A clear transition

25/09/2018 13:41:08
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It was all systems go for one of our well-established glazing industry clients in July, when the business was sold by its owner Saint-Gobain, to investment firm CoBe Capital, with a month to launch the new business – Facades & Glazing Solutions (FGS).
 
It’s not every day that a client comes to us with the need to rebrand within such a tight timescale but, with a strong steer from FGS’s (formerly Glassolutions’ installations business) marketing director, a clear brief and a detailed plan, this didn’t faze the team at Partners.

Where to start


Once the new name had been researched and agreed and the brand values clearly defined, it was time to get to work on the design element of the branding and its application. Working with design agency, Subzero Creative, who had previously worked with Glassolutions’ installation business and so understood its business and audiences, a colour palette was agreed and logo concepts created and presented.
 

FGS logo

Seeking feedback and buy-in


FGS’s marketing director consulted the senior management team on the concepts, as commitment to change and an understanding of the rationale behind it at board level was vital. The business was also keen to gain feedback from its target audience and took the opportunity show the shortlisted concepts to a select number of key contacts.
 

Now to apply


The selected design concept was applied to stationery, new social media pages, signage and livery and the rebranding of existing literature is now being undertaken.
 
A key element of the marketing plan was to create a website which would present the new business proposition in an easily accessible format. After a three-way pitch, Partners brought website development company SimpleServe Web Design Ltd on board to create FGS’s new website, creating a clean, contemporary site which presents the three core business areas, making obtaining information about the business very straightforward.  
 

Time to shout about it


Whilst communication had been sent to all customers in the early stage of the buyout, under Glassolutions’ name, it was important to introduce the new brand to customers and contacts to reinforce the brand image and messaging. We supported FGS with e-marketing and updated the media so that there wasn’t any confusion about the transition.
 

Time to shout about your rebrand

Top 10 tips on how to get a new brand off to a flying start

  1. Start with research: Know your market and where your business will sit within that market. 
  2. Determine what values you want to portray and how you want people to perceive you.
  3. Establish a clearly defined brief with defined roles for the process – the last thing you will need is confusion over who does what.
  4. Establish business objectives and a project lead.
  5. Brief one or more designers on your current situation, objectives, targets, resources, etc.
  6. Gain support from your team. And if possible, select groups of individuals from each of your target markets to gauge their response to the designs.
  7. Internal launch: the corporate identity is the “flag” which expresses everything about the organisation, so it must be supported and understood. Resistance to change is common, especially when an identity has had to evolve because an organisation or environment is developing, so any new identity will be resented if it is not presented to employees as “their” new identity.
  8. External launch: The new identity now needs to be placed at all the visual points of public contact, either overnight or more realistically on a gradual basis.
  9. Maintain: A design manual, detailing pantone colours, typeface and the exact positioning of symbols etc., is crucial to creating a guide to the permissible use of the logo.
  10. Review the brand and its application, constantly.
In the case of FGS, there may not have been a long lead in to create a whole new brand identity and communicate the changes, but this wasn’t a stumbling block. A close client relationship, an understanding of the clients’ objectives and a strong team of creatives have led to a successful transition and a brand identity which has created a strong sense of belonging amongst the FGS team.
 
There’s no resting on the success of this rebrand though, it has many moving parts and requires additional work to build its strength. Whilst the foundations are now in place, this is when the true, ongoing brand building work begins.  
 

If you're launching a new business and looking for rebrand and publicity support, we can help.

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