JUST A SECOND...

TBU London's JR LIttle tells @TheDrum how General Motors turned around the brand & posted record profits so quickly. http://t.co/hdK9KfdI


5 days ago. @thebrandunion
Seen and Noted:

Time by John Clang

Image © John Clang

We’ve featured his work before but loved this latest series by photographer John Clang. In his own words, ‘Time’ is “a series that involves recording a location, to show the passing of time in a montage style. There is a sense of intimate intricacy of how time moves, and how people, albeit in a different time, are actually closer to one another and traveling in the same shared space.”

There’s something fascinating in the realisation that so many stories are shared through space and John’s work captures those stories captivatingly.

www.johnclang.com

Guillaume Noire

Client Director
Paris

Japanese food lover, I have been awarded* MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the Paris Office Mini-Basket Championship for the season 2010. I like to travel, these past years I had two “coups de cœur”: Japan and Havana! Japan for the amazing cultural balance between past and future … and Havana as I’ve had the opportunity to visit a few times and which I definitely fell in love with for its unique culture and people.

By the way: I run beer, spirit, liquor and cigarettes projects in Paris from brand identity guidelines to video or packaging for major players in these categories, from a local to a global perspective, depending on projects.

* Self-awarded, but with strong agreement on the item “is the best player of the agency” from near 100% of my colleagues playing more than two games a day and working at the agency for more than five years.

Press:

Richard Bates on Raising the Bar of Creativity with Consumers

Published by: Steve Mullins, brand-e.biz
Featuring: Richard Bates, Chief Creative Officer, The Brand Union New York

A number of brands are doing a really good job developing innovative and memorable brand experiences, especially for certain consumer niches. But their creativity has raised the bar much higher, and that is challenging, writes Steve Mullins.

“The newness, the novelty is passing and the sheer amount of [campaigns] is only going to increase,” says Richard Bates of The Brand Union. “If the pattern continues, and my favourite brands continue to ask for more and more one-on-one quality time with me, whether it be online or in physical pop-up form, I’m going to demand more and more value from them – whether it be entertainment or financial – for the quality time. Like any successful long-term relationship, I will need to be getting as much as I’m giving”

For the moment, though, initiatives based on co-creation continue to ask a lot of the consumer. Take Harley-Davidson’s Fan Machine app, which launched on Facebook in November. It asks fans to review ad briefs and also tasks them with submitting ideas. The brand certainly wants big fans to spend more time in the marketing mix.

Moscow

Although The Brand Union has worked in Russia for many years with some of country’s most iconic brands, the Moscow branch is one of the youngest offices within the network. We are excited to have a presence in this exciting, vibrant environment, where a lot of development and progress is being made now.

Moscow

Within a short time, The Brand Union Moscow has already built a strong professional team, able to cover all the key areas of our offer: brand strategy, identity and employee engagement. Our Moscow office combines the local insights and market in-depth understanding with the international know-how, methodologies and experience. Depending on the project nature and client needs the agency is able to work both independently and in cooperation with the network offices having the most relevant expertise and credentials.

Moscow

The Brand Union Moscow Russia has a wealth of experience of working for the development and strengthening of various brands for the following clients: Japan Tobacco International, Henkel, SAB Miller, P&G, Sony, Pernod Ricard, Veda, The Russian Museum.

Moscow

Our Moscow office is located in the centre of the city near the Kitay-Gorod metro station. We are a few steps away from the famous Red Square. The dynamic energy of this area fills our office. The fourth floor of our renovated limestone building is the ideal environment for creativity and ideation. Our open workspace has one of the most stunning views in the city. And, our address provides us the opportunity to reach all major businesses in less than 30 minutes.

Moscow

The Brand Union Moscow
9, M. Ivanovsky Pereulok
109028
Moscow
Russia

T   +7 499 764 98 50
F   +7 499 764 98 15

General Contact: tbu.moscow@thebrandunion.com

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Dublin

The Brand Union Dublin

We live in an elegant 18th century building in the heart of Dublin’s fair city. Behind the blue door you’ll find a talented and diverse team from a wide range of backgrounds and geographies, both agency and client side.

Over the past 21 years (we’ve heard the Celtic Tiger both roar and whimper) we have helped create and guide some of Ireland's most iconic and successful brands. We work closely with our network to gather knowledge, inspiration and expertise from across the globe in order to build brands that thrive in the real world, using a balance of brand strategy, consumer insights, creativity and execution.

Dublin

Steve Payne, Managing Partner, The Brand Union Dublin

I'm an identical twin; I’m the one on the left but we're very different. Being a twin makes you realize what you look like is only part of how people perceive you. It's your actions that really define you, which is the same for any organization or brand.

In today's market, closing the gap between what brands say and what they do is critical as customers constantly look for the truth and credibility of the people and organizations behind brands. That’s what I love about working in branding; it’s not just communications, it’s reputation.

I've worked on some great projects, from re-branding of British Petroleum, Lexus, the UK National Lottery and Selfridges, to being the Design Director for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. I joined The Brand Union in 2003 and closer to home have led change programs for Ulster Bank, EBS and The National Lottery. No day is the same and the work is always exciting, but it still surprises me when I get mistaken for my twin brother.

Dublin

David O'Connor, Managing Partner, The Brand Union Dublin

When I sit down to write about my career I realize how diverse it has been: from cooking to video production to advertising to branding. I was even at one stage a trained cinema projectionist. One thing that’s been a red thread through all of this is a fascination with human perception, be that taste, admiration, desire, whatever. It is this this fascination which finally settled me into a career in branding.

I joined The Brand Union in 2006 having run my own branding agency for many years in London. Whereas the 'employment' bit was a culture shock it was really exciting to join a company with so many diverse but similar people - people who bring their diverse experience to a branding context. The Dublin office is also a little more on the maverick side, which I like.

What is on my desk at the moment? A brand architecture conundrum for a national charity, a brand management challenge for a semi-state, a sponsorship relationship to tease out and an exciting range of new business proposals.

Dublin

The Brand Union Dublin
9 Upper Pembroke Street
Dublin 2
Ireland

T   +353 1 613 1650
F   +353 1 662 5771

General Contact: info.dub@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.dub@thebrandunion.com

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Singapore

The dramatic new space shared by our Singapore office and Ogilvy and Mather on Robinson Road perfectly epitomizes vibrant multi-layered modern Singapore. Situated half-way down one of Singapore’s oldest streets, the gleaming tower with its cutting edge interior design overlooks many of Singapore’s local treasures and heritage sites, while itself being overlooked by the sky-scraping new construction emerging on downtown Marina Bay.

The converted conservation shophouses on the outskirts of nearby Amoy Street serve as reminders of Singapore’s trading past while at the same time serving as one of the centre’s of the City’s world class media, design and hospitality industries. Behind and to the east of the office the sparkling future of Singapore takes shape in the form of the new financial district and the unmistakable outline of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.

Nowhere else can one better feel the beat of this amazing City’s pulse, sense its colourful past and feel a part of its influential and creative future.

Singapore

Great brands depend on great people. With over a decade of experience in the Singapore market, we have assembled a team of creatives, consultants and client services personnel who are not only committed to building enduring, effective brands, but also to doing it in the right way: with openness, respect, intelligence and an infectious team spirit. Drawn from Singapore, Australia, India, Korea and the UK, our multi-disciplinary team is dedicated to building the relationships on which great brands are built.

Singapore

Brand-building should be about the journey as much as the destination, so we put a whole lot of energy into making that journey as smooth, rewarding and enjoyable as possible. At its heart our approach is about collaboration, creativity and clarity. Every project is a partnership and every client a colleague in finding and delivering the very best branding solutions for their business.

The Singapore team at the launch of ‘Orange Thimble’ in Tiong Bahru. The Brand Union worked closely with the owners and developers to create a new art-café concept that would contribute to the growing vibrancy of the local neighbourhood, while paying homage to its colourful past.

Singapore

We don't judge clients on size, balance sheet or past reputation. We judge them on the potential they offer to create long-term brand value and game-changing strategy and design solutions. Our clients range from leading global multi-nationals to regional powerhouses, Singaporean heartland brands and up and coming challengers. We treat every client the same and expect the same end result: brand-led business change and effectiveness that you can be proud of.

SGX, Coca-Cola, Kimberly Clark, Pan Pacific Hotels Group, SIS Sugar, Maybank and KFC are just some of the great brands we are proud to work with in Singapore.

Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards 2011, Silver for Most Effective Use of Product Design & Packaging

Singapore

The Brand Union Singapore
71 Robinson Road #07-01
068895
Singapore

T    +65 6213 9959
F    +65 6213 9955

General Contact: info.sin@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.sin@thebrandunion.com

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News:

The Brand Union Launches ‘Brand Talks’

The Brand Union is hosting its first ever ‘Brand Talks’ event at its London headquarters on Monday 13th February with an evening of discussion and debate on brand partnerships in sports. The invitation only event takes the form of a panel discussion featuring 92 times New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Captain – Sean Fitzpatrick, Vice President of Marketing Communications Consumer Marketing Europe for Sony – Ben Moore and CEO of The Brand Union UK & Ireland – Toby Southgate.

The evening, hosted by sports presenter Matt Lorenzo (Sky Sports, BBC, ITV, Channel Four, GMTV) takes place at The Brand Union’s Farringdon headquarters and will explore the ways in which strategic partnerships, sponsorship and alignments can add value to the reputation of a brand.

Speaking of the event, Laura Taylor, Worldwide Head of Marketing & Communications at The Brand Union said “This is the first time we’ve brought together leading figures from three connected industries to talk in such a way. The next few years on the sporting calendar are full of major global sports events and a lot of our clients and associates are looking at ways they can leverage this for their brands, so it’s the ideal time to have this discussion. Our panel also have years of experience in this field so the debate is going to be very insightful.”

Anyone not attending in person can get involved in the discussion through Twitter with the hashtag #BrandTalks. The Brand Union will be tweeting live from the event (follow @thebrandunion) and continuing the discussion online.

Brand Talks will be held on Monday 13th February from 6-9pm. To see the livefeed from the event follow @thebrandunion on Twitter

UPDATE: Watch the video from the event here

New York

We are restless. Nonconformist. Rarely satisfied. We’re what you’d expect and what you wouldn’t. Designers, strategists and writers. But also musicians, technologists, sports marketers and investment relations specialists. A rare blend of art and science, building brands that can thrive in any environment.

Our holistic perspective and extensive range of skills allow us to add value at all stages of a brand’s life cycle. Our clients range from multi-national corporations to startups. They span across many industries from Consumer Products to Financial Services.  And each has unique issues to solve. Unique. Interesting. Compelling. We don’t deploy formulaic approaches to solving client problems. One size does not fit all.

New York

Robert Scalea is Chief Executive Officer of The Brand Union North America, part of WPP, where he spearheads innovative approaches to delivering effective brand management solutions for clients.

Rob was previously president and CEO of Brouillard, a boutique global agency specializing in healthcare, financial services and technology industries. Rob also worked a six-year tenure at fellow WPP agency JWT as Chief Strategy Officer where he developed a business and marketing strategy practice that helped clients grow their revenue and profit through increased understanding of their target audiences: new product development, distribution strategies, repositioning exercises, improved marketing ROI and strategic business planning.

New York

Based in New York, Richard Bates joined The Brand Union as Chief Creative Officer for North America, in March 2009. Prior to joining The Brand Union, Richard led Ogilvy & Mather’s brand identity group, BIG, which he continues to oversee as part of the joint venture between The Brand Union and Ogilvy in New York.

Over the years, Richard has brought strategic design thinking to global companies such as Coca-Cola, Hershey, Avon, Johnson & Johnson and Mattel. Most recently he led the creative development of the first Barbie flagship store, a lavish brand experience for “Barbie Girls” of all ages, which opened in Shanghai in Spring 2009.

New York

The Brand Union New York
114 Fifth Ave
11th Floor
NY 10011
United States

T +1 212-755-4200
F +1 212-755-9474

General Contact: info.nyc@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.nyc@thebrandunion.com

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Some more pictures from our #BrandTalks event with Sean Fitzpatrick, Toby Southgate, Ben Moore & Matt Lorenzo http://t.co/EdysGyTe


6 days ago. @thebrandunion

Vattenfall

Vattenfall 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.

NEWS: New hires and promotions at The Brand Union London http://t.co/Fezu5nlY @BrandUnionLon @WPP


7 days ago. @thebrandunion

London

The Brand Union London office is in the heart of the City of London and is home to around 80 of us. The area of Farringdon (our nearest Tube station) is surrounded by excellent cafes, bars, and well-known restaurants, and has a vibrant creative community. The famous Smithfield Meat Market is just across the road. Our offices are open-plan, arranged over two floors of a large modern space overlooking the lively St John’s Street.

London

The variety of experience and background of each individual in The Brand Union’s London team sets us apart from our competitors. With team members from Italy to Australia and Birmingham to New York City, each person brings something different to the collective talent we have here, and many of our people have worked at different offices around the network contributing further to the breadth of knowledge, perspective and expertise. The common thread is a passion and commitment to produce the highest quality of work with our clients. These elements together allow us to have a regional understanding and awareness, coupled with strong global perspective.

London

Within The Brand Union London we work across a diverse range of clients and projects. From building brand worlds for car manufacturers to research & exploration for financial organisations, our London office acts as the global hub for a number of our global key client relationships as well as a varied portfolio of other projects. Ranging from luxury to value clients, product branding to corporate brand architecture projects we have worked with organisations from Alfa Romeo to Argos, Credit Suisse to Corus and Veet to Five Vodka.

London

There is a very unique culture at The Brand Union in London. As well as an active social aspect to life at The Brand Union we encourage the team to inspire and interact with each other in innovative ways. We have a garden shed in the studio for our creative heads to get together, hold ‘Reunion’ every Friday where the entire team gather for pizza, wine and a round-up of the week’s activity, and regular pool competitions. We have collaboratively decorated hundreds of gingerbread men and as part of the Football World Cup 2010 we created a ‘Footwall’, a Twitter feed projected onto the office enabling supporters to Tweet updates and thoughts about the various games that were going on. All these initiatives add to the unique and rewarding culture that the goes hand in hand with the commitment and determined attitude the team have to their client work.

London

The Brand Union London
11-33 St John Street
EC1M 4AA
United Kingdom

T   +44 (0) 20 7559 7000
F   +44 (0) 20 7559 7001

General Contact: info.lon@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.lon@thebrandunion.com

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Dave Brown

Director of Consumer Branding
Worldwide

I am the Chairman of our UK business and Global Head of Consumer Branding. I am client champion for a number of our key global accounts, including 10 of Reckitt Benckiser’s 17 power brands. Committed to mobilising and connecting our network, I have developed bespoke Brand Union methodologies to understand the value of visual brand equity and trend mapping.

Although not keen to admit it, I have over 27 years of brand design agency experience. In 1992, I founded the product branding agency, Brown Inc, part of the Added Value Group, which merged with The Brand Union in 2002.

I have a BA (Hons) degree in Graphic Design and am an executive member of the Marketing Society and D&AD. I have also won several DBA IDEA awards.

I’m a passionate chef, trumpet player and painter and my other interests include scuba diving and inventing stuff, including the next-generation Mushy Pea.

Nick Payne

Director
London

I have over 20 years of experience in both branding and design. Originally trained as a Product Designer, I began my career as an interior/retail designer before establishing myself in the world of corporate and brand identity. I worked for 10 years as a Creative Director, where I lead branding teams across a wide range of clients and sectors, including The Premier League, Credit Suisse, Ericsson, Castrol, Deloitte and the FA bid for the 2018 World Cup. I now combine my client time with the role of Operations Director for the London office, where my breadth of experience helps to ensure that we are supporting all our clients in the right way.

Over the past two years, my primary client focus has been Barclaycard, where I have lead the development of new brand positioning and identity, including the creation of the Barclaycard Freedom and Barclaycard Unwind sub-brands. During this time, I have also lead the development of a new brand strategy and visual identity for Bird & Bird, the international law firm.

Beyond my passion for brand building, my other great passion is my old farmhouse in the Kent countryside, where building of another sort keeps me and my family fully employed.

 

Johannesburg

The Brand Union's Johannesburg office is situated in Rivonia, Sandton, the region's corporate, financial and commercial hub, and a shopper's utopia. Johannesburg combines European flair with African vibrance and is a cosmopolitan and multicultural hub of business, entertainment and retail, where you’re invited to mix business with pleasure.

Johannesburg

Our contemporary office space is shared by an eclectic mix of people with skills ranging from Identity Design, Brand Experience – including Retail-, Industrial- and Architecture Design, Packaging, Brand Engagement and Strategy. But we’re united by one common thread: a dedication and commitment to brand excellence.

Johannesburg

Having been active in South Africa for over 30 years (previously Enterprise IG, Pentagraph and KSDP) to its current position as part of the global Brand Union network, the South African office has been regarded by the market as forerunners in the branding and design arena, laying the foundations for the industry today. Our Johannesburg office operates as the head office for the Africa Division.

Johannesburg

Our African offer is quite unique. We provide a deep understanding of the use of branding and design to effectively drive business success in developing markets. We are able to achieve this by utilising the skills, knowledge and expertise gained through our exposure in the international arena as well locally on our continent.

