Rebranding Bearing Man - a case study

Rebranding is not a decision to be taken lightly; Bearing Man's decision to transform its branding was based on solid research.

Two research surveys

Two research surveys covering the customer service offerings of Bearing Man was conducted by two specialist companies. Customer Diagnostics conducted a qualitative and interview style study, while Evalu8 followed up on this with quantitative study and telephonic interviews both internally to branch managers and company management, as well as externally to customers.

One critical observation was that the previous branding did not convey the full spectrum of engineering solutions and technical services offered to optimise productivity and maximise efficiencies across a wide range of industries. As a result, many of the company's clients were only sourcing a limited number of products from Bearing Man, when, in fact, the company could supply a range of products to these clients.

It was, therefore, imperative to transform the Bearing Man branding to convey the group's extensive product base and market position to its market. The expected results of the rebranding were an increase in market share, as well as a foundation from which the company could achieve its growth strategy of increasing its revenue by R5 billion within the next five years.

It is critically important to involve all stakeholders in the process, to ensure they do not feel alienated in the process. “Research has shown that change cannot be forced on an organisation's publics, neither internal nor external - they must be included in the decision making process and their buy-in obtained,” says Charmagne Nel, client relationship manager at BMG.

Active role

Ensuring all employees felt that they played an active role in the re-engineering of the new brand, while still keeping a lid on the rumour mill, was no mean feat.

Several strategies were implemented by Nel, and the message to employees and branches was “You are ‘Part of the Process'”, cleverly incorporating the company's new slug line. This concept was supported by a competition allowing employees to suggest a new name, as well as the launch of the internal “The ‘1' campaign” which was conveyed through posters displayed in all branches, foam fingers and caps distributed to all employees and audio message service (AMS) recordings sent via cellphone technology to all staff.

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The annual conference was used as the platform for the internal launch to the branches, while a national roadshow included all employees at the branches in the excitement of the rebranding.

In addition, branch managers were kept informed of the process, step by step, by way of the “Re-engineering” intranet campaign, which included a counter counting down the days to launch, a “brilliant box” for comments and a page showcasing the new stationery.

In conjunction with the rebranding, a new training academy was launched to enable staff to learn new skills in their own time through an electronic learning program.

The external strategy

An advertising campaign was designed, including a full-page teaser ad in two major newspapers a week before the new branding was revealed, followed by a full-page “reveal” advertisement accompanied by a full page of editorial, on the day of the launch.

This was supported by a public relations programme, comprising print, television, online and radio media, including a scheduled series of press releases and personal invitations to journalists for one-on-one interviews.

The platform for the unveiling of the new corporate identity was the Electra Mining Exhibition in September. A radio campaign focused on encouraging listeners to visit the BMG stand at Electra Mining.

This was further supported by a billboard campaign with large format billboards placed nationally, close to the larger branches. Additional activities included golf days in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as a supplier function.

The logistics

The logistics of such a rebranding exercise is staggering. Every stakeholder had to be consulted as items such as stationery were changed - for example, the accounts department provided input regarding the new invoice layout and the legal, system and client requirements.

To streamline the rollout to the branches, a sub site was developed on the intranet showcasing the branded items available, along with prices and an ordering system.

The logistics were divided into three phases. Currently, phase one and two have been completed, with all staff in their new uniforms, and the new stationery available to all branches. Phase three involves the changing of the signage at more than 120 branches, both in South Africa and in sub-Saharan Africa, which is in progress. All branches were required to take a picture of the outside of their buildings, from which BMG's internal graphic designer created a mock-up and production specs of each branch's new signage.

The result

The result of this extensive campaign is a new name, logo, and slug line, which has been very favourably been received by both BMG's employees, branch managers and staff, and their clients.

The new logo was designed by Public Address, under creative director Nic Kinghorn's direction. His approach and rare combination of logic and creativity resulted in a logo that captures both the current positioning of the Bearing Man Group and its future.

The BMG logotype is modern and streamlined by virtue of its clean lines and rounded corners. The bold uppercase letters retain a sturdy feel, collectively forming a solid rectangular shape. The underline not only adds emphasis, but also provides a solid visual ‘foundation'.

The circle is an ancient and universal symbol of unity and wholeness and represents the combination of the diverse product divisions into one cohesive entity. The circle is not static, but formed by three dynamic curves created by interlocking arcs, which symbolise the mechanical movement of engineering components. The three arcs in the logo represent technical expertise, quality components and superior service.

The new logo is supported by a new slug line: “Part of the Process”, which reflects the integral part BMG plays in the success of their clients' business, and will be adapted to each industry, for example, “Part of the Mining Process” or “Part of the Agricultural Process”, to reflect the world-class solutions tailored to each client's the company can deliver through its approach of close consultation with key players and clients in each industry.