a work in progress
_strategy
_creative_collaboration
_campaigns P001 → Brand strategy and guidelines
At the start there was nothing.
The growth at Brompton from 1975 to 2005 had been built entirely on the product and its quality. Little time or consideration had been made to what the brand position or strategy was, or at least not to the point of documenting it.
To even get a project off the ground to define the strategy and guideline the application of the brand was somewhat seen as a ‘nice to have’ in a company on lean budgets led by designers and engineeers.
At that time you could (and we did) survey our 40 or so distributors and ask ‘What does the Brompton brand stand for’ and get 40 completely different answers. This clearly needed to change.
in 2014, With the support of one of the non-execs on the board, who really did know brand, I ran a pitch process the outcome of which was partnership with our first brand agency, that lasted a number of years, but most importantly landed our first brand strategy and the then brand pillars:
- Made For Cities
- Made For You
- Made in London
We spent the next 12 months roadshowing/key-noting/building momentum with all our internal teams, distribution partners and retailers. The brand finally knew what is was, and what it stood for. This delivered instant focus to the product designs we prioritised, the markets we focused on and the partners we collaborated.
By 2019, we took things further, by going deeper and uncovering the Brand Purpose.
This year, after developing a number of different strands of brand work, we built on that purpose, and working with an excellent design partner delivered a perfectly formed guideline set to underpin the next stage of growth for the business.
THE PROCESS
The Brief & Partner Selection
I’m the brief writer and a strong believer in the power of the brief to unlock great creative work. Fully signed up member of the IPA’s Better Briefs initiative (download their free guide if you haven’t come across it before)
Audit the brand, immerse the agency.
Define. Stress test. Stakeholder feedback. Consolidation. Deliver. Deliver. Deliver.