Tag: Rebrand

India – After its acquisition by Bain Capital, Adani Group’s Adani Capital and Adani Housing Finance enlisted Conran Design Mumbai, a Havas-owned brand and design consultancy, to spearhead the rebranding to Tyger Capital and Tyger Home Finance.

The new Tyger Capital and Home Finance target an underserved Tier 2 to Tier 5 audience of budding entrepreneurs and first-time homeowners who seek credible, quick, and hassle-free loan approvals. 

As part of the rebranding initiative, Conran Design Mumbai was entrusted with developing the brand strategy, naming, and creating a cohesive brand identity, along with activating it across all touchpoints. The agency was tasked with crafting a brand that emphasises customer-centricity, agility, and digital innovation.

Anchored in flexibility, speed, and transparency and driven by a core belief in empowering customers to fulfil their dreams, Conran Design Mumbai introduced the bold name ‘Tyger,’ encapsulating the brand’s key attributes.

The newly launched Tyger Capital and Home Finance is designed to serve the underserved Tier 2 to Tier 5 markets, focussing on budding entrepreneurs and first-time homeowners seeking credible, quick, and hassle-free loan approvals.

Tyger’s new brand identity embodies speed, motion, and protection through dynamic green and trustworthy blue colours. The logo features a rupee symbol subtly integrated into the letter ‘R’, alongside horizontal lines and a forward arrow conveying agility. Unique elements like ‘The Window’ and ‘The Spotlight’ create a striking visual narrative that showcases Tyger’s world and the entrepreneurial stories it supports.

The rebranding initiative also involved developing a comprehensive suite of templates, a launch film, and detailed brand guidelines to ensure consistency and amplify the brand’s presence.

Gaurav Gupta, founder, CEO, and MD of Tyger Capital, said, “Conran Design Mumbai approached the rebrand of Tyger Capital and Home Finance with bold thinking and agility, embodying a true ‘one team’ spirit. This collaborative effort has resulted in a new brand purpose that transcends mere transactions, powerfully reflected in the name and identity. The rebranding initiative has successfully carved out a distinctive position for Tyger Capital and Home Finance within the industry.”

Meanwhile, Geet Nazir, managing director of Conran Design Mumbai, commented, “Conran Design Mumbai is proud to have partnered in the creation of the Tyger brand. It is rewarding to see the role design can play in bringing a larger vision of financial inclusion to life. Working alongside Gaurav and his wonderful team, who trusted us to realise their ambition to uplift and empower the nation, has been an incredible journey.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – airasia academy, Capital A’s digital edtech company, has recently rebranded as ‘Outclass’, a learning experience platform designed to enable individuals to develop in a changing workforce context. 

Outclass expands on airasia academy’s tradition of bridging the computer skills gap, it now provides a personalised learning experience to assist users in achieving their career goals.

Individuals and organisational leadership can use Outclass as a tool to meet talent development needs, enable worker potential, and get ready for a changing market. With aspirations to grow into in-demand fields like sustainability and ESG through a relationship with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), it now provides fifteen career options in the technology industry. 

Outclass also stands in contrast to typical Learning Management Systems (LMS) with its full Learning Experience Platform (LXP). This versatile platform meets both individual and organisational needs. For individuals, Outclass uses the Big Five OCEAN-based personality test, co-developed with experts from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of Ethnic Studies (UKM KITA), to personalise the learning journey and empower career growth by matching learners with the most appropriate career tracks.

The platform creates a highly dynamic environment by creating performance-based goals, providing analytical dashboards, and issuing certificates. For businesses, Outclass provides flexible, and scalable LXP solutions with white-labelling possibilities. 

YB Gobind Singh Deo, Minister of Digital Malaysia, said, “The Ministry of Digital Malaysia is honoured to witness the launch of Outclass today, a pivotal step in advancing digital reskilling and upskilling in Malaysia. This initiative is a testament to our unwavering commitment to equipping the nation’s talent with the digital competencies to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape. Outclass will serve as a beacon of opportunity, providing tailored courses that meet the needs of our digital economy. The ministry commends Capital A for its steadfast support and dedication to driving digital inclusion and education, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact Outclass will have on shaping the future of our workforce as we thrive in IR4.0.”

