An enterprising new Brand Union

But as The Brand Union MD in South Africa, Anthony Swart, explains, this is about more than a new suit of clothes and a new visual language for the brand: “It's the culmination of a four-year internal global process to become a joined-up global business, rather than a patchwork quilt of offices… to try to synthesize all business processes so that we all do it the same way in terms of client delivery. We want to be a true international agency that delivers international brand consulting services with a local flavor.”

He denied that this could impact on emergent creativity: “We are striving very hard to be unified, but not to be uniform – that's inappropriate in any international market… we don't dictate the creative process. We are developing the principle of being master brand builders.”

Productive

Swart explained that The Brand Union had a technology platform that facilitated knowledge management processes, allowing all country brand teams to draw on the total international team expertise when required. With our new system we have a unified approach to business processes and client methodologies, so it allows people to plug into every office throughout the world and be productive immediately.”

This meant that clients would have the benefit of all local expertise but also of master brand builders globally. “We also export knowledge from South Africa,” Swart emphasises. “We have taken every employee in the company through a Brand Mastery workshop and have developed a new seven-step process to doing business, which we believe will lead to further professionalisation of our company.”

Swart said it was notable that the process was driven internally by the group and not the result of a takeover or merger .

Enterprise IG, now globally, The Brand Union, in South Africa started out life as Pentagram, then Pentagraph a short while later – one of South Africa's first stand-alone independent client branding agencies. It was later KSDP Pentagraph, then just KSDP, then Brown KSDP when Tempas bought in, and then it became Enterprise IG when joining the WPP fold in 2002. Africa offices are Johannesburg and Cairo.

New juncture

Globally, The Brand Union is probably the biggest branding and design consultancy in terms of global footprint and turnover, although Landor, which is massive in the US, is probably the largest brand agency overall globally. Clients locally include: Absa; Nedbank; Standard Bank; First Rand; Neotel;
Southern Sun; Sun International; SAB; Intercontinental Bank, Nigeria; Daimler Chrysler; Toyota; Lexus; etc. Internationally, the group holds: Vodafone; Credit Suisse; American Express; HP; Bank of America; Masterfoods; Absolut; Tesco's; Irish Lottery; etc.

Simon Bolton, Worldwide CEO of The Brand Union, said, “This is an important juncture for the company. The new name and positioning takes our network to the next level. I'm pleased with our growth to date, but believe that now we will make a quantum leap.”

In a move that seeks to fully align a business that comprises 21 offices globally, the name change and new identity are just the first steps in a full re-launch. The revitalised agency will enhance WPP's drive in the global brand arena, he points out. This change comes at a time when the agency has won major new briefs from Tesco, Absa, Samsung, Emaar, Schroders and GE Money.

Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP commented: “I'm convinced The Brand Union will achieve significant growth, given the talented team and unique proposition that the team has brought together.”

The new brand identity was launched internally to staff last month, to the market today worldwide and officially to clients locally at a party to be held on 14 November. Internal values have been set as: ‘Grounded, Gutsy, Curious and Inspiring'.

Swart concluded: “This is not just a marketing exercise we are doing. Too often rebrands become a marketing exercise. The reason for your rebranding needs to reflect what you are internally. It is a journey. This is not: ‘we've arrived and changed our brand'. Our brand evolves on an ongoing journey… it's the next step in an ongoing journey.”