guidelines, artworks and imagery.
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SPX
by alexparr September 16, 2011SPX is a Fortune 500, multi-industrial company that lacked a unifying brand to communicate the full breadth of its offering. Operating globally with over 80 business units, SPX turned to The Brand Union in 2007 to create a brand program equal to its real business impact. Generating a compelling new presence for SPX, The Brand Union created an umbrella brand organized around the theme “where ideas meet industry.” The strategy highlighted SPX’s position at the intersection where the best thinking yields tangible results. The Brand Union designed and executed a comprehensive communications portfolio to support the Brand. The work included logo design, TV, print and online ads, a microsite, collateral, signage, and guidelines.
Currently The Brand Union is supporting SPX’s new brand architecture strategy and brand positioning with an Employee Engagement Program and a new advertising campaign. The Brand Union is also developing Branded templates out of Visual Identity work completed last year including full Brand Guidelines. The Brand Union continues to act as SPX’s lead agency leading SPX Brand Strategy and design globally and with SPX partners.
Rioja
Transforming a powerful name into a strong global brand
Rioja is the leading and oldest wine region in Spain and is recognised throughout the world for its history, experience and quality. Protected through a Designationof Origin, its Regulatory Board is in charge of promoting Rioja awareness and consumption worldwide, on behalf of the wineries of the region.
Today, wine consumption is growing globally and new consumer trends and strong competitors from ‘the new world’ are changing the market rules. Rioja wines needed to react and take advantage of these changes, and with our help they have.
Rioja
Rioja, a vanguard and tradition, the combination of the two worlds of wine
We discovered that Rioja contains the best of the two worlds of wine. It belongs to the ‘old world’ of wine in terms of tradition and experience, and to the ‘new world’ of wine in terms of creativity, dynamism and freshness. Through extensive research, and together with wine-world opinion leaders and major dealers, our team in Madrid identified the ultimate trends and preferences in wine consumption worldwide and defined a brand territory that makes Rioja unique.
Rioja’s brand values were redefined to support the new brand strategy – excellence, creativity, dynamism and symbol for sharing define the spirit and dreams of wine makers in Rioja. These values, together with a unique new visual language and tone of voice, connect Rioja with new young consumers, while maintaining the strength of a historical wine region.
Rioja
Much more than a simple quality guarantee seal
We created a new logo that is an evolution of the original Rioja mark and builds on the concept of ‘the best of two worlds’. The Rioja wordmark represents the roots and heritage of the brand, the strength and experience of the ‘old world’ of wine, while the symbol of the vine represents the spirit of innovation and creativity from ‘the new world’ of wine.
Rioja is now a modern and vibrant global brand with associations with art and design, architecture, culture and gastronomy … and is a unique icon of Spanish sociability.
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Mazagan
The story of Mazagan
Mazagan is a brand new resort developed by Kerzner International on the coast of Morocco, 100km from Casablanca. A Euro300 million investment needed a sensitive and imaginative approach to creating the main identity and experiential design for the touchpoints within the resort, which is where we came in.
Mazagan is not a themed resort and so we were free to use a combination of Moroccan style to keep the resort authentic, along with a contemporary, international, cosmopolitan style. Each branded touchpoint needed to offer its own sense of escapism and unique experience. Our challenge was to weave a story that holds together the entire Mazagan Resort experience, with each occasion a separate chapter – a loose golden thread that ties the Mazagan journey together, yet allows each experience to be individually appreciated.
Mazagan
Moroccan magic
Drawing from the architecture of authentic Moroccan homes, we contrasted the traditionally understated exteriors with vibrantly coloured and richly textured interiors. This concept was then incorporated into the resort identity, as well as the sub brands. A neutral foundation for the identity created a blank canvas upon which the sub brands could be brought to life with colour. The result is a traditionally tranquil resort, punctuated by bright, bold experiences that add a touch of Moroccan magic.
Mazagan
The Mazagan experience
The result is a Mazagan identity, which, through its design and application, reflects the unique combination of Moroccan and international styles and brings the Mazagan experience to life.
Only one year old, the resort has already won a number of international awards – the future certainly looks bright!
Awards obtained by Mazagan
- The ALM ecology trophy for environmental management, May 2010
- The Oscar d’Or from Voyages & Hôtels de Rêve
- Number 1 beach resort and best location in the Moroccan Hotel Industry 2010 from Voyages & Hôtels de Rêve
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Pernod Ricard
by alexparr March 28, 2011When Pernod Ricard acquired Absolut Vodka for €5.69 billion they chose The Brand Union as their strategic design partner to help build and grow the investment. Since then, our relationship has grown. The Brand Union now advises TAC on Absolut Vodka, Kahlua and Malibu Rum. The collaboration covers all disciplines where design is a powerful tool to develop brand equity, including innovation programs, brand identity, portfolio management, product development and retail design.