Meanwhile, Aireen Omar, president (Investment & Ventures) Capital A and executive director of Outclass, said, “As we launch Outclass, we are excited to introduce a revolutionary platform designed to empower individuals and businesses alike. Outclass personalises the learning experience, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to recommend the best career paths based on your personality, ambitions, and skills. Soon, Outclass will be available across Asean, starting with Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, inspiring and equipping a new generation of professionals to excel and shape the future.”

Australia – XPO: The Mars Agency, the connected commerce company, has officially rebranded as Mars United Commerce to reflect its transformation into an enterprise-wide solutions partner for the commerce marketing industry. 

The company’s new name is now adopted by all of The Mars Agency’s operations around the world, a name that depicts its transformational growth into a full-service commerce marketing partner for brands and retailers.

Mars United Commerce’s rebranding reflects not only the company’s global reach but also the company’s past, present, and future commitment to operating as an enterprise commerce partner that delivers all the solutions brand and retailer clients need to grow their businesses. 

Mars United Commerce fully embodies the ongoing evolution of the commerce marketing industry, which has become a vast, complex array of shopping channels and engagement opportunities that must be mastered individually to deliver programme-level success but also managed collectively to drive company-wide growth. 

Significant investments in technology and infrastructure have positioned Mars United Commerce as global leaders in four key disciplines: strategy and analytics, retail media and eCommerce, content and experiences, and retail consultancy. These areas form a ‘United Commerce Ecosystem’, providing clients with essential expertise to navigate the complex commerce marketing landscape. 

The company’s proprietary ‘Marilyn Commerce Marketing Technology Platform’ enhances core strengths like shopper insights, deep retailer intelligence, and creative excellence, helping clients make better decisions, create connected experiences, and drive stronger business results.

Moreover, strategic acquisitions, including XPO Brands in 2022, have expanded the company’s reach and capabilities, bringing comprehensive commerce marketing solutions to new regions. Since aligning with The Mars Agency, XPO Brands has rapidly extended its passion and expertise across retail media, ecommerce, measurement, and analytics.

Mars United Commerce now encompasses a workforce of 800 professionals across North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, all experts in specific functions but also trained and certified in every aspect of commerce marketing. 

Sally Tobin, managing director for Mars United Commerce ANZ, said, “We’re so very proud of the equity we’ve built around the XPO name and the reputation we established for excellence in shopper and experiential marketing. Since joining The Mars Agency, we’ve moved beyond those roots to grow capabilities and gain equity in other key areas of commerce marketing. It’s only natural, then, for us to now join the rest of Mars in adopting a new name that better represents everything we can do for clients in the region.”

She added, “With The Mars Agency’s support, we’ve become a more complete commerce partner for our clients. As part of Mars United Commerce, we’ll be bringing even more opportunities to the region.” 

Also speaking on the rebrand, Rob Rivenburgh, global CEO, shared, “The Mars Agency has long been known for relentless reinvention, for staying ahead of industry trends to build expertise in the emerging skill sets our clients need to drive sustainable business growth. We have best-in-class capabilities across the full spectrum of commerce marketing and an unmatched ability to unite them to drive even greater success for our clients. That’s what Mars United Commerce says to the marketplace.” 

Singapore – Southeast Asian digital solution partner Intrepid has recently announced its integration with its 10 Ascential digital commerce sister brands and rebranding to form a single, global brand known as Flywheel.

This integration marks a significant brand transformation and underscores Flywheel’s commitment to evolving with the dynamic digital commerce landscape, promising sustainable growth in the world’s vast and complex digital marketplaces.

Through the integration, Flywheel incorporates the unique capabilities of 11 brands, which were all under the Ascential Digital Commerce umbrella, allowing for comprehensive services ranging from media and retail, managed and self-service to consulting and retail insights.

Furthermore, this combination of companies also amplifies Flywheel’s client list, with clients carrying over from previous brands, notably having over half of 2022’s top 100 publicly listed companies by revenue.

As an integrated brand, Flywheel offerings include AI-powered ad optimization to ensure maximum reach and conversion, advanced analytics and machine learning provide clarity on market trends, as well as automation and bespoke consulting to help brands navigate the intricate media landscape.