We provide a custom solution to our clients by marrying our international & local experience, to create a tailor-made branding solution. We apply these solutions appropriately to deliver brand led business growth in your markets, without losing the local flavour of the brand!

Johannesburg

The Brand Union Johannesburg
345 Rivonia Road
Edenburg
Rivonia
South Africa

T   +27 11 895 9300
F   +27 11 895 9301

General Contact: info.jhb@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.jhb@thebrandunion.com

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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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Abu Dhabi

The Brand Union launched its office in Abu Dhabi in 2008 and has played a leadership role in shaping the brand landscape by partnering with leading destinations, corporations and authorities to build value through their brands. Our work includes the development of the Mubadala Corporate Identity, brand creation of the flagship Desert Islands and Saadiyat Island projects for TDIC (Abu Dhabi Tourism Development Authority), and the brand development and custodianship for Sorouh and the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage. We also developed and launched the brands for two start-up businesses, Yahsat and Caracal which are now both significant contributors to the Abu Dhabi Economy.

Abu Dhabi

The Brand Union
Al Niyadi Building
9th Floor, Office No 904
Airport Road, Abu Dhabi
PO Box 107367
United Arab Emirates

T   +971 2 4437828
F   +971-2-443-9088

General Contact: info.abu@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.abu@thebrandunion.com

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News:

The Brand Union Stockholm Designs Absolut Elyx for The Absolut Company

The Brand Union Stockholm has developed the brand and bottle for The Absolut Company’s recently launched ABSOLUT ELYX. Hand distilled in a renovated 1929 copper still, ABSOLUT ELYX is batch produced from each harvest from a single farm, resulting in a premium vodka with an incredibly smooth taste.

To ensure that the product has a competitive design, The Brand Union wanted ABSOLUT ELYX to be distinctive, powerful and based on a very simple, persuasive and genuine visual concept that is unique to ABSOLUT ELYX within its category. The bottle design is an evolution of the classic ABSOLUT bottle shape, compressing its cylindrical curves into a superellipse, providing consumer brand recognition but with a distinctive and unique shape, much like the taste.

Speaking of the design Jonas Andersson, Executive Client Director at The Brand Union Stockholm said “We wanted the bottle for ABSOLUT ELYX to reflect the premium quality and the individuality of the product. The copper colouring is of course a representation of the distilling process and the craftsmanship involved, but is also exclusively used by ABSOLUT ELYX in the whole vodka category providing further shelf-stand out.

“The concept for the bottle stemmed from our observations of the distillation process which led to the descriptor ‘Copper Catalysation Perfected’. This process gives ABSOLUT ELYX its silky smooth taste and the idea has underpinned all of the design work we’ve done for the brand.”

The ABSOLUT ELYX bottle was developed in close collaboration with Stockholm based industrial design firm NoPicnic.

Hélène Mellac

Project Manager
Paris

For three years, I’ve been a Senior Project Manager for The Brand Union Paris. What do I like and what inspires me? Brands and people!

I like discussing brand issues with my clients and colleagues, but all of this could not exist without my favourite song: Kung Fu Fighting! This is my leitmotif – with it I feel I’m indestructible and strong enough to face new challenges and to find the inspiration! I’m a passionate and fighting woman and thanks to this song, I’m ready to do my best and to accomplish things!

Bob Surrao

Associate Designer
Bangalore

I’ve always been passionate about the impact of good design and that’s what has been getting me through the past three years or so. It all started with a Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication from Loyola College in Chennai, India in 2004, and then I worked for over a year as a Graphic Designer and Copywriter at White Light Design in New Delhi, India.

In May 2008, I graduated from the AAS Graphic Design programme at Parsons, The New School for Design in New York, after which I worked at Promoscope in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Between the Kingdom of Bahrain, Chennai, New Delhi, New York and Bangalore I’ve gained a strong design education and close to three years of experience as a graphic designer, a web designer and a copywriter, and I’m good with software. The diversity keeps me interested, the potential of branding never ceases to amaze, and most importantly, design is fun.

Bangalore

Ray+Keshavan, India's premier branding consultancy is now part of The Brand Union. Our portfolio includes service brands like Airtel, Infosys and several private and public sector banks. From branding flagship products for Unilever and SAB Miller to developing identities for India’s new airports, creating a global herbal brand like Himalaya to launching a media conglomerate like Network 18, we enjoy the diversity of our work. Our clients find this 360 degree understanding of the Indian consumer invaluable.

Bangalore

The Brand Union Bangalore
22 Brunton Road
560 025
India

T  +91 80 25550486 / 487
F  +91 80 25581465

General Contact: info.ban@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.ban@thebrandunion.com

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Pernod Ricard

When 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.

Thought:

Richard Bates on Barbie, Branding and Unlikely Pairings

Published by: Joe Lazauskas on The New York Egotist
Featuring: Richard Bates, Chief Creative Officer, New York

Richard Bates talks about taking the Barbie experience to China, evolving identities and dogs making out with ducks.

“You can’t really talk about China as one thing; you have to kind of talk about it city by city. The Barbie flagship was in Shanghai, which is, a lot of people would say, the sort of New York City of China. You really have to talk about Shanghai in isolation. If you’re talking about Beijing or any of the smaller cities around there, it would be a very different conversation. Just in the two years we were working on it, there were a lot of global brands coming to China. So the familiarity with that idea and what that meant to the Chinese public in Shanghai was evolving constantly.”

Stockholm

The Hitech Building, right in the heart of the city, that’s the spot for The Brand Union Stockholm. We are the leading brand and design agency in the Nordic region. Hans Brindfors founded the company in 1996 and since 1999 has been part of The Brand Union’s global network.

We help market leaders and brands with the ambition to stay or become the best. We attract companies that believe in the importance of business driven brand growth. We strive to always have the most talented people who look for simplicity and know how to implement a process of change. Knowledge of the local Nordic market and experience from more than 20 international offices guarantees that we always start from the client’s business.

Stockholm

The Brand Union Stockholm
Sveavägen 9-11
P.O. Box 7042
10386
Sweden

T   +46 8 440 80 00
F   +46 8 21 02 99

General Contact: info.sto@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.sto@thebrandunion.com

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SPX

SPX 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.

Jakarta

The Brand Union, Jakarta office is located on the green Jalan Wijaya I in South Jakarta. The two-story office building is a short distance away from the South Jakarta Municipal office, approximately 100 yards from a driving range and nearby is Blok M, one of the oldest traditional and modern shopping areas in Jakarta.

The office is also close to the French Cultural Centre and several popular restaurants and bars. The area has been home to several street festivals over the past few years and just a five minute drive southbound is the Kemang Raya strip, known for its lively evening entertainment spots and unique stores, especially for expatriates and local professionals.

Jakarta

The Brand Union Jakarta
Sentral Senayan III 11st floor
Jalan Asia Afrika No. 8, Senayan
Jakarta 10270
Indonesia

T    +62 21 2924 3000
F    +62 21 2903 9265

General Contact: info.jak@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.jak@thebrandunion.com

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News:

SENIOR LEVEL HIRES & INTERNAL PROMOTIONS AT THE BRAND UNION LONDON

The London office of global brand agency The Brand Union has bolstered its senior team with a number of significant new hires and internal promotions.

A demonstration of the agency’s committed to investing in its people, the London office has promoted Mark Chatelier to Creative Director, and Nick Thomson to Principal Consultant. Mark and Nick have both been with The Brand Union for a number of years and have been integral to the growth and development of the business.

Clare Styles joins the business as Creative Director, bringing a reputation and industry profile developed at Wieden+Kennedy, Exposure and Fitch. Mark Smith and Chris Drew further bolster the team, joining as Design Directors.

These key appointments come after a year of significant change and continued success for The Brand Union, both in London and around the world. During the course of 2011, the London business gained new leadership and won several new client relationships including Sony, GSK, Fidelity, Statoil, and Qatar National Bank. The agency has continued to grow existing key client relationships around the network.

Toby Southgate, CEO UK and Ireland, said: “Our agency is at a revolutionary point. We are evolving in engaging and innovative ways, driven by our people and fuelled by the belief that we can and should do things differently. The caliber of talent we are attracting and developing is indicative of this new approach. These appointments and elevations give us even greater momentum and immediately benefit the agency, our clients and our partners.”

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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Henkel

For 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.

Paris

The Brand Union Paris office is based in between 'La Bourse' the Paris stock exchange, and the 'Marais', home to some famous fashion creators like Christian Louboutin, Maison Martin Margiela, Jean-Paul Gaultier or Kenzo… Our location reflects where we stand creatively, at the halfway point between business sense and cutting edge design.