J&K
Communicating hope and optimism
Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is a beautiful state in the north of India that is the centre of a long-standing dispute between India and Pakistan. J&K was known as India’s ‘Switzerland’ and had a thriving tourist industry. However, ever since militant groups became active in the state in the 1980s, it has been torn by constant strife. J&K Bank is the cornerstone of the state’s economy. It is the single largest employer, after the government, and the only company from J&K to be listed on the stock exchange. We were commissioned to give J&K Bank a complete makeover. Much more than a typical branding exercise, the initiative aimed to signal optimism, hope and changing times to the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
J&K
Three regions, three religions, one purpose, one face
The initiative began with extensive customer and employee research across the three regions in the state, with three different religious majorities – Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. A key objective was to communicate the inclusive nature of the Bank and it was essential that our solution should resonate equally amongst these diverse customer segments.
We proposed the brand idea ‘Serving to Empower’, communicating the concept that the bank’s employees had an important role in reviving the state’s economy. A number of initiatives – from the Chairman’s Open House to schemes for local craftsmen – were created around this idea. The brand idea was then translated into an identity inspired by the Sufi poet, Iqbal, who spoke of a falcon soaring beyond its horizons. The new identity soon appeared across the state and the brand was extended across an array of applications. The initiative also involved training and helping local vendors to adopt best practices and raise quality standards.
J&K
A labour of love
“This large and complex exercise has helped to bring current world standards and best practices to the bank, through design, technology, materials and systems, and at the same time adapt the business model to the requirements of the state economy. The Brand Union has been a critical partner to the Bank in this initiative. They have been uncompromising in their commitment and displayed a passion for their work which is rare. It has been a labour of love.”
Haseeb A Drabu, Chairman, J&K Bank (2005–10)
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Mauzan
Timeless style
Mauzan is the leading Abaya fashion house in the UAE, designing elegantly feminine Abayas, Sheilas and perfumes for royalty, VIPs, housewives and students alike. The quality of the products is in a class above many other Abaya fashion labels, but the brand itself was not understood by many to be premium and extraordinary. We were approached to help rectify this and promote the Mauzan brand. Our challenge was to develop Mauzan as a brand that is seen as a trendsetter and a symbol for ‘timeless style’. We needed to create a single brand platform to deliver compelling experiences tailored to the needs of each audience, as well as build a distinctive and brand-driven retail experience.
Mauzan
The simple truth
We had the pleasure of working across almost all of our core competencies with Mauzan. From the research phase, through strategic positioning, to the creative concept and identity development, all the way to execution and production management. But our work began with a simple truth: that every woman wants to look and feel beautiful, and wants what she wears to portray her unique femininity and empower her with confidence.
We made the woman core to our concept and needed to capture her inner feelings by crafting a brand story that would become the template for all other design. For the brand identity we chose a flowing calligraphy mark that mirrored the elegant folds of the very finest fabrics used in creating Mauzan’s Abaya and Sheila designs. This visual language was then carried right through to our designs for stationery, perfume bottles, packaging, store interiors and stands.
Mauzan
Making a statement
Through our work, we took a well-respected, much-loved luxury brand in the UAE, and gave it the credibility to confidently speak to a wider, global audience. Mauzan now makes a fashion statement that will be synonymous with timeless beauty.
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Edgilis
Innovation gets a new name
Acian Technologies came to us as a self-styled ‘innovation consultancy’. It was already an SME success story, practically doubling in size year on year since being founded in Singapore in 2006. But in 2009 the management team recognised the need for the business to step up to the next level in order to attract the best regional talent and to compete on a more equal footing with larger, more established consultancy networks. This demanded a new brand name and identity that would signal a new force and philosophy in the sector and attract the very best people. We were only too keen to get involved.
Edgilis
The creation of Asia’s first ‘opportunity consultancy’
We began by creating a new company name – Edgilis – which reflected the cutting-edge approach and agility that was typical of the business and its people, and accompanied it with a dynamic, challenging logo.
More important than the change of name and logo, however, was a fundamental reframing of what innovation means to the business. While the competition spoke generically of innovation as the be all and end all, Edgilis recognised that it was simply the journey and not the final destination. The application of innovative people and processes had to be in the service of a bigger, more sustainable objective: the creation and maximisation of business opportunity. And so, Asia’s first ‘opportunity consultancy’ was established.
Edgilis
Attracting future ‘agents of innovation’
The new brand vision and identity was first launched internally and to existing clients, before being applied across all business touchpoints, from a newly designed website to marketing literature and – crucially – recruitment materials. The new look allowed Edgilis to stand out from the established brands at recruitment events and more effectively attract talent with its bold new category thinking in which the company’s people were valued as highly skilled ‘agents of innovation’.