Jasper Knoben, chief executive officer of Flywheel SEA, said, “I am excited for this next chapter as we become Flywheel. This evolution will allow us to tap into our global network, expertise and technology much more effectively, allowing us to accelerate partnerships and bring more sophisticated technology and a wider range of services and capabilities to South East Asia, to deliver even better outcomes and offer more competitive advantages for our clients.”

Meanwhile, Duncan Painter, chief executive of Flywheel, commented, “The retail world is fiendishly complex and ever changing. But the goal of each brand remains the same – to use all the available data and the best technology to drive sales and scale profitably. Today we enter a new chapter. With our unique capabilities and expertise, close marketplace partnerships, and unrivalled data sets, the new Flywheel empowers brands to not just adapt but thrive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.”

Singapore – Singaporean beverage brand, Yeo Hiap Seng (Yeo’s), has launched an integrated brand campaign, unveiling a new brand platform called ‘Refresh What Matters’, with global agency Forsman and Bodenfors as the rebrand’s creative lead.  

Yeo’s and Forsman and Bodenfors integrated brand campaign features new vibrant packaging, new product films, and the ‘Drinkable Garden’ exhibit, which explores new brews and partnerships, culminating in an eventful brand activation.

The Yeo’s Drinkable Garden installation, in collaboration with Gardens By the Bay, commemorates the brand’s legacy with an experiential brand activation, centred around Yeo’s signature drink– Yeo’s Chrysanthemum Tea.

The exhibit aims to take audiences on a multi-sensorial journey through a contemporary garden, with a motif centred around chrysanthemums and lush foliage. The exhibit is also heavily inspired by three different Yeo’s chrysanthemum brews namely, Yeo’s Chrysanthemum Tea, the newly launched Snow Chrysanthemum Tea and a Rose-Infused Chrysanthemum brew that tell the story of the exceptional quality and craft behind each drink.

Visitors will have the opportunity to gain insights into the unique benefits across a variety of chrysanthemums and get a glimpse into the intricate craftsmanship that goes into making Yeo’s products and what sets them apart from other brands in Asia. 

Also on site will be the special edition Yeo’s signature chrysanthemum tea, that commemorates the centenary of Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, and to celebrate his legacy as Singapore’s “chief gardener” and his visionary role in transforming Singapore into a green city. The commemorative Yeo’s packs are not for sale, and will be distributed in educational settings around Singapore.

Ong Yuh Hwang, CEO of Yeo Hiap Seng, said, “Our Yeo’s Drinkable Garden is a reflection of the core values of our signature drink – real chrysanthemum flowers filled with aroma and flavour, brewed in its purest form with no compromise on taste – a true celebration of the best of our heritage combined with creativity and innovation.”

Meanwhile, Gary Lim, group creative director at Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore, commented,  “When you think of Chrysanthemum tea, you think of Yeo’s. It’s a flavour from a brand almost all of us in the region have tasted and loved from a young age. We partnered with Yeo’s to ‘Refresh What Matters’ in every sense, bringing audiences on an immersive and inspiring journey to experience the brand in the most refreshing way.”

Shanghai, China – WPP global design agency Design Bridge and Partners, has partnered with Kungfu Pu’er Tea, a producer of fine tea in Yunnan, to refresh its brand positioning, identity and packaging design system.

The partnership resulted in a new brand positioning and design system created by Design Bridge and Partners, which reinvents Kungfu Pu’er Tea as a wellness lifestyle brand made for ‘urban knights’ and designed for a new generation.

Furthermore, the rebrand aims to connect contemporary audiences with the ancient tea-drinking tradition. The new branding specifically celebrates the notion of tea as the “antidote” to the overwhelming, fast-paced lifestyle of modern society.

With the brand statement, ‘drink with the world and live a transparent heart’, the visual identity is inspired by the spirit of Chinese martial artists and  kung fu warriors, a symbol of living life with a pure heart dedicated to others.

The swordsman logo of Kungfu Pu’er tea has also evolved from the traditional Chinese Wuxia knight to a contemporary marque,  and the visual language for packaging and communications is formed as an artistic reinterpretation of Chinese traditional watercolor paintings, calligraphy, sculpture, rice paper and seal carving textures, reaffirming the spirit of ancient Wuxia knights and tea culture in the brand expression.