Paris

The Paris office opened in 1999 and has had one of the most exciting growth periods in the French market. In a challenging environment, we are the "creative agency that likes to drive nuts the 'elephants' of the market", finding new creative and strategic ways to enhance business, image and creativity of our clients. As a global branding agency, we are used to work from corporate branding to packaging. Our expertise relies on building, for each client, a compelling brand world and experience, with creative excellence as leading principle.

Paris

Our wide experience on various markets is useful each day, as every project mutually enriches the other. We deliver strategy, design work and innovation, in different sectors such as food and beverage, cosmetic goods, leisure brands, gardening, industry and services. We are building long-term relationships with some of the most renowned companies in France such as Pernod Ricard, Heineken, Henkel, Fromageries Bel, Auchan Group, Centrale Laitière, Française des Jeux, Mars Group, Yves Rocher Group …

Paris

We are a multiskills team of more than 30 people, composed of branding professionals providing a complete set of strategic and creative solutions to answer any branding challenge. This great combination of talents (consultants, designers, strategic planners , managed by Stéphane Ricou and Céline Dérosier) has led us to win some Awards and distinctions, such as 2011 PENTAWARD with Heineken 2010 TOPCOM silver Trophy on Logo Design category with Bel, or 2009 TOPCOM CONSUMER GRAND PRIX with Malibu. In recruitment, we are looking for the best mix of talents and expertises.

Paris

The Brand Union Paris
26 Rue Notre-Dame des Victoires
75002
France

T   +33 1 53453300
F   +33 1 53453333

General Contact: info.par@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.par@thebrandunion.com

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Blackrock

In 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.

Chris Blaydes

3D Designer
London

• Hello! My name’s Chris

• I work in brand experience at TBU London as an interiors and 3D designer

• I’ve worked with a large variety of our clients here in London including Unilever, SAB Miller, Vodafone and JTI, Pernod Ricard. I work on concepts for environments and brand worlds; brand activation; events; POSM; illustration for guidelines; and bespoke packaging.

• I was the ‘live designer’ on stage at the Economist Conference in March 2011, which TBU sponsored.

• My sketching abilities are well sought-after

• I was born in Birmingham in the 80s. I left there to go to University at Nottingham Trent, and studied Interior Architecture & Design. I started my time at TBU as a student, and continued after I graduated when they offered me a job!

• I love music, especially one-off gigs. I play in a band

• I prefer savoury over sweet

 

Press:

Our MVP Pick For Super Bowl XLVI – The Old-School Branding System

Published by: FastCo. Design
Written by: Richard Bates, Chief Creative Officer, The Brand Union New York

In an age of morphing logos, the NFL delivered a rigid, static branding system. But it still works, writes The Brand Union’s Richard Bates.

As an undergrad in design school, back when print was king, we were taught that the practical rules of identity development were: Keep it simple enough to be effective on a business card and stationary, and the logo should always be reproducible in one color, vector art with no gradations. Then, as now, a strong creative idea was the key requirement, but today, logos–and the identities that support them–often need to work harder than they did in the pre-digital age. Now, the logo and its extended identity can take on a more dynamic role in brand storytelling by leveraging the familiarity that comes from the frequent and virtual nature of the fast-paced conversation between a brand and its consumers. Google’s ever-changing logo is an obvious and literal example, but even brands as diverse as DC Comics, Brand USA, and JCPenney have recently evolved their identities, building variation and storytelling into the system, not just for variety or complexity but to instill a dynamic sense of entertainment, energy, and lifestyle in the core brand equity–the logo.

So, when the NFL debuted their new “logo system,” designed by Landor, it came as somewhat of a surprise. Having previously embraced 45 years of variation and regional customization, the NFL presented a more rigid system placing a monochromatic, chromed-out rendering of the Vince Lombardi trophy at the center of all future Super Bowl logos. They retained the equity of the Roman numerals by including them at the base and kept a hint of regional variation by allowing a small glimpse of the host stadium to peak out from behind the trophy.

When pressed–truly pressed–for a response, fans focused on the pros and cons of the Roman numerals and the obvious lack of color in the new logo. The personality seemed to have been sucked out of the Super Bowl identity. The brand seemed to have removed some of the spice from fans’ tailgate chilli-cheese nachos and left a few limp giant foam fingers. I personally don’t believe the past history of the Super Bowl logos will ever be held up as an example of great design system thinking, but I do see life and energy in both the variety of color and design gymnastics required to wrestle those Roman numerals into some type of acceptable configuration. I don’t believe tasteful and intelligent were ever requirements.

By imposing a more rigid system on future host cities, the Super Bowl brand seems to be moving in the opposite direction from many of the brands evolving their identities in this digitally focused era. If you check out this year’s Super Bowl swag, available on the NFL shop website, you have to assume more elaborate visual identity system heroics–background graphics–will be required in the future to clearly differentiate one year’s Super Bowl T-shirt from another. Possibly the execution is a bit lackluster, but overall the strategy seems sound. Considering the Super Bowl’s fast-growing, expanding demographic, the time seems right for a clean reset, to refocus all eyes on the prize–the iconic Vince Lombardi trophy.

Yesterday, and in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, anyone with a TV or Internet connection had the chance to see the new logo in action. In its natural habitat of swirling infographics, the simple, iconic logo is strong and effective. I believe the NFL should be preparing for their touchdown dance in the Brand Bowl end zone.

Dina El Shalakany

Project Manager
Dubai

I joined The Brand Union after working in the field of Media Monitoring where I was researching the methods and impact of communication in the realm of social media, which has undeniably evolved into one of the most effective and targeted means of communication. I moved to Dubai almost two years ago having spent most of my life in Egypt where I began my career in marketing in an exciting and dynamic team covering the full spectrum of marketing activities at a corporate level.

I’m the kind of person that gets inspiration from everything around me – even in the mundane there is beauty whether it’s in scenery, food, cultures or people. I’m an avid enthusiast of traveling and exploring new and diverse cultures, I never fail to document, with my camera, every moment of inspiration that I meet along the way. I’m a lover of the arts, movies and music, and enjoy on outdoor activities and team sports.

 

Beijing

The Brand Union Beijing was established in 2006, and is the fastest growing office in the Asia-Pacific network.

In collaboration with the teams in Shanghai and Hong Kong, our services include brand strategy, retail and environmental brand experience, product branding, brand engagement and corporate branding and communications.

Beijing

Tiananmen Square

Beijing

The office is close to Chang’An Avenue, the most famous street in Beijing, which leads directly to Tiananmen Square.

Beijing

A typical Beijing Hutong (narrow street or alley way) by night

Beijing

The Brand Union Beijing
1901-1904, 19F Jinbao Tower,
89 Jinbao Street,
Beijing 100005
China

T  +86 10 8520 6688
F  +86 10 8520 6666

General Contact: info.bei@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.bei@thebrandunion.com

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Press:

Richard Bates Talks to brand-e About Continuity and Social Media in 2011

Published by: brand-e.biz
Featuring: Richard Bates, Chief Creative Officer, The Brand Union New York

Converse’s move to create its own Brooklyn–based recording studio, Rubber Tracks, to give unsigned bands a leg up chimed with the brand-e Campaigns Panel in 2011, writes Steve Mullins

“This is great example of a brand offering something to a select few of its audience which is of real benefit… but also of genuine interest to the wider fans of Converse, who won’t actually create their own music,” says Lawrence Weber of The Brooklyn Brothers. “It’s great stuff.”

“This feels like it would resonate strongly with the interests and values of the target audience – music, authenticity, and giving back to the community,” says PHD’s Jackson Collins. “ It also does not come across as contrived or controlling.”

Thinktank Research’s Sabine Stork also likes the integrity of the venture.

“Converse seems to have total credibility as a content enabler/provider and mentor of new talent,” she says. “I can also see their point when they imply that the relationship is mutual – Converse maintains its cool, the bands (hopefully) gain reach.

“Plus, any brand supporting a Chinese band whose tattoos reveal insights like ‘Life is good, beer is food, you are so cool, I’m living like a fool’ seems to have its finger on the pulse somehow, somewhere!”

When brand-e spoke to Converse a few months ago, the company said it was in it for the duration with Rubber Tracks. And that’s good news for some.

“When CMOs are now lasting in their jobs on average only 18 months, sustained marketing plans and long-term brand strategies seem challenging at best,” says Richard Bates of the Brand Union.

“Short-term marketing initiatives and brand strategies need to align with a comprehensive, long-term business strategy,” he adds. “Some of the ongoing brand initiatives of 2011, such as BMW’s collaboration with the Tate and Converse’s recording studio, seem to promise a longer-term commitment, a sustained conversation with the consumer.”

Social media figured highly in 2011, and the brand-e Campaigns Panel has flagged up a number of initiatives in its look-back at last year.