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Electric Ireland
Engaging the energy vision
Ireland’s national electricity supply company, ESB Customer Supply (part of ESB Group), approached us with a clear challenge: to create a new brand identity to reflect its vision to compete in a newly deregulated energy market.
To achieve this we focused on the ethos underpinning their strategic vision of fusion: ‘our energy, with the customer’. This ethos, optimism and transformation to an energy solutions business are expressed in the visual identity and reflected in the market strapline ‘Ireland has a new energy’. Comprehensive guidelines and a brand asset management site support the new identity and brand world.
Electric Ireland
Our energy combined
We worked closely with the Electric Ireland brand team to build a powerful presence in the marketplace for the new brand Electric Ireland, to leverage the trusted heritage of ESB and to evoke an optimistic future.
The design system is built on a number of unique elements (or kit of parts) to create a compelling and consistent suite of communications with customers. We created a brandmark that uses a clear and simple lettering style to present the brand as being helpful, accessible and straightforward. The bright cyan ‘Electric’ blue creates distinction for the Electric Ireland brand in the local market. The arc within the logo represents the focus on providing a wide choice of innovative products and services. The bright spark is an expression of the brand promise and embraces the optimism Electric Ireland has for innovation and a sustainable future.
Electric Ireland
New identity, new horizon
The new visual identity system provides the necessary tools and direction to implement the brand successfully across the business. While the new advertising launch campaign was key, two of their most important customer interactions – a simplified and redesigned billing statement and a redesigned fleet of home service vehicles – were fast tracked.
We developed a bespoke branded design solution for the new Electric Ireland building using the natural landscape of our island and its significance in natural generation of energy, combined with the energy of the workforce to express the diversity and benefits of energy to people’s lives. The experience is a colourful and optimistic environment that supports the brand character and enables both staff and visitors to have a better understanding of Electric Ireland customers’ needs and the engaging ways in which they relate to the brand.
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Electric Ireland
by alexparr November 14, 2011
Toy
Waking up the giant
Toy is a well-known chewing gum brand in Sweden, with a heritage of more than 70 years. The brand has not been active since the late 1990s, but during the 60s and 70s it was the market leader in Sweden and Norway, and had an iconic slogan “Take it easy, take a Toy”. At its peak, Toy had a market share of over 60% in Sweden and produced and sold more than 600 tons of chewing gum every year.
So when it came to the Toy relaunch, we got involved with developing a new design for Toy Chewing Gum Peppermint Bag. The new packaging should have iconic Toy design cues, and should easily communicate the brand and maximise visibility.
Toy
Toy is back!
Our main aim with regards to the new design was to let Toy consumers of old know that Toy is back, but also attract new consumers to the brand. In keeping with the brand heritage, we developed a carefully simplified and adjusted design to create the perfect retro classic, where we amplified the iconic elements of Toy, to catch consumers’ attention.
Toy
A sell out
The redesign was rolled out during the first few months of 2011. First it sold out, then it took a three times bigger market share than that of a leading competitor, hugely surpassing the business objective of gaining a 2% share of the total chewing gum market. So Toy is back – bigger, better and more beautiful than ever.
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Maybank
Plastic fantastic
The introduction of the EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) chip to Singapore in 2010 gave banks there an opportunity to redesign and relaunch their card products and seize extra market share. In a hugely competitive retail-banking sector no segment was more challenging or critical than students and young PMEBs, who also represented the greatest opportunity for lifetime loyalty and value. However, this audience was also the most fickle and demanding in their choice of plastic card.
And so we were tasked with creating a design for Maybank’s new eVibes credit card. The challenge: in a sea of lookalike credit cards with undifferentiated benefits and brand communications, our design would play a key role in Maybank standing out from the crowd and appealing to the values and tastes of younger consumers.
Maybank
A category-breaking approach to card design
A visual audit of the market revealed that the approach of most banks to card design for this segment was narrow and self-referential, and that young consumers deserved something that celebrated their life-stage and individuality, rather than seeing it as a stepping stone to conformist adulthood.
Our approach was not just to design a card-face, but to seamlessly reflect design cues from products in other categories that our audience found desirable and inspiring. It would be a revolt against over-designed, patterned cards that dictate a 'youthful persona’, instead we would design a card that offered a different perspective, challenging both category conventions and existing production capabilities.
Maybank
New look, new voice
The result for eVibes was a radically different card design that stood out from the crowd and invited younger consumers to interact with their bank in a completely new way. The cues taken from modern design classics ensured that the design would remain both timeless and cutting edge. Inspired by unique contemporary design, Maybank used its new card as a platform to speak to young adult consumers in a relevant and more involved way, using branded digital displays employed in destination shopping malls across Singapore. With our help, Maybank was suddenly talking the same language as this critically important target audience.
