This chapter will consist of applying what has previously
been explored in the text and comparing it to the primary research of a newly
introduced case – Pinpoint’s corporate rebrand.
The primary research undertaken for this text is an
interview process with members of the ‘Pinpoint’ team. Pinpoint is ‘an award
wining, full service digital agency located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire’ [Pinpoint,
2016]. They provide high quality services in many fields of website build and
design as well as delivering effective solutions and strategies that help
businesses not only develop but also maintain results with internet traffic and
interaction.
The interview will give a clear insight into many different
factors and logistics in the process of building and redesigning a brand. This
insight is important to have as it will add a new perspective on what companies
may find difficult when rebranding; allowing for the original question to be answered
effectively through a deeper understanding of the issues faced. The members of
the team who participated in the interview are Lewis Sellers – Managing Director,
Lewis Braid – Creative Director and Adam Davies – Head of Digital Marketing.
Their experiences in their respective fields and the roles they played in the
company rebrand will provide key information in determining the extent of the
success of it.
[DH1] The
purpose behind Pinpoint’s rebrand was to keep up with the growth of the
business that the team predicted and the new direction the company was moving
towards. These reasons are common motives when it comes to company rebrands, as
seen in the past with businesses a large as UPS and BP Amoco both doing
something similar.
In 2000, BP Amoco rebranded to BP – a more modern,
environmentally aware brand that merged the two separate brands together [BP
and Amoco]. The visual identity changes were a key part of the rebrand; the new
logo (named the Helios mark) signifies the Sun and its energy through a
stylised sunflower, while the green and yellow colour scheme reflects the
brand’s newfound sensitivity on environmental issues. This new brand image was
the link between the company and what it wanted to become – more than just an
oil supplier. It allowed BP to reposition and expand into other areas such as
retail and ‘creating options’ [Sir J Browne – BP Chairman, 2000] for its
customers which it was previously unable to do due to the brand image. If BP
Amoco, an oil supplier, were to open a chain of general stores selling food and
drink they would do terribly due to the customer perception of the brand. The
new visual identity allowed for the brand to alter that perception to a much
friendlier, approachable brand, making general stores much more acceptable.
Pinpoint too needed to reposition its brand and to do so
changed the name and visual identity.
‘When Pinpoint originally set up,
the original intention was to be a design-led agency. As we progressed, we
moved more into the web development and marketing side of things, which meant
that we dropped the word ‘Designs’ from our branding’. [Lewis Sellers, Managing
Director of Pinpoint, 2017]
Although changing a brand’s name is
often avoided, it is needed if the original name is ‘badly tarnished, or when
it is misleading’ [Olins, W. (2008];
the latter being the reason Pinpoint Designs decided to rename the brand. The
company could see that they were gaining most of their business from website
development and marketing rather than from website design and therefor needed
to alter the brand to fit the direction they were going towards. By dropping
the word ‘Designs’ from their name, it streamlined the brand as it got rid of
an unnecessary word that may have confused potential clients. As David Jobber
explains in Principles and Practices of
Marketing; ‘when a company diversifies out of its original product category
[web design], the original brand name may be considered too limiting’ [Jobber, D. (1995)].
There are also risks that come with
changing a brand’s name; Jobber believes it ‘runs the risk of customer
confusion and resentment’ [Jobber, 1995] This
would be due to the customer no longer being able to relate to the brand. They
may feel this way as the renaming and repositioning of the brand may alter the brand’s
original core values.
Fortunately, Pinpoint’s decision to
drop ‘Designs’ worked in their favour and their customers ‘received the new
branding really well’ [Lewis Sellers, Managing Director of Pinpoint, 2017].
Sellers puts down the branding being well received and ‘not effecting
relationships in any dramatic way’ due to being a ‘small company’ – meaning the
relationships they have with their customers are more personal than a larger
corporation may have. The only problem they have faced with the change of name
is obtaining the ideal website domain.
[DH2] As
well as the brand changing the name, the visual identity redesign was also an
extremely important element in helping Pinpoint communicate the direction of
the business. The new design is intended to give the company a more modern,
professional image as the previous branding ‘went a little bit too far down the
creative and friendly look’ [Lewis Braid, Creative Director of Pinpoint, 2017].
The previous identity consisted of
a script logotype with an orange and white colour palette (see figures 1-5).
The revised branding has been designed to ‘be clean, professional and well
produced’ [Lewis Braid, Creative Director of Pinpoint, 2017]. This more
professional look allows for Pinpoint to target specific clients and jobs that
they previously may not have been able to obtain. Once the company understood
the new direction they were heading and the clientele they would be dealing
with, it changed its branding by ‘producing a logo and colour scheme which targeted
this particular audience better [than the original branding]’ [Adam Davies -
Head of Digital Marketing]. By doing this, they are able to ‘focus on one
particular target market which [they] can aim to gain a good market share in’
[Adam Davies, Head of Digital Marketing of Pinpoint, 2017].
