New logos, new commitments for local brands

Revolutionising PR

Lange 360's new logo reflects both the range of services the company provides and the understanding and insight that the agency claims as its unique differentiator in a rapidly changing world after 25 years in business.

Its MD, Ruth Golembo, states that the agency's ability to harness rapid developments in communication technology and its consistent focus on market intelligence have helped it not only to stay ahead of its competitors but to lead the way in 'revolutionising' the PR industry.

"The changing world - in which corporate and brand reputations can only be built on a platform of open, honest and transparent communication - has prompted new levels of insight and intelligence on our part. In addition, we have made a conscious effort over the past few years to embrace digital and social media, alongside the traditional media, to the huge benefit of our clients. Against this background we decided it was time for our brand to evolve, to better reflect our unique approach," she says.

She adds that the secret to the agency's success is its deliberate policy of employing people from an eclectic range of disciplines - law, journalism, business, economics, marketing, PR, the arts and IT - and utilising the specific skills of each in an area where the person feels most passionate.

Packaging local pride

The newly launched Fima logo

Following its 2009 independence from Treofan, its former German holding company, Fima has developed a proudly local logo to emphasise its commitment to the country.

"Our proudly local logo reflects the company's strategic direction to be a committed packaging solutions partner of choice. We want to be more than just a supplier by offering a partnership in which we provide solutions and not only a commodity product to our customers locally and as we venture into the African markets," said Patrick Munyembate, CEO at Fima.

In line with its business strategy, it is repositioning itself as a packaging solutions partner in flexibles, industrials, machinery and adhesive applications. Its plant in Chamdor has been operating with two lines producing 12 000 tons of film at plate capacity and expects this to triple over the next three years once the third line is implemented.

True blue commitment

The new logo of Blue Financial Services

The Blue Financial Services (Blue) brand re-launch aligns itself with the start of a new era for it, following its turnaround by private equity shareholder, the Mayibuye Group. The identity rebranding will ensure that the company is viewed by customers as an empowering financial services provider that can change their lives for the better.

Central to the refreshed brand is its newly established core values of respect, reliability and return. A blue shaded arrow design, being the 'L' in the new Blue logo, represents the potential of its customers. The upward trajectory of this design encapsulates how it can uplift them towards a better and brighter future, symbolic of the core value of respect. The use of the African sky, which has been incorporated into all marketing touch points, plays an important role in the new identity. Firstly, it's indicative of the huge African continent that Blue serves, signifying the financial services provider's reliability and secondly represents the untapped and unrestricted potential of its people.

The old Blue Financial Services logo

The new identity was designed by Coley Porter Bell (CPB), Ogilvy's specialist design agency together with The Brand Union who executed the new Blue SA branch designs. The approach was that the existing brand required a revolution - not simply an evolution through some minor changes and tweaking. The result is a clean and uncluttered brand that is easily interpreted amongst all its stakeholders. The key message is that things have changed significantly for it and all of its customers.

The new identity will be adopted in all forms of communications and marketing, including letterheads, envelopes, staff business cards, store fronts and internal fixtures and fittings, and branch staff uniforms. Fifty of Blue's South African branches have already replaced its old Blue branding with the new design, a mammoth task completed in only seven days. Phase two will focus on Blue branches with Credit U branding, and will roll out over the next three months. It is simple and easy to understand across all target markets, irrespective of level of education and income.

Responsible Care for chemical industry

The CAIA recently updated its corporate identity to give the organisation a clean, contemporary look that communicates the values its stands for - sustainable, professional, innovative and responsible, as it is the custodian of Responsible Care in South Africa, a global initiative by the chemical industry to continuously safety, health and environmental(SHE) standards and performance.

The new logo is crisper and cleaner, with a new font that gives it a more contemporary edge. The Responsible Care logo has been made an integral part of its logo, highlighting the commitment to sustainability that is its core value.

The corporate colours of blue and green reflect the fact that chemistry is based in nature. A new addition to the letterhead is the "swoosh" that runs along the bottom of the page, representing progress and innovation - but also the constancy of nature and its organic design.

The new look is designed to build the CAIA and Responsible Care brands by giving its marketing and communications more impact across all target audiences.