Kungfu Pu’er’s new identity will be adopted across communications and sales channels, and products with the new look and packaging are now on sale on TMall and JDMall stores.

Australia – Funlab, Australia’s largest recreational experience provider, has launched its reimagined masterbrand identity and architecture, developed in partnership with FutureBrand Australia. 

The new identity and architecture span Funlab as the masterbrand and eight of its consumer-facing experience brands, including Holey Moley Golf Club, Strike Bowling, Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, Hijinx Hotel, B. Lucky & Sons, La Di Darts, Juke’s, and Red Herring, across 38 locations. 

Funlab’s new masterbrand brings together a reimagined brand strategy, ‘exclamative’ brandmark, vibrant colour palette, expressive photography, shape-shifting patterns, and distinctive hand-drawn illustrations in order to communicate Funlab’s purpose as a creator of fun and magic experiences. 

According to agency FutureBrand, Funlab is on a strong growth trajectory and so the masterbrand revamp is meant to provide the business with a clear and evocative employer brand to help it attract talent that has the right mindset to be ‘Motherfunners’, its name for its employees. The masterbrand also aims to connect the customer experience and facilitate customer cross-shop and loyalty. 

Funlab Chief Marketing Officer Oonagh Flanagan said,“Funlab started more than 20 years ago in Melbourne and has grown to what it is today: Australasia’s largest fun provider via eight experience brands and 38 locations. We needed a masterbrand strategy, identity and experience that not only celebrates our infectious philosophy of fun, but also puts our people at the centre of everything we do and establishes the platform for our significant expansion plans”. 

“Our new Funlab masterbrand does this, connecting our family of experience brands, as well as enabling their individual power and expression, to enable cross-selling between multiple brands and opening up the many different worlds of fun to our guests. We are thrilled to be launching our new branding to our loyal, fun-loving customers and the world at large,” Flanagan added. 

Funlab appointed FutureBrand Australia in 2021 to redesign its brand architecture and enable Funlab as the masterbrand to better connect with its family of experience brands. 

FutureBrand Australia CEO Rich Curtis commented, “Leading with our try-buy-use approach to our clients’ products, our team loved the uninterrupted access to multiple Funlab venues and experiences as we immersed ourselves in the process of reimagining their brand strategy, architecture and identity. 

“Our goal was to amplify the magic in Funlab and use this to reimagine its expression through design and language – by elevating the power of the Funlab brand as the driving force that creates and sustains each of its consumer experience brands for the world to enjoy,” Curtis added. 

Funlab’s new brand strategy and identity are also adopted internally, with an update across all assets, documents and systems, as well as the launch of a revised Funlab website for consumers prior to a full redevelopment. According to the agency, over time, the new Funlab identity will be further rolled out internally and externally.

Manila, Philippines – Iconic local bookstore National Book Store has recently faced backlash from netizens after it suggested in a recent tweet a short name change called ‘Nash’, an allude to the rising popularity of ‘conyo’ lingo in the country, or the use of shortened mix of Tagalog and English words in daily conversations.

On September 19, the official Twitter account of NBS posted a tweet saying ‘Call me National, Nash for short’.

Following the tweet, a large majority of local netizens have criticised the proposed name change, with many saying they hope they don’t push said name change.

In addition, the tweet sparked complaints from various netizens complaining about NBS’ services, with some complaining about the store’s lack of school supply amenities, high price mark-up on books sold in physical stores, as well as the poor ventilation and display of several of the bookstore’s branches.

In a response given to Philstar Life, a spokesperson for National Book Store said that the brand’s commitment to providing customers with quality products and service remains unchanged no matter what they name the store.

“Regardless of how they call us – NBS, Natio, or Nash – we remain committed to providing an ideal shopping experience in all of our branches nationwide. We also wish to express our gratitude to all of our customers who returned to their back-to-school shopping at National Book Store, especially after 2 long years without face-to-face classes,” the spokesperson said.

The National Book Store was formally established in 1942 by Socorro Cancio-Ramos and José Ramos. It has 230 branches nationwide, and is the largest bookstore chain in the country.

