The firm who commissioned this project is a large supplier and distributor of electricity in the United Kingdom. After two years of significant external growth, the management wanted to consolidate the company under a single brand. We assisted the firm in introducing its chosen brand identity

The project fulfilled a twofold objective:

• Internally, to create, cultivate and broaden a genuine feeling of belonging to the company. The challenge was to make its 12,000 employees join under the same banner and share the same values.
• Externally, to make communication clearer and more efficient:
• By giving the company a brand identity that would be immediately identified in its market. It was expected to establish and fully assume its leading position.
• By unifying under a single symbol all the group’s brands, inherited from the previous acquisitions of independent operators along the company’s value chain (generation, supply, trading and distribution).

The project took place in two main stages: First, diagnosis and project construction (1 month), followed by implementation and launch (4 months).

"You only launch once"

An identity change or a brand launch is a turning point in the life of a company. Hence, it constitutes a unique and very special occasion to communicate with its clients, suppliers and partners as well as its employees. It is essential to structure, in a concerted way, the approach that suits best both the context and the firm’s specific concerns. The aim is to answer the fundamental questions: who are we, what do we do, how do we do it, i.e. what is our particular way of doing business. The answers are unique, stemming from the company’s strategy and profound identity. But the way they are expressed depends on the stakeholders, for their historical relationship with the company and everyday experience is unique.

It is therefore impossible to apply a standard procedure. Hence, great care is taken in making the diagnosis:

• Focused interviews with key people, in the company and its environment
  
• Analysis of the effects and risks of a brand change.

This change is above all realised thanks to a new reflexion about the company’s offer and the messages it communicates to its clients and employees. The future changes will happen both on concrete and imaginary levels: The new visual identity (packaging, communication supports, building signage, business cards) and the way it is perceived by clients and employees.

"Here we go"

Once the roll-out plan has been defined, validated and shared with everyone, a dedicated project team of consultants and company employees is set up. They are committed to achieving the deliverables: translating the new identity into concrete applications, defining the offers, implementing the communication, and organising the new brand adoption by employees.

"When do we tell the world ?"

It is important to communicate step by step on the project. Yet, the new name and logo must be kept confidential as long as possible in order to give the launch the greatest impact. Discretion is therefore a key topic to keep in mind in every action undertaken by the company. The launch date is the focal point of communication: information is released very quickly. It creates a shock that the company must anticipate. In order, for instance, to counter negative reactions, particularly in the media.

"What's next ?"

The days following the launch, the whole company is focused on communication. Yet, it is important to continue inspiring and consolidating the spirit of the new brand within the company. A launch without planned follow-up carries a serious risk of generating a strong sense of disillusionment and frustration among stakeholders. The risk is that they (rightly) criticize the company for having made costly, purely cosmetic changes without any substance. The post-launch is therefore as important as the launch itself. The materialisation of the brand’s promise in tangible, positive changes, will enable the company to refresh its image and to benefit from the impact of a stronger brand. During this mission, Izsak Grapin & Associés worked in partnership with communication agencies specialised in brand identity and media communication.