“Two Thousand and eleven was the year more and more businesses started to realise the creative and cost-efficient opportunities offered by social media,” says Pat McCaren, senior planner at Dare in London. “With decreasing marketing budgets, businesses need to be creative with their marketing, and often this means capitalising on an opportunity when it presents itself. My favourite example from last year was Morton’s Steakhouse.

It began with one man, a tweet and an empty stomach. Peter Shankman, a passenger about to board a flight to Newark, tweeted “Hey @Mortons – can you meet me at Newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in 2 hours? K, thanks ☺”. Sure enough, two hours later, when he arrived, he was met by a Morton’s waiter carrying a cooked porterhouse steak.

“While this may look like cute customer service, it’s a well-thought-through idea rooted in a basic understanding of how social media works,” says McCaren. “Mr Shankman has over 100,000 followers, so for Morton’s, the cost of a steak and a taxi to reach over 100,000 people was minimal compared to what a press ad or TV spot would have cost. Better still, the Morton’s name would be shared by Mr Shankman’s followers, and their followers, and so on. It wasn’t long before the story was emblazoned across the evening news, giving Morton’s huge reach and positive coverage.”

Richard Bates of the Brand Union notes that not everything sticks in the mind, however.

“Of late, digital social media campaigns seem to be a string of one-offs that generate great immediate excitement and response, but do not always maintain a sustained, memorable conversation with the consumer over time,” he says. “The use of digital and social media and the campaign activations they foster are, by design, “of the moment.” The immediacy suggests immediate gratification, and there is certainly an excitement – and potential risk – to the speed of the quick call and response between brands and consumers.”

Véro Le Roux

Production Director
Paris

I started working in 1993 at Publicis, then in other agencies like Spirit, Solsequia and CB’a.

I’ve had experience of production in many fields, including print, advertising, corporate, retail  and packaging, for clients like Accor, Alcatel, Alstom, Bouygues, CDC IXIS, Coca-Cola, Levi’s, Nestlé, l’Oréal, Renault, Truffaut and Vivendi Universal.

I joined The Brand Union as Production Director in May 2002.

Seen and Noted:

Deaths in Disneyland

Image © Thomas Czarnecki

Paris based photographer Thomas Czarnecki goes on a metaphorical rampage in Disneyland with a series of chilling photographs depicting the seemingly untimely demise of various Disney princesses. The purpose of the series, according to Czarnecki is to “create something of clash and culture shock between on one side the naive universe and the innocence of the fairy tales … [and] a much darker reality that is as much a part of our common culture and which is provided to us incessantly through the imagery broadcast through TV, cinema and other media.”

 

Shanghai

The Brand Union China is headquartered in Shanghai, where the office was established in 1999.

With panoramic views over the historic Puxi (downtown Shanghai), which extend out to Pudong (west Shanghai), the office provides us with many an opportunity to savour life at the heart of this most fascinating city, often referred to as the Jewel of the Orient.

Shanghai

Our Shanghai office is located in the heart of the former French concession, where narrow, tree-lined streets and boulevards are populated with turn of the century houses, bars, cafes and restaurants.

Shanghai

Our office is situated in a modern, high-rise building, where Ogilvy, our joint venture partner in China is also located.

Shanghai

The Bund and Huangpu River at dusk

Shanghai

The Brand Union Shanghai
26 F The Centre
989 Changle Road
PRC 200031
China

T     +86 21 2405 1777
F     + 86 21 2405 1799

E     info.sha@thebrandunion.com
HR  careers.sha@thebrandunion.com

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Cape Town

The Brand Union Cape Town’s workspace, best described as an urban playground, is a home to almost 20 creative individuals. Based at the Old Castle Brewery Building in Woodstock, in the heart of Cape Town's new creative hub, the agency prides itself on making brands beautiful.

We are not only surrounded by breathtaking views of Table Mountain and the harbour but also by objets d'art' such as a Heath Nash full-colour flowerball light and Paul Smith luminous bunnies.

Cape Town

The contemporary office space is shared by an eclectic mix of people with skills ranging from Identity Design, Brand Experience, Packaging, Brand Engagement and Strategy. We’re united by one common thread: a dedication and commitment to brand excellence.

Cape Town

We are not only surrounded by breathtaking views of Table Mountain and the harbour but also objects d'art such as a Heath Nash full-colour flowerball light and Paul Smith luminous bunnies.

Our African offer is quite unique. We provide a deep understanding of the use of branding and design to effectively drive business success in developing markets. We are able to achieve this by utilising the skills, knowledge and expertise gained through our exposure in the international arena as well locally on our continent.

We provide a custom solution to our clients by marrying our international & local experience, to create a tailor-made branding solution. We apply these solutions appropriately to deliver brand led business growth in your markets, without losing the local flavour of the brand

Cape Town

Old Castle Brewery Building
402 The Studios, 4th Floor
6 Beach Rd, Woodstock
South Africa

T +27 21 486 8500
F +27 447 3276

General Contact:  info.cpt@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources:  careers.cpt@thebrandunion.com

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Yvonne Chen

Finance Executive
Singapore

I am the $$ in the office.

It’s a fun job to balance the devil of chasing for $$ and the angel of giving out $$, but that’s only me working.

During out-of-office hours, I spend most of my time studying with any leftover to snack, skate, hangout and have fun with my almost perfect computer partner. ^_^

News:

THE BRAND UNION AND OGILVY CHINA LAUNCH 
GO LOGO! CHINA

A creative movement that includes bilingual website, video contest, seminars for China’s young branding and design talent, and culminates in a Go Logo! China book

The Brand Union and Ogilvy & Mather Group/China are joining forces with leading brand guru Mac Cato today to launch Go Logo! China. This movement encompasses four different platforms created especially for China’s branding and design community. These include a bilingual website (www.gologochina.com) where visitors can learn, exchange ideas and showcase their best work through blogs, articles and interviews with experts, a video contest for young talent and a series of seminars. These will then culminate with an eponymous book by Mac Cato and Kunal Sinha, Chief Knowledge Officer, O&M China, with contributions from leading Chinese and international designers, marketers, educators and winners of the video contest.

Inspired by Mr. Cato’s book Go Logo! A Handbook to the Art of Global Branding – 12 Keys to Creating Successful Global Brands, the new online platform coincides with the simultaneous launch today of a video contest inviting young creative talents in China who are under 25 years of age to submit short films for a chance to win 10 six-month paid internships at Ogilvy and The Brand Union in China. “Go Logo! is a rallying point for top designers, marketers and educators who share a common belief – that branding has to work at an emotional level to succeed. As the biggest marketplace in the world, China is where brand differentiation can be the most challenging. Our greatest hope is that Go Logo! China can make a significant contribution to helping creatively inclined wave-makers to more effectively grow their businesses and better communicate with Chinese consumers,” said Mr. Cato.

The competition will be judged by top branding experts, creative leaders and educators: Graham Fink, Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy China, Monica Lee, Managing Director of The Brand Union China and Harrison Dong, Executive President of WPP’s School of Marketing and Communications and former General Manager of Ogilvy Advertising/Shanghai, Mac Cato and Kunal Sinha.

The contest starts today and winners will be announced in August 2012. For more information about the contest, rules, and how to enter, aspiring brand warriors should visit www.gologochina.com

Monica Lee, Managing Director of The Brand Union China, said, “Design is the next battle ground for brands to win Chinese consumers’ hearts and minds. We believe that great brand design comes from a combination of skills, life experiences, and a desire to define the future. Exposure to different cultures and contexts helps to spark fresh ideas. This is where Go Logo China serves as an outstanding platform for designers, young and old, amateur or experienced, to showcase, exchange, share their ideas and generate inspiration.”

Kunal Sinha, Chief Knowledge Officer, O&M China, added, “The Go Logo! China video competition gives young people with fresh thinking a chance to collaborate with the top brand custodians and creative leaders in China. We’re very excited to see the work they will produce. As brands big and small turn to the design community for advice on how to create new experiences for Chinese consumers, this competition and site will serve as an open platform where members of this community can inspire and elevate each other’s work.”

Learn more about the project in this interview with Kunal and Juan Tan from ThoughtfulChina.com

Sophie Tyrrell

Business Development Executive
London

I am Sophie and I‘m the Business Development Executive in the London office.

I work alongside Laura Taylor to oversee and co-ordinate new business opportunities and pitches, identify brands we think our experience and expertise could help, and work on awards entries, events and PR opportunities. I also look after our Twitter accounts and Facebook page.

Outside of work I spend a lot of time with my friends either making the most of all the different things to do in London or training for our yearly challenge (this year we’re doing the London to Paris bike ride). I also play the piano and the saxophone, love musicals and enjoy spending time back in my hometown of Bath when I want to escape to the countryside.