“They're great to work with. There’s great meeting of minds between agency and client. They put in a lot of thought into the design. They are able to provide effective solutions ... just when you thought you've seen a great idea, they surprise you with an even better one!” – Israel Chai, Head Marketing Communications, Maybank
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Absolut Company
The original design of this iconic brand by Hans Brindfors, now Creative Director of our Stockholm office, has reinvented itself continuously, always staying true to the core idea. Many creative contributions continue to add to the brand’s richness, gaining enormous design recognition across the world, with the bottle always being the hero. From sketchings on the bottle to the little medallion depicting L.O. Smith (the godfather of Absolut) this brand has become one of our most published pieces. What we didn’t know then but learned a few years ago was that the location where we created the Absolut bottle in ’78 was actually the flat where L.O. Smith lived circa 100 years earlier. It must have been the spirit of Absolut in that house!
On the next slide, Anna Kamjou, Global Director Design Strategy for The Absolut Company talks about our design partnership.
Absolut Company
Anna Kamjou, Global Director Design Strategy for The Absolut Company talks about our design partnership.
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Absolut Company
by alexparr January 25, 2012
Glenilen Farm
From small beginnings
Started by Val and Alan Kingston, Glenilen Farm are a small traditional dairy farm based in Drimoleague, West Cork. In 1997 Val began making cheesecakes and yoghurts for the local market. Since then they have grown from strength to strength and now they convert all of their milk into delicious products using only the best quality ingredients, reflecting their steadfast belief in the goodness of wholesome, natural food.
Glenilen Farm
Introducing Sally & Sue
Our challenge was to refresh the brand in a manner that attracted new consumers to Glenilen Farm products without disengaging the pre-existing consumer base. Also required was a tone-of-voice to allow the genuine, simple and honest nature of Glenilen Farm to be expressed on and off pack. At a practical level, the brand needed to reproduce well across a wide variety of pack formats, substrates and printing techniques. The new Glenilen Farm logo, ‘Sally and Sue’, drew provenance from ‘Anniken and the Cows’, a painting by Canadian artist Robert Duncan. The painting, which hangs in the farmhouse of Glenilen Farm, is a simple and honest portrayal of farming life and so aptly represents the Glenilen Farm brand. We developed pack designs and tone-of-voice to reinforce the repositioning of Glenilen Farm as producers of authentic farmhouse products. The design differentiated itself through a strong typographic style, the use of simple language, packaging formats and the reinterpretation of traditional dairy colors (blue and white).
Glenilen Farm
The crème de la crème
A recent success story of the food sector, Glenilen is at the forefront of Ireland's food exports and since the rebrand has managed to get their products into various prestigious British outlets, ranging from Selfridges and Harvey Nichols in London to Tesco, Waitrose and Wholefoods. Public response to the rebrand has also been extremely strong, with customers referencing the new packaging in many comments left on Glenilen's website and Facebook page
In December 2011 the rebrand work for Glenilen Farm won the coveted Grand Prix at the Irish Design Effectiveness Awards
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Glenilen Farm
by alexparr January 30, 2012
Pattex
Rationalise, simplify and seduce, globally
In 2009 a Henkel Adhesive Technologies division set up a new brand strategy policy capitalising on its four global brands (Pattex, Loctite, Pritt and Ceresit). As such, Henkel AC was seeking a powerful agency network to help realise its ambitions globally. We were asked to act as a strategic partner for the Pattex global relaunch by creating a unique graphic identity in the adhesive market – one that was brand focused and simple for the consumer.
Pattex
Be bold!
Through adopting one strategy and identity approach across six regional brands, the global relaunch of Pattex achieved brand rationalisation and harmonisation.
The new graphic identity for Pattex was created after running international strategic audits and consumer research. The end result is modern, unique and striking, allowing flexibility across 20 brand sub-categories targeting DIYers and professionals. In some regions where the Pattex brand did not already exist we developed a unique methodology which allowed us to roll out the brand positioning and graphic equities across strong, local brands, without losing cultural relevance. Over the course of one year we ran insight workshops in six countries, hand in hand with our client. In doing so, we were able to successfully converge the local brands and consolidate the brand portfolio to strengthen their new ‘multi-solution provider’ positioning.
