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project



Multipart

Client: Multipart is a leading logistics business, formerly part of RAC plc. The company was then named Lex Logistics, but following an acquisition by Aviva in 2005 for £1.1 Billion, a name change was necessitated and it was decided to rebrand as 'Multipart' - the name originally taken when it was first separated from British Leyland in 1980.

Solution: Development of new brand identity retaining some continuity from the previous Lex Logistics brand [colourways] including divisionalisation into sub-brands and the development of product brand names 'Msys' and 'Mpro' in complimentary style with variants and mini brand guidelines. The design of all corporate and marketing communications materials including stationery, liveries, uniforms, signage and literature. Design, copywriting and production of detailed brand guidelines document, over 50 pages. The design and development of a series of corporate websites.

more brand projects >

what is a brand?

The really interesting issue about branding is that it seems unstoppable wherever it goes. Brands, whether in business, the arts, charities or sport, have become a social and cultural phenonomen with the most extraordinary strength and power.

It used to be so simple; most companies had a logo; big companies had a 'corporate identity'; and companies that sold to consumers had 'brands'. Then, around the turn of this century, the boundaries became increasingly blurred. Driven by market forces, mergers, competition, deregulation, the advance of technology and the realisation that a brand could actually stand for something, a strong brand could make a company, product or service stand out from the crowd or, to coin a marketer's phrase, become 'the differentiator'. It resulted in all sorts of diversification; supermarkets, who sold washing powder and apples, started to sell loans and insurance; mechanised tractor manfacturers put their logo onto clothes and boots to sell them; And, perhaps the most famous brand pioneer of them all Richard Branson, tried selling just about anything to anybody based on the strength of his Virgin brand.

The ability of these companies to move into completely new areas has largely been attributed to the power of their brands. Brands have evolved to encapsulate a set of promises or values which represent them and a guarantee that it will deliver on them. You know that if it's a Virgin product it will carry the same standard as other Virgin products giving potential customers that crucial confidence to buy. As a result, brands have come to be much more than a logo; they have extended to encompass all aspects of interaction with it, now defined as 'the brand experience'.

Every time you deal with or touch a brand, you form an opinion of it; you're affected by the environment and service of the staff in-store as well as the quality of the products; products are judged by their packaging, ease of use and aftersales support, service and reliability. Your feelings towards a brand are seriously undermined if its products prove unreliable, and are worsened if they are slow to resolve them.

The principals of brands are just as relevant in the business to business arena. Every interaction with a company leaves an impression of it. It begins with the visible elements of the brand such as the logo, publicity materials, packaging, website, stationery, literature and signage factors that can all attract prospects who then experience the 'softer' elements of interaction such as behaviour, communications, values and relationships. In order for someone to become a longstanding customer they need to see quality in everything, not just a product or service, because the overall experience matters more. This experience is encapsulated within your brand - an intangible, living thing which requires attention and investment.

Strong brands dominate markets because they have mastered research and design to create a distinct message which they communicate effectively and consistently. And strong brands have a far higher value than the performance of their products because they promote customer loyalty. The key to managing your brand is to understand what your customers think of you and what might make them more loyal and to reflect this in the values and appearance of your company which can in turn, lead to a potential increase in profit margins.

Brand guru Wally Olins, who has developed brands for Orange, Akzo Nobel, Volkswagen and Renault to name but a few, summarises the objective most concisely:

"In everything a company does, owns and produces it should project a clear idea of what it is. This is achieved by consistency in purpose, performance and appearance."

our approach

In order to address the issues of branding, we have developed a process to evaluate, define, realise and implement a brand. This proven process has led us to completely revise brands but also to refresh and sometimes to retain brands untouched but to exploit them.

Our methodology provides a framework to research and evaluate the perceptions of what the organisation currently represents to customers and stakeholders; to help define what the brand should encapsulate and how the company wants to be perceived; to explore new creative paths to realise, select and refine a new brand; to implement that brand across all appropriate marketing communications materials; and finally, to evaluate its success and fine-tune as necessary.

If our approach makes sense and the case studies we've included appeal to you, we'd be delighted to show you more of our work and to discuss how we can assist with your project specifically - why not give us a call or complete the quick enquiry form below.

t: 01942 234900

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bd2
bd2 studios
55 Kenyon Road
Wigan
WN1 2DU. (UK)

E: enquiries@bd2.co.uk
T: 01942 234900
F: 01942 497492

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Bentley Designs Limited
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