 

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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Bangkok

The Bangkok office is located at The Offices at CentralWorld – right in the heart of this spirited metropolis amidst Bangkok’s finest brand worlds.

Cozy cafés, luxurious hotels and spas, dazzling shopping complexes, and unique design boutiques are just an elevator-ride away – this of course explains why our meeting rooms are always fully booked weeks in advance.  To our clients and business partners, a visit to our office is simply a great excuse to get away for a productive yet fun and refreshing day.

We are a small team of designers and strategists. We work closely together to inspire one another and to conjure the masterful blend of art and science. From Artistree to Enterprise IG to Ogilvy Brands by Design and now The Brand Union, we have evolved our brand, our approach, and our capabilities over the years – a testament to our belief that brand building is a lifetime journey and a reflection on the power of
brand-driven growth.

Bangkok

The Brand Union Bangkok
14th Floor, The Offices at Centralworld
999/9 Rama I Road, Patumwan
Bangkok, 10330,Thailand

T  +66 (0)2 205 6000
F  +66 (0)2 205 6565

General Contact: info.bkk@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.bkk@thebrandunion.com

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RT @ogilvy_mather: "OgilvyChina: Ogilvy's @gfink68, Kunal Sinha & @thebrandunion 's Juan Tan discuss emotional branding & #GoLogoChina... http://t.co/30gukhsp"


6 days ago. @thebrandunion

Jessica Swinton

Analyst
London

I originally hail from Scotland where I went to Gordonstoun School in Morayshire. I spent the majority of my education sailing the Western Isles, performing in yet another adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Mucho Ado about Nothing’ and petitioning against the cutting down of trees on campus.

I spent three colourful years as an undergraduate at Cambridge University studying English, Drama and Education before coming to do my MA in Cultural and Creative Industries at Kings College London. I love the smell of old books and will jump at any opportunity to go to the theatre.

I love to travel and have spent some time in South America and down under but I’m desperate to visit China and Russia.

The Coca-Cola Company

Over 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.

 

 

Thought:

Your Brand is Your Reputation

Published by: Irish Marketing Journal
By: David O’Connor, Managing Partner The Brand Union Dublin

When it comes to rebranding, for whatever reasons, there are a number of key issues that need to be prioritised. Get them wrong and you run the risk of failure, writes David O’Connor in Irish Marketing Journal.

There has never been a more critical time for businesses to align and position their brand in a relevant and compelling manner. Increased competition, a changing economic environment, restructure, mergers and acquisition all signal a change to the marketplace and require an aligned brand experience.

For many businesses this attention to brand is a new phenomenon and some are struggling with it. Specifically with the concept of ‘brand’, the understanding of ‘value beyond price’, brand differentiation and the increasing commoditisation of their sector.

Rebranding may provide a solution to these problems. But this decision should not be made lightly, which is why many businesses engage branding professionals, not just to rebrand but to facilitate a decision on rebranding; to evaluate the bottom line benefit before committing the business to invest in what many believe to be a marketing only exercise.

There are many issues facing businesses in the context of rebranding, not least a common misunderstanding of the role that brand can play. Brand to many is an output of communication planning and solely the responsibility of the marketing department. Until businesses integrate brand and business at board level, branding will only provide superficial relief to a deeper problem.

Brand, as opposed to identity, is the perception a customer has about a business or product. It is the sum of the experiences, direct or indirect, passive or active that a customer has. Experience brings meaning to identity. Experience builds reputation. Brand is reputation.

So when rebranding, here are four central issues that need to be considered:

1. Align your business and your brand strategy:

Whilst business strategy defines a vision and a mission it doesn’t always define how a customer should regard the business, in other words the kind of reputation it needs to achieve its mission.

More enlightened businesses are moving their brand from being an element of their communication strategy to becoming a central organising principle that drives performance, culture, experience, action and value. They do this by aligning a key customer insight with a promise to the market and then mobilising and motivating every department around that promise in a planned strategic way. In doing so, managing reputation becomes the mandate for every department and every employee. In this way, brand lives at board level and delivers bottom line results.

There are many examples of this in the marketplace today. Volvo would not have achieved a reputation for safety and reliability without aligning R&D, procurement and manufacturing in the process. Every single employee at Tesco knows what ‘Every little helps’ means to the business, to them and to the customer. Ikea have not risen to the heights they have without aligning everyone to ‘create a better everyday life’.

Defining what they want to be known for from the outset and aligning all business activities to that, integrates brand with business strategy in a way that is powerful and differentiating for the customer.

2. Align your stakeholders:

Business is personal and many people will have opinion and influence on the outcome of any rebranding process. It is important to map all stakeholders from the outset and plan to what degree they need to be involved in the process and why.

Rebrand for many will mean change and people are innately resistant to change. Merger and acquisition is a familiar catalyst for rebrand which can be latent with emotion. Keeping stakeholders involved from early on is important to avoid the programme becoming a battleground.

3. Align visual change to the degree of desired perception change:

The extent to which a business changes its identity should reflect the degree they want their customers’ perceptions to change. Whatever route you take, be that refresh, evolution or revolution, change should be communicated clearly. To the general public a logo change means management change and therefore service level change. This could have a negative impact if not communicated correctly.

4. Align your people:

With the business strategy aligned, your people need to be aligned also. Brands promise and people deliver. It is that simple. You can imagine the mood at the Avis desk if a customer has to wait too long or if the car is not ready on time. “Try harder buddy”. For the rep to avoid such derision, the computer system needs to be working, the valet needs to be scheduled and efficient, the cars need to be distributed to meet the demand and so on.

In summary, there are many issues a business may face when rebranding. Understanding the opportunity of aligning brand strategy to business strategy is the first and most important step to successful rebranding. Without this it will just be a badging exercise. If you are thinking of rebranding but will be unable to back it up with evidence and proper tangibles that benefit your customers, then maybe think again?

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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RT @OgilvyChina: VIDEO: Monica Lee, MD of @thebrandunion China, weighs in on #brand differentiation & local creative talent #GoLogoChina http://t.co/TupbLBMG


4 days ago. @thebrandunion

Gemma Fulcher

Account Executive
London

I’m Gemma and I’m an Account Executive. My job role is to support the team in the
day-to-day running of our client projects, working closely with the Account Manager and the Account Director.

I graduated from Nottingham-Trent University with a BA (Hons) in Fashion Marketing & Communications and have been with The Brand Union since November 2010.

Having recently moved down to London from the Great North I am still very much enjoying exploring the city in my spare time. I also play piano and enjoy coffee, tennis and Saturdays in the pub.

 

 

Hong Kong

Hong Kong - a city of superlatives and contrasts. A pulsating metropolis overflowing with possibilities and intricately woven with natural beauty. Mountains, forests, oceans and beaches - all within a short bus, cab, tram, escalator, or metro ride away. If you believe Hong Kong to only be a big urban city, think again.

For a start, Hong Kong island isn't that big, but it is densely populated. While contemporary shapes dominate the skyline, at ground level market traders peddle their produce amongst historic buildings from a colonial past - making the island an inspiring cultural melting pot.

Dubbed “Asia’s World City”, Hong Kong is also one of the most vibrant hubs for international business today.

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong office is located on what is referred to as 'Hong Kong side', which means the island of Hong Kong itself. And we’ve got a pretty good view of Hong Kong's famous harbour and the mountains of mainland China.

In addition to the view from the 23rd floor of the Center on Queen’s Road Central, we are situated in an area that borders the cosmopolitan and financial heart of Hong Kong and an area called Sheung Wan which was one of the first areas settled in Hong Kong in the late 1800s. For restaurants, we have our pick. From dai pai dongs, little local eateries serving dim sum at lunch time, to fine dining in the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel within eye-distance, the choice is phenomenal. We can also walk to many of our clients' offices which is truly a bonus in this day and age.

Hong Kong

Our clients are as diverse as ourselves. From entertainment and hospitality to real estate and finance - we work with industry leaders to encourage growth and promote change.

This includes established Hong Kong institutions like Hong Kong Post, Jardines, Vocational Training Council (VTC) and Prudential, as well as newly created brands like The Link, City of Dreams and Parkview Green.

As a regional hub, we also serve clients in the South China area, such as China Resources, COFCO and OCT Group, while frequently work with international businesses that want to enter the China market.

Hong Kong

Here in Hong Kong, we're an international team where everyone brings a little something different to the table. From strategy, planning and management to design, illustration and copy writing we have the capability to offer a holistic service from the heart of downtown.

We embrace our diversity, and combine it with talent and hard work to grow great ideas and set them free.

Hong Kong

The Brand Union Hong Kong
23rd Floor
The Center
99 Queen's Road
Central
China

T   +852 2568-0255
F   +852 2567-0622

General Contact: info.hon@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.hon@thebrandunion.com

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Dubai

Name this city. It's too new to be New York. It moves too fast to be Europe. And it's only half way to the Far East.