Sydney, Australia – Bastion’s production house Bastion Films has rebranded as Bastion Make to reflect its newly expanded production capabilities, including an in-house production studio with more than 30 on-site craft specialists offering clients cost-effective, 360-degree content and campaign delivery.

The creation of Bastion Make further cements Bastion’s new world agency model – one business with many services, deep expertise in each one, and wide thinking across the breadth of the communications spectrum providing clients with a ‘one-stop’ streamlined offering.

With this, in-house craft experts with deep expertise in motion, digital, studio and print will be working in tandem across all production disciplines to deliver integrated, end-to-end campaigns, and content delivery for Bastion and direct clients. The upgraded studio also allows all editing, grading, and VFX to be done internally in Bastion Make’s post-house, creating efficiencies for clients.

The in-house team includes two editors/shooters, two digital producers, a supervising producer, EP of digital, a print producer, a finished artist, animators, production company producers, traditional agency producers, and animation producers.

Further boosting the new 360 model, Bastion Make has also announced the senior appointment of Galadriel Roussos as executive producer for Sydney. A seasoned EP, Roussos brings deep expertise gained through over 20 years of experience working in broadcast, networks, and events, including four years at Foxtel.

As part of the national model rollout, Bastion Make has also built a team in Melbourne, with an EP – Kaelene Morton leading the charge, editor – Dave Wade, and producer – Ravenna Bouckaert, accessing the centralised production and post studios and craft experts to deliver 360 campaigns for Melbourne-based clients.

Jacqueline Archer, Bastion Make’s managing director, shared that the team is now big enough to execute 360 campaign solutions in-house while retaining the fluidity and agility to still work as a collaborative delivery group.

“Best in class craft and quality execution is at the heart of what we do. Because our experts are in-house, we can deliver integrated solutions that are insight-driven, impactful and cost-effective with ease. Clients don’t need to talk to ten different departments. They talk to one, whatever their content and production needs,” said Archer.

Meanwhile, Jack Watts, group CEO of Bastion, said, “Out of the wide range of services we provide to our clients, content production in all its forms is the one thing every client responds saying they need more of, and delivered in a faster, better model. This is what has driven our significant investment in people and both physical and digital infrastructure to rapidly expand our capabilities.”

Bastion Make is also currently expanding into the other Bastion markets of New Zealand and the USA.

Sydney, Australia – To celebrate the organisation’s 30th anniversary as a university and 55 years as an educational institute, The University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) has unveiled a new brand strategy, including a new purpose and proposition, logo, and visual identity. This rebrand was developed in collaboration with brand agency Houston Group.

The new brand strategy, ‘look and feel’, reinforces the pathway to excellence proposition that UniSQ stands for, and supports the organisation’s ambition to become Australia’s leading regional university, in a highly competitive marketplace.

Moreover, central to the new look and feel is the adoption of a new abbreviated moniker: UniSQ – rather than the traditional USQ. The new look will be carried across every touchpoint. Meanwhile, the shield logo features the Bunya pine tree (synonymous with Southern Queensland), representing growth, strength, and journeys, which was inspired by the ancient journeys of the many First Nations communities that gathered for the Bunya Festival, celebrating the harvest of the Bunya Nut.

Houston has also crafted the stylised Bunya pine logo to resemble a robust progressive journey rising through the middle of a strong University shield. The four branches of the Bunya pine represent the four UniSQ learning hubs, which are Toowoomba, Ipswich, Springfield and online, and the dark plum and gold primary colours take inspiration from the Toowoomba sunset and environment.

Stuart O’Brien, CEO and founder of Houston, said the challenge was to create an all-encompassing brand proposition that matched the University’s strategic direction to deliver outstanding education experiences and outcomes.

“All brand elements have been created to match the new strategic direction of UniSQ, it not only creates a clear differentiation for the university, but a purpose that students and employees can stand behind and a brand that future students can love, feel part of and instantly recognise,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Shawn Walker, pro vice-chancellor (Engagement) at UniSQ, noted, “Our refreshed brand strategy and new brand represents a new chapter for the university; it clearly supports our mindset for change and innovation and has the capacity to resonate with our stakeholders.”