Market share is a portion of a market owned by a company or
product. For example, in the carbonated drink market, Coca-Cola controls 42% of
it [Statistia, 2017].
In Pinpoint’s case, they aim to control a large percentage
of the Magento (an eCommerce digital platform) market. Pinpoint made the
correct decision in rebranding as the correlation between brand strength and
percentage of market share has been studied and the outcome ‘confirms that
strong brands do indeed command market share’ [Miller,
J. and Muir, D. 2004]. [See figure 6]
Pinpoint were able to strengthen the brand by redesigning the
visual identity. The improved identity replaces the original script logotype
with a modern, slightly abstract ‘P’ shape. The new mark is accompanied by a
blue and white colour scheme.
The intention of the mark is to ‘stand out on its own and be
recognisable independently from the word ‘Pinpoint’’ [Lewis Braid, Creative
Director of Pinpoint, 2017]. The new logo is much more professional compared to
the original logotype as the latter came across far too ‘friendly’ [Lewis
Sellers, Managing Director of Pinpoint, 2017]. The abstract nature of the new
mark is playful enough for viewers to relate to it while also keeping the
professional tone. The balance between the two results in a memorable, eye-catching
logo that reflects a reliable and experienced company.
The change of colour palette is a huge element in Pinpoint’s
rebrand. For one, it’s a great improvement from the original orange colour
scheme for communicating the brands reposition. The bright, warm orange came
across to viewers as very friendly and informal – this suited the company’s
initial business intention of being a ‘design-led agency’, but as explained
previously in the text by Adam Davies, Pinpoint soon moved into ‘the web
development and marketing side of things’ [Adam Davis, Head of Digital
Marketing of Pinpoint, 2017]. This business pivot required the brands visual
identity to be more professional; by swapping the orange colour palette with a
dark blue and white, this automatically makes the company appear to be more
reliable and established.
This is due to colour
psychology. Studies that show consumers ‘make up their minds within 90 seconds
of their initial interactions with either people or products’, and ‘about 62-90
percent of the assessment is based on colour alone’ [Singh, 2006]. This research demonstrates the
importance of choosing a suitable colour for products and brands as doing so
correctly may result in gaining a preferential advantage over competitors due
to the predilection of the consumers.
Pinpoint’s use of a dark blue
colour palette strengthens the company’s progression in portraying
professionalism through visual identity. Jacobs et al. (1991) ‘found that US
students associated blue with dependence, trustworthy and high quality’ [Bottomley, P.A. 2006]. This association is not
at all uncommon and has been exploited by brands in the past. For example,
companies such as NHS, IBM and Barclays, all of whom require their customers to
have a high amount of trust in their products and services, all use blue in
their brands visual identity.
The colour or colours a company
uses in its brand are just as important as the name or logo. Healey discusses
this in What is Branding? (2010).
‘Brands that can
build up and exploit strong colour associations can gain a valuable advantage
because colour can be a powerful brand mnemonic.’
[Healey,
2010]
‘Colour comes to
be associated with a given brand in the customer’s mind through long
acclimatisation. Brands should settle early in their lives on a simple scheme
of one or two main colours that are unique in that category and use them
constantly.’ [Healey, 2010]
Healey explains that if a brand
uses a certain colour scheme well enough for a long enough period of time
consumers will associate the independent colour to the brand. A good example of
this is McDonald’s use of yellow and red; not only has this colour scheme
become synonymous with the McDonald’s brand in particular, but the fast food
industry in general.
Pinpoint have correctly taken the
blue and white colour scheme and implemented it across all areas of the
business; it can be seen on their website, business cards, brochures and social
media accounts. The colour scheme and logo are seen together by customers in
places where the company are able to express its values.
Communication with the customer is
an important part of building a successful brand, and for Pinpoint a strong
client relationship is very important due to how competitive the market is around
[them]’, Sellers explains. ‘If a customer isn’t happy with your service, it’s
very easy for them to find alternatives, particularly in our industry’. [Lewis
Sellers, Managing Director of Pinpoint, 2017]
Pinpoint are able to build strong
relationships with their clients through digital platforms such as email, Skype
and primarily though social media. Davis explains that operating as they do in
the digital space, ‘it is essential [they] lead by example’; meaning in order
for customer companies to trust Pinpoint with their social media accounts,
Pinpoint themselves should have an active and effective online presence. This
trust and loyalty has been built on communication and will help build the brand
around the company. By using the knowledge gained through the different
research methods used in this study, it can be determined that Pinpoint’s
rebrand has been successful. They, as a company, have been able to convey their
values through the brand.
‘We’re a
professional company capable of high quality, well produced website design,
development and marketing campaigns, with a personal touch of being an agency
you can build a relationship with.’ [Lewis Sellers, Managing Director of
Pinpoint, 2017]
Each of these values and statements
are individually shown through their new branding. The blue colour scheme
portrays professionalism and high quality services though psychological colour
association. Their strong website and online presence proves they are reliable
and capable of providing high quality digital services. And the use of team
photographs on their website and interacting with clients through social media
shows they are able to build relationships with customers.
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