Pattex
“A key partner in the international redeployment of Pattex”
After testing, it was found that the extended brand message and the new identity designs were being received positively – Pattex was being seen as much more unique, modern and accessible. “The contribution of The Brand Union has been vital to complete the overall project. Initially charged with a ‘simple’ packaging redesign, they became a key partner in the international redeployment of Pattex. The Brand Union now operates in design developments, structural design, team training and innovation processes. Our collaboration with them is a benchmark which we try to expand across our other brands.” Guy Boone, VP, Henkel Adhesive Technologies
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Kotex
Breaking the mould
In 2010 Kimberly Clark’s Kotex brand was facing an extremely tough trading environment in Singapore, with the feminine care category dominated by three leading competitor brands and a handful of powerful retailers. This was particularly true of the ultrathin segment, in which Kotex stood a distant fourth, behind three established market leaders that between them held over 90% of market share. The growing ultrathin market is of particular strategic and commercial importance as it is expected to account for one in two purchases within the category in 2011. Given its comparatively weak market and retail position, and significant outspend by its competitors on above-the-line media, Kotex needed to find a way of cutting through the retail clutter and reconnecting with the 15–24 year-old female consumer. Which is where we came in.
Kotex
Paint it black
The decision was made to launch a new ultrathin line under the Kotex Luxe name. Inspired by the insight that women are influenced by design and aesthetics as well as function, the new range would be the first to feature patterns on the pads themselves. In the absence of significant media support it was decided that packaging would be the primary channel for driving product awareness and purchase. Given Kotex’s limited retail presence and the prevailing conventions of using pastel shades and functional information on pack, we decided to take a bold and disruptive approach to the pack design. We undertook research of female consumers and the personal items in their handbags, and based on this we were able to take a radical step in our concept development – in a market and region that had studiously avoided it, we decided to embrace black as the colour of Kotex Luxe.
Kotex
Breaking records
Research showed that despite preconceptions, the black design positively conveyed a sense of premium style and luxury. This was enhanced by the use of elegant typography, a detailed background patterning, pink accent colours and an innovative use of matte and spot varnish. Onto the luxurious black background we incorporated the coloured pad designs both as a delicate pattern emerging from the product information bar, and as separate illustrations on front of pack. The launch was also supported by point of sale, which continued the design style from the packaging.
Within six months of the launch of the new Kotex Luxe range, Kotex’s ultrathin pad market share and value sales grew by more than four times. In just four months Kotex Luxe had transformed its position within the segment and the face of femcare in Singapore.
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ADACH
Reconnecting Abu Dhabi’s youth with their past
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) was created to fulfil the vision of His Highness, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. That vision was to preserve and promote the identity and rich culture of the people of the United Arab Emirates.
We were given the opportunity to help tell this story by creating and developing a brand that would reconnect Abu Dhabi’s history with the local youth of today.
ADACH
The unique spirit of the city
As there are few obvious symbols of Abu Dhabi culture and heritage, we had to find something that would capture the unique spirit of the Emirate. Drawing on the influences of Abu Dhabi’s culture and heritage, we developed a distinguished identity that illustrated the years of craftsmanship and creative expression in the area. Through expressive strokes and subdued earthy tones, the logo took its inspiration from Abu Dhabi’s early beginnings, while the introduction of a secondary palette of brighter, more vibrant colours communicated the different chapters in the story of the Authority.
ADACH
Harnessing the power
By developing a brand with more focus, ADACH now had a strong marketing tool with which to promote the events they hold and the work they do. We had created a design that harnessed an eclectic combination of cultures, people, traditions and icons, all into one powerful symbol that reconnected the youth of today with their proud past.
In the proud words of Director General of ADACH Mohamed Khalaf al Mazrouei, the new identity is “a work of art”.
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Vattenfall
by alexparr March 28, 2011Vattenfall is one of Europe´s largest energy companies.
The old identity was implemented in 2001 and refined in 2003.However, the world around Vattenfall is clearly changing, and so are the requirements and demands from the stakeholders.
Vattenfall identified a need to adapt and develop its corporate identity and design to these new demands in order to keep and to strengthen its competitiveness over time.
The Visual Evolution project started in the beginning of 2010, with the aim to update, simplify and refine the current visual identity.
The new identity was launched by the end of 2010, and is right now being implemented in order to reach full brand alignment by 2012.
Lexus
Introducing Lexus to the South African market
Uber-premium vehicle brand Lexus has set the benchmark for luxury car showrooms, taking cues from boutique hotels and first-class lounges. An upper-premium brand owned by Toyota, Lexus first turned heads on South African roads in 1995. Today, using standalone showrooms, Lexus wanted to separate itself from Toyota in consumers’ minds, ensuring that it is seen as an independent, premium brand. And so, we got to work.
Lexus
The pursuit of perfection
We were approached by Lexus to help bring a Japanese prototype of the retail environment to South Africa, using local construction methods and materials. The development of the new Lexus dealerships coincided with a repositioning of the brand that had recently expanded to include more cars in their premium range. Our primary goal was to design a Lexus showroom that would set a new standard of excellence locally, while accommodating a pre-owned outlet and service-centre facility. Staying true to the brand positioning, the dealership was designed to exude a feeling of luxury, class and sophistication, similar to the experience of a five-star hotel. Superior service was made paramount and personal attention the primary objective.