Dubai. It's where East meets West. And creates the future. The knowledge and skills from the old world are fired into life by the entrepreneurial flames of the new. It's a high-octane mix that›s not for the faint-hearted. But it's where we love to be.

And we’re right in the heart of it, at the top of the tower that’s next to the moon in our picture. It’s a perfect hub to do business all over the Middle East.

This is a city built on a vision. A place where people dream big and do bigger.

Dubai

Home of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. And who brought the Burj to life? Need you ask....

This is our town and the Middle East is our territory. You’ll meet our work as soon as you arrive. If you travel on the gleaming new Metro, or drop into a bank, or go for a meeting at Kizad, an industrial development of unprecedented scale and vision.

Our client list includes Mubadala, Abu Dhabi Port’s Company(ADPC) and its industrial zone Kizad, Sorouh, Dubai Road and Transport Authority(RTA), Abdul Latif Jameel, Reckitt Benckiser (Airwick and Dettol) Al Hilal Bank, Limitless, Saudi Arabia Monetary Authority, and Emirates Group.

And as you explore our region you’ll find us everywhere, with live projects in Abu Dhabi, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, India and Pakistan.

Dubai

Throughout our 8-year journey in the Middle East we have been bringing knowledge, inspiration and expertise from across the globe to this market. And the strong Arab presence in the agency ensures that we are in touch with what really matters here.

Dubai

The Brand Union Middle East is proud to be the most awarded branding agency at the Dubai Lynx Awards 2011 (affiliated to the famed Cannes Lions Advertising Festival).

The Brand Union won Silver and Bronze in the coveted Corporate Identity section for its work on Kizad, the huge Abu Dhabi based industrial zone, and Mauzan - an Al Ain based designer who creates beutiful versions of the traditional woman’s Abaya.

We’re thrilled to have won with two such diverse projects. The range highlights the strength of our approach to brand building, where we blend art and science to arrive at a bright idea that not only inspires, but also delivers a sustainable competitive advantage for clients.

Dubai

The Brand Union
Tower B, Business Central Towers
43rd Floor
P.O.Box 74021
Sheikh Zayed Road
United Arab Emirates

T   +971 (0)4 439 3744
F   +971 (0)4 439 3743

General Contact: info.dxb@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.dxb@thebrandunion.com

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Madrid

With nearly 10 years of experience, The Brand Union Madrid is a key player within the Spanish branding sector, having worked with some of the most renowned companies in Spain. From corporate to product branding, we work with our clients to create powerful brand worlds aligned with business strategies, which build long-term value by guiding the company, inspiring employees and creating a compelling destination for consumers.

Madrid

We are a sound international and multidisciplinary team of branding professionals, run by an experienced managerial board with consultants, analysts, designers and communication experts. Our expertise is based on a deep know how achieved through many different sectors - from finances to transport & logistic services, from food & beverages to non profit organizations. This allows us to provide a complete set of strategic and design solutions, being able to face any type of branding challenges.

Madrid

Part of our spirit lives within brands such as BBVA, Vodafone, Aena (Spanish Airports Network), Adif, Fundación ONCE or Sanitas and in the new brands of Rioja Wines, Liderpapel, CajaCanarias, Noatum or Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership.

Madrid

The Brand Union's Madrid office is in a focal part of the city, between the top business area of La Castellana and the fashionable and bohemian neighbourhoods of Malasaña and Chueca. This mixture of logic and passion provides an ideal location for our office that, day by day, inspires our creativity.

Madrid

The Brand Union Madrid
C/ La Palma, 10
28004
Spain

T   +34 91 592 32 10
F   +34 91 592 32 81

General Contact: info.mad@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.mad@thebrandunion.com

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Cairo

The Brand Union's Cairo office is located in the business district of Mohandeseen, Cairo. As one of the world's largest urban areas and the cultural capital of northern Africa, Cairo hosts some of the most famous landmarks in archaeological history – the astonishing Great Pyramids of Giza, ancient tombs, Christian churches and Muslim monuments – indicative of the eclectic mix that makes up this cosmopolitan yet ancient city. Also considered the retail capital of the region, Cairo hosts world famous brands and is renowned as a shopper’s mecca.

Cairo

Our African offer is quite unique. We provide a deep understanding of the use of branding and design to effectively drive business success in developing markets. We are able to achieve this by utilising the skills, knowledge and expertise gained through our exposure in the international arena as well locally on our continent.

We provide a custom solution to our clients by marrying our international & local experience, to create a tailor-made branding solution. We apply these solutions appropriately to deliver brand led business growth in your markets, without losing the local flavour of the brand!

Cairo

Although a small team, our Cairo office works closely together and is committed to creating great brands in this city of contrasts. Based on LOGIC Consulting Group's insights into the local market, with the support of the Johannesburg office, we deliver complete design solutions. We've worked with brand leaders in their categories like EFG Hermes – an investment bank, RAYA – the major telecommunications provider in the region, and Kapci Coatings – a paint & chemicals manufacturer.

Cairo

The Brand Union Cairo
5 Shohadaa Elmohandiseen Street
Mohandiseen
Giza 12411
Egypt

T +20 2 3345 1430
M +20 100 600 032

General Contact: info.cai@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.cai@thebrandunion.com

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Entering the @dandad Student Awards? TBU's Sue Daun is on the jury for installation design http://t.co/6NJmgUQq @baby_pencils @LCCLondon


6 days ago. @thebrandunion

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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Doha

Qatar is a country on a mission. It is one of the world’s top three exporters of natural gas but is diversifying from being a carbon economy to becoming a knowledge economy. It is a leader in regional and international affairs, has the world’s highest GDP per capita and has seen its population double in a decade. Driven by the momentum provided by a National Development Strategy and by the promise of a FIFA World Cup that will be like no other, it is home to established international brands like Qatar Airways and Al Jazeera and to many brands with international aspirations. There will be many achievements over the next decade and The Brand Union is proud to have made Qatar our latest home.

Doha

The Brand Union
5th Floor, Al Jassim Tower
Suhaim bin Hamad Street
Doha
Qatar

T +974 4431 3904
T +974 3005 3930

General Contact: info.doha@thebrandunion.com

Human Resources: careers.doha@thebrandunion.com

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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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Sergio Brodsky

Strategist & Knowledge Development Consultant
Worldwide

Insanity is not just a clinical diagnosis; it can also be an exciting lifestyle!

Born and raised in Sao Paulo where I worked as an IP lawyer, I decided it was time for a change. I suddenly found myself seven stories underground working (simultaneously in 4 languages) for a high-tech military company in Israel as… if I say more, I’ll have to exterminate whoever is reading this.

The slogan “make love not war” made a lot of sense when I found this Israeli-Kenyan-American-British woman who was later to become my wife!

The opportunity to be developed as a Global Business Manager took us to Melbourne where I worked for the largest home-interiors retailer in Australasia. However the best fruit of this adventure was the birth of our beautiful daughter.

As a family, we moved to the UK where I recently completed an MBA and joined The Brand Union to contribute as Strategist and Knowledge Development consultant working with our London and Worldwide teams.

Lil' Louis 'Loulou' Marti

Design Director
Paris

Me, me, me!  What about me? I, well, I … wear hats most of the time. The rest of the time I’m asleep.

I collect old vinyl records, especially 70s’ and 80s’ funk, and I produce nu-disco tracks. I used to break-dance when I was younger, now I have a break just after I’ve started to dance. I could spend my entire life eating only Triple Whoppers.

I’m honest. I need music 24/7/365. I like The Simpsons. I have a watch that displays my band’s name when looking at the time. I’ve been working for The Brand Union since 2002. And no, I’m not that crazy, I’m just having fun while making people believe so ☺.

Andy Millington

Junior Designer
London

“You don’t have to be mad to work here, but we do ask you to complete a medical questionnaire to ensure that you are not.” (David Brent, The Office)

Joking aside, I enjoy the work and love London as a city. I will never get bored of my walk to work over the Millennium Bridge and past the beautiful St Paul’s cathedral.

Parys Hammond

Facilities Manager
London

Hi I’m Parys and I’m the Facilities Manager over here covering all hard and soft services. Now no one ever really understands what hard and soft services are so to explain… If you picked the building up and shook it everything that fell out is soft service and everything that stays in is hard, still confused? Well my friends like to say I get people to unblock the toilets and keep them warm which is not far off the money.

When I’m away from the toilets I will take on anything endurance or sports related and in the last few years I have completed three mountain marathons a 3-Peaks Challenge, numerous city 10k runs and still just about manage to drag the old legs out of bed and play football.

 

Mars

The 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.