Lexus
L is for luxury
The end result of our work was a clean, minimalist environment that serves as a backdrop and does not detract from the focus of the vehicles. More than a dealership, the flagship outlet – Lexus Fourways – embodies sophisticated elegance and presents an unrivalled retail environment. The attention to detail has transformed the customer experience into something refined, intimate and personal, with special attention paid to the way staff interact with customers. The new Lexus showrooms have transformed buying a vehicle into an exclusive, arresting, multi-sensory experience.
“We believe that the dealerships reflect our goal: the pursuit of perfection. It’s a very special environment that hints at the rare refinement of the Lexus brand.”
Brian Hastie, Senior Manager, Lexus South Africa
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ADIF
Business context
Adif was born in 2003 when Spanish railway company Renfe split into two new businesses. One half kept the original brand, while the other formed a new company, Adif. Five years on Adif faced a lack of brand awareness, consistency and recognition within key targets, no proper language or systems, and no real brand culture within the organisation. So, we were enlisted to promote Adif, to reinforce its status both internally and externally. The challenge was to create a new brand personality for an important Spanish company, develop a flexible system for complex implementation needs and inspire an organisation with no previous branding culture.
ADIF
Building a strong brand
Taking all of Adif’s needs into consideration, the first step was to develop a strategic plan in order to create a recognisable and strong brand image. We began by strengthening the existing branding by using key elements in a more emotive way. A wider range of colours was developed, inspired by the Spanish landscape, and the use of human elements in the visual language was made more prominent to help consumers connect with the brand more easily. We refreshed Adif’s existing corporate colour, a single green, by creating a world of green tones, textures and shapes. To run alongside, we designed a range of brand applications that were flexible and easy to use, and a user-friendly brand site. Finally, a new global brand manual was developed to create a more consistent brand, improve recognition and awareness, and communicate strategic brand values to internal and external audiences.
ADIF
“We have made a great improvement”
The Adif brand has grown from being a simple logo and has flourished into one that is recognisable and complete. By combining unity of brand applications with a company-wide strategy, Adif is gaining the consistency and strength it so needed.
“The Adif visual language was lacking many things and we needed to develop a brand system that could be used by everyone within the organisation. We also needed to develop a new language to gain presence, awareness and brand consistency. The new look and feel meets all the requirements and expresses perfectly our brand strategy and positioning. We have made a great improvement on what we had before.” – Juan Pedro Galiano, Brand and Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Adif
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Kizad
The industrial zone of tomorrow
Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) is developing a flagship industrial zone in the United Arab Emirates, between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, that will be 417km2, making it two thirds the size of Singapore. The industrial zone will play a key role in Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030, supporting the diversification of the UAE and Abu Dhabi’s economy, and is targeted to contribute 15% to non-oil GDP. So this is not any industrial zone, it is one of such scale, nature and magnitude that it will transform the traditional perceptions of industrial zones worldwide. And with such a major project on their hands, ADPC approached us to help develop a brand for this ground-breaking industrial zone.
Kizad
Transforming Industrial Zones
It was vital that we did not get caught up in communicating the physical scale and functional advantages of Kizad (Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi), but focus on the benefits it would bring to future generations of Abu Dhabi and the UAE. This emphasis was captured by our brand focus ‘Transforming Industrial Zones’.
The project’s scale and responsibilities required the development of a compelling and robust world-class brand, capable of engaging with multiple stakeholders and strategic partners. In response, we created an identity with a dynamic, purposeful, and sophisticated logo and an understated, approachable typeface. The clean and powerful design language makes use of elements from the logo and features heavyweight black (integrity), industrial silver (expertise) and a distinctive red (inspiration). The photography used reflects both the scale and the human aspect of the brand, and brings warmth and personality to the sober realm of industrial branding.
Kizad
A lasting legacy
While the true success of the Kizad brand will be measured in future years, the signing of several multi-million dollar agreements already indicate we have successfully engaged the right audiences locally and globally. The early achievements demonstrate that Kizad has instilled confidence in investors in a challenging financial climate and is on track to deliver a lasting legacy for the people and economy of the UAE.
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ZUNO
A brighter banking experience
When Raiffeisen Bank International, one of the leading bank groups in central and eastern Europe, decided to set up a new online bank for the internet generation they asked us to join them on the journey. Given a long-standing, largely ‘bricks and mortar’-based banking environment in the CEE region, developing a new banking proposition and brand, from scratch, was a unique undertaking. Raiffeisen identified an emerging youthful, technology-savvy customer who expected more from their bank – banking in tune with their lifestyle. With a new banking experience in mind and bespoke user-centric technology to deliver it, Raiffeisen still needed a branding platform to guide the business development. Ultimately our challenge was to develop a standout, creative branding solution with a focus on an ownable name and brand identity that would be compelling to the diverse burgeoning CEE area. We relished the opportunity.
ZUNO
Creating a vibrant and refreshing new brand
Not only did we deliver on a new ownable name and identity, but we worked hand in hand with Raiffeisen in shaping the banking proposition – an A to Z branding project and more. Generating a name was one of the key project deliverables, and our naming process was guided by numerous selection criteria. We wanted a short, un-conventional and distinctive name for the bank; one that was memorable and fits with CEE’s key markets from a cultural and linguistic perspective; and a name that was available to trademark. And so, Zuno was born. A distinctive and youthful brand identity followed as we created a bright, playful, multi-coloured world with a fresh, friendly tone of voice that would appeal to the young and the internet savvy. Since then the work has encompassed look-and-feel development across a variety of applications, as well as comprehensive brand guidelines, stewardship and employee engagement.
ZUNO
Zuno: switched-on intuitive banking
We’re proud to have co-created Zuno as a creative and modern force that will set the standard for online banking in the CEE region. The year-long strategic and creative process we undertook has resulted in a beautifully simple, yet flexible idea, with a distinctive personality that will set Zuno apart from competitors. We see Zuno as positive and straightforward – a colourful digital world that is less about banking and more about lifestyle. As the brand launches we are looking forward to seeing how customers respond to Zuno’s intuitive banking experience. It was a privilege to be part of the Zuno story.
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National Lottery
Reinvigorating a national brand
The National Lottery was established in 1986 by the Irish government to raise money for good causes. 20 years on and the brand had grown organically, becoming fragmented and weakened. An evolution was needed to bring the brand up to speed with a fast-changing and contemporary Ireland.
We were approached to carry out a comprehensive brand review to investigate opportunities for reclaiming the core essence of the National Lottery. This meant creating a brand strategy that would deliver on the organisation’s goals of responsibility, fundraising, retaining the current players and attracting younger consumers.
National Lottery
Creating Ireland’s brightest star
We began by developing a masterbrand strategy that would align the National Lottery game portfolio, media channels, beneficiary branding, sponsorship activity and stakeholder engagement. This was supported by a new masterbrand symbol that was used to endorse the main games and tie the National Lottery products together into a cohesive and appealing brand family.
National Lottery
A world-class, iconic and lucky brand
We created a new identity that has been proudly received as more Irish, more appealing to all ages and demographics, and significantly more visible in retail – a world-class, iconic and lucky brand for the future.
The new masterbrand architecture has allowed National Lottery to introduce new games and generate significant increases in sales. The rebrand has also provided opportunities to increase the company’s CSR commitments and reduce its carbon footprint.
The identity we developed took top prize in the Branding & Corporate Identity category at the 2008 Irish Design Effectiveness Awards and a Distinction in the 2009 Global ReBrand 100 awards.
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National Lottery
by alexparr May 6, 2011
Sorouh
Just another developer?
“Creating places and landmarks that will live well past my time and influence people’s lives in a significant way.” This was the vision the late, great Sheikh Zayed had for Abu Dhabi. It became the foundation for Abu Dhabi’s values, the 2030 vision, and, like so many other companies, it became the vision for Sorouh.
But what did that mean for Sorouh as a company? In recent years they had lost their focus and the brand’s communication had become muddled. To many, they had become just another Abu Dhabi developer. They needed our help to bring clarity and focus to the brand.
Sorouh
Breathing in new life
We had to create a distinctive brand that would convey the essence of Sorouh as an authentic Emirati developer that was embracing Abu Dhabi’s progressive commitment to the 2030 plan for the city.
We worked with the client to unravel the meaning of Sorouh within the broader Abu Dhabi vision. This resulted in the development of several key strategic tools and a brief to revitalise the brand’s visual identity.
Our strategy revolved around Sorouh being a considerate developer, concerned with creating not only significant places that restore balance to people’s lives, but that also leave lasting memories. We refined the existing brand identity in both English and Arabic and created a distinct visual language and photographic style to communicate a new, focused Sorouh.
Sorouh
Sorouh – places that matter
Our work defined the greater role and purpose that Sorouh will play in the Abu Dhabi 2030 plan and keys into a basic human truth that we all need a place that matters to us. Whether that is being in a place that brings our family and loved ones together, a place where you can feel safe or a place where your memories live, the simple reality is that the success of a developer will be defined by the emotional connection that the people are able to make with the developments.
We helped Sorouh to find their meaning again, to be the Abu Dhabi developer that creates ‘places and landmarks of great significance to people and society’.