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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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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Priyanka Dilip

Senior Designer
Bangalore

I am a Communication Design graduate from the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. My Diploma project ‘Synchronizations’ was an interactive installation that was funded by The Ford Foundation, Delhi. The project was also exhibited at Ars Electronica, Austria in September 2005, an annual International Conference and exhibition of Interactive Arts.

I have worked on a wide range of projects like brand identities, retails stores, kiosks and cafés.

Besides design, food is my passion and you will often find me engrossed in the fine textures of food as you would me pondering over ligatures of a typeface.

Ericsson

Ericsson, 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.

Thought:

Toby Southgate Talks Luxury With Cream

Published by: Cream Global

Featuring: Toby Southgate, Managing Director, London

Toby Southgate writes for Cream Global about the shifting landscape of the luxury market and what it means today:

“Defining ‘luxury’ from a brand and communications perspective has always been challenging. Luxury can mean different things to different consumers, in different markets, and at different points in time. Its very nature links luxury most closely to categories like fashion, real estate and electronics, all of which are dynamic and susceptible to rapid change.”

“But in its most basic form, a luxury product or service has to focus on delivering more than just a need. If a luxury offer serves a ‘want’ – an added level of desire for consumers – it stands a greater chance of commercial success.”

Hamburg

The Brand Union Hamburg is one of the hubs of The Brand Union network covering the German speaking markets and parts of CEE.

With around 50 specialists with skills ranging from brand strategy, design, naming, to print production and final artwork we advice our clients in all aspects of corporate branding und consumer branding.

Hamburg

The agency was founded in 1983 by the designer Hartmut “Windi” Winderlich under the name Windi Winderlich Design. From the beginning the agency belonged to the top agencies for design and branding in Germany. Many well-known brands have been created and further developed here.

After the sudden death of its founder in 1996 the agency became affiliated to the WPP owned The Brand Union (at that time known as Enterprise IG).

In our history of more than 25 years in branding and design, we have been working for many market leading local and global brands, including Coca-Cola, Edding, Emmi, Henkel, Kühne, Mars, Osram, Philip Morris, Teekanne, Unilever, Vattenfall, Vodafone and Volkswagen.

Hamburg

The Brand Union Hamburg office is located in Bahrenfeld, in a former industrial area which is one of the up and coming districts of Hamburg. Our building is the historic 'Royal Storehouse' which was built in 1895. On two spacious, lively, open-plan floors, our specialists develop unique creative and strategic solutions for our clients. With our holistic approach and the wide range of skills we have to offer, we can look after the brand at all stages of its life cycle and enhance its brand value.

Hamburg

The Brand Union Hamburg management team

From left to right: Sina Peters (Executive Creative Director), Alexander Schubert (CEO) and Michael Carl (Finance Director)

Hamburg

The Brand Union Hamburg
Bahrenfelder Chaussee 49
22761 Hamburg
Germany

T   +49 (0) 40/899 04-0
F   +49 (0) 40/899 04-222

General Contact: info.ham@thebrandunion.com
Human Resources: careers.ham@thebrandunion.com

hamburg.thebrandunion.com

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Anytime! RT @Design_Week: Thanks to our voxpoppers @jackrenwick17, @magpie_studio, @carterwongthink and @thebrandunion http://t.co/h0koRnXr


6 days ago. @thebrandunion
Thought:

Engaging Audiences Through Sports Sponsorship

By: Paul Wood, Account Director, The Brand Union London

Sponsorship has been considered as a powerful execution tool (which no doubt helps to raise mass awareness of a brand), it also presents an opportunity for a brand to better manage its reputation, especially pertinent in a world where reputation governance is an important function within brand guardianship.

A brand will enter the world of sponsorship with an objective; typically – and in the most part historically – to raise awareness. Now however, sponsorship has the ability to deliver so much more; to enhance the reputation of a brand and bring positive association to the values and core DNA which defines that brand. This potential brings with it the importance to define ‘why’ – why a brand has associated itself with a specific event or initiative.

The question ‘why?’ brings with it some imperative considerations; what is the link with the core business and brand strategy? And what is the demographic the brand is trying to appeal to?

Only once the strategic match is realised can a compelling story around the partnership of your brand and the event which you are sponsoring be told. If this is not done then you are simply placing your logo in the environment without communicating why you are there and what you want to the consumer to think about your brand.

Consumers will make up their own mind about your organisation and find synergies with their lifestyles, however the more you can influence this and promote your attributes and motivations, the more your message and ultimately your product/purpose will resonate with the consumer.

Credibility is important, brands now are interacting with people’s life more and more, so it is important that your presence in the environment of sponsorship is neither intrusive nor redundant. The resulting perception of the sponsorship link up with the consumer should ultimately benefit your organisation and the event which you are sponsoring.

By defining a truly compelling message and visual expression your brand will not only create relevance and appeal to your target audience, but also create differentiation in what is a very competitive landscape, where many brands compete for airtime and stand out. A good example of a brand that has done this well is Castrol. A brand recognised for its rigour in analysis, technology and innovation of premium lubricants it has successfully developed a proposition in sports sponsorship known as ‘Winning Performance’. Known for its ability to understand what is takes to win, enables them to credibly enter the world of sport and tell a compelling story through the eyes of that sport and talk directly with their consumers and fans in a relevant and meaningful way.

The ability to achieve a link with your audience does not come as easy as stamping your logo on a perimeter board. It comes through careful consideration of the message you are communicating, the channels of communication you are using and the media you are buying to deliver your brands message.

Once your brands strategic link and visual expression is defined, consistency of the message and expression of that message becomes of paramount importance. How you cascade that message across the different audience types in different markets becomes a challenge in itself. By developing and defining proof points for why that message is relevant to that consumer will help guide local markets to effectively cascade the message in a consistent way and a way which does not deviate from the core strategy, ‘the reason to believe’.

Regardless of whether the initiative is being run centrally or locally, guidelines are imperative. Without clear directions for strategy, messaging, tone of voice, and visual execution, consistency and real effectiveness will never be achieved. As a result your brand will become fragmented as consumers will hold a different perception of your brand in different markets, resulting in an inconsistent representation of your brand.

Sponsorship guidelines are not a duplicate of corporate or other centralised guidelines you may have. Instead they are a guide for how your brand is represented within a specific scenario – how your central brand values are represented through the lens of the initiative or event you may be sponsoring. They allow the integrity of the Masterbrand to be maintained; however flexed to suit a specific requirement.

The guidelines therefore achieve two key objectives; firstly, they provide all marketers and agencies with the strategic intent, the key messages and execution guidance, to effectively and consistently deploy the intended message to your audience. Secondly they inform how the event/initiative relates back to the Masterbrand. Guidelines will help with this execution and enhance the reputation of the Masterbrand through effective deployment.

Sponsorship is far more than just raising awareness of your brand. Simply placing a logo in a break bumper or branding a perimeter board is neither credible nor differentiating. In this instance the message and visual execution will create a negative attribution with your brand. Carefully considering the strategic link, the visual representation of your brand and the event/initiative, your strategy, the messaging and the visual execution of how the branding features will create a positive attribution with your brand.

Approaching this consistently through the use of sponsorship guidelines across all markets will define and positively impact the reputation of your brand.

At The Brand Union we stand by these strategic fundamentals but always seek to push our approach that bit further by creating sponsorship and creative strategies for our clients which challenge convention and break protocol.

We believe that in order to truly differentiate and cut through the noise a sponsorship campaign must truly excite the consumer. A technology company putting its name on the bonnet of an F1 car will not engage their consumer or enhance the reputation of their brand. It is a literal partnership which in many instances is thought up in the boardroom.

In contrast the further you stretch the articulation and visual representation of your brands core DNA the more you will engage with your consumer and enhance the reputation of your brand. The unexpected and the exciting will engage your consumer and create advocacy for the message you are trying to promote. It is however important to retain and represent the attributes which are unique to your brand, without these the reason ‘why’ is lost in translation.

On Monday 13th February 2012 at 6pm GMT, The Brand Union will be discussing sports sponsorship and the value it can add to your brand with leading industry insiders. You can follow the debate on Twitter – just follow @thebrandunion

 

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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Nicole Heise

Business Development Manager
Hamburg

I graduated with a Master’s degree in Business Communication Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. During my studies I have collected several years of work experience in the cosmetics sector.

Before I came to The Brand Union I worked in the new business department of the Lothar Böhm design agency. Now I am very glad to be a part of the business development team of TBU and to work on various tasks.

Why is the new business section exciting for me? It requires a level of spontaneity and versatility, which I enjoy very much. I am highly motivated and have set the goal to convince many companies of the agency’s creativity and expertise.

In my spare time I love to travel or to cook and to spend time with my family and friends.