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Alfa Romeo Mito
Unravelling the myth
When Alfa Romeo was launching their first new car since 2003, they came to us. The new car, Mito (meaning ‘myth’), was aimed at the youth (17–30) market and would compete with similar offerings such as the Mini, the Beetle and the Fiat 500. Our task was to design a logo that would reinvigorate the tradition of Alfa Romeo’s performance and sportiness in the minds of consumers. And so that’s what we did.
Alfa Romeo Mito
The urban legend
Our solution was based on reinterpreting the idea of mythology for a contemporary audience. We developed the concept ‘Urban Legend’ which explored the idea of the viral spread of information, how trends are passed on, often without the whole story or background being known. From this we developed a logo that engages the viewer by using typography that does not give the whole picture, but encourages the audience to complete it themselves. We continued this concept and developed it into a unique design language that could be carried through to other touchpoints, such as point of sale and merchandising materials. We also used an abstract graphic pattern that we created, which on closer inspection reveals the logo itself. It was vital to resist the usual language of automotive iconography, and create something relevant and that embodies the brief of a fusion of style and engineering.
Alfa Romeo Mito
No messing
A selection of seven logos was initially put to a consumer vote on the Alfa Romeo website, and our solution came top. Some of the comments that were received included: “Wow!”; “Just as stylish as the car it appears on”; “Brilliant, sophisticated and fun logo. Seems to match the car’s personality very well”. Since then feedback from the client has been hugely positive. It was even said that this was the first time a logo has been signed off without being “messed around” with.
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Alfa Romeo Mito
by alexparr March 29, 2011
GAA
Branding an Irish institution
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is the largest amateur sporting association in the world. It has over 1 million members, with more than 2,000 clubs worldwide and a wide range of competitions, leagues and initiatives. Founded in 1884 to promote the Irish national games, the GAA brand is without doubt one of the most important and culturally relevant brands in Ireland.
We were approached to help create a brand that would reconnect the identity of the Association with the GAA name and meet the changing needs of modern Ireland and the competitive arena in which it operates. Above all, the identity had to remain relevant for future generations, whilst also communicating the depth of heritage of the Association and the national games.
GAA
The voice of the grassroots
Key to the success and a project prerequisite was for the brand to be built from the bottom up. The process involved extensive research and consultation with over 8,000 people for us to establish a clear understanding of the GAA, its role in modern society and its contribution to local and national identity.
Our solution was to create a unique identity using the GAA name to reflect Ireland’s rich calligraphic heritage. To complement this, a new Association Crest was created. Taking the original All-Ireland Championship Medal (created circa 1910) as its inspiration, the newly crafted GAA name, which represents youth and games, is enclosed within the crest.
We also developed a comprehensive brand strategy, along with clear guidelines for building brand relationships in all territories.
GAA
One of Ireland’s most visible brands
As a result of our work, the GAA has become one of the most visible brands in Ireland, which has enabled the successful creation of a new complex multi-sponsor arrangement. The rebrand also scooped top prize in the Branding & Corporate Identity category at the 2009 Irish Design Effectiveness Awards and a Distinction in the 2009 Global ReBrand 100 awards.
“What the rebrand has achieved has been way beyond our expectations.”
Nickey Brennan, GAA President
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Neotel
Neotel – complete brand creation
For decades, the South African telecommunications environment had been dominated by one monopoly, creating a substantial gap in the market for a new player that could offer consumers the gift of choice. When local company SNO Telecommunications (with its strategic shareholder Tata Group) was awarded its operating licence, their aim was to launch a world-class telecommunications service to satisfy customer needs through considered technology. We were asked to get involved to develop a viable, creative strategy to take this new brand to market.
Neotel
From concept to full brand execution
We began by dissecting the market to analyse opportunity and business offerings, and create a credible and competitive brand platform. This enabled us to identify a differentiated and compelling market position on which the new business could deliver. In response, we created a new visual identity and language for the brand, with a uniquely South African flavour, to represent the promise of a brighter and better future for the country. The brand name ‘Neotel’ has resonance and relevance in classical English as well as African languages, with ‘neo’ meaning ‘something new’ in English, ‘the gift of a young one’ in Setswana and ‘a holy or revered gift’ in Sotho. In response to Neotel’s needs we delivered an end-to-end branding programme that started with the brand strategy, positioning, naming and identity, ultimately leading to the retail space design and signage.
Neotel
A competitive brand is born
Since its launch Neotel has grown into a fierce competitor within the telecoms market in South Africa. After only four years it offers a viable option to customers, and has achieved 12% market share, with a turnover exceeding R3 billion.
“The articulation by The Brand Union of what the Neotel brand promise stands for and aims to deliver on is really a global representation of what the telco industry and South Africans have been starved of for eons. Well done to the Neotel team and The Brand Union for raising the bar on brand articulation.” Mala Suriah, General Manager, Brand and Marketing, Neotel
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