GODREJ CASE STUDIES

Helping the business conglomerate Godrej tap into the zeitgeist of modern India made sure it would stay relevant to a demanding new audience. It seems everyone in India has an opinion about Godrej. The family owned giant of industry, consumer products, and the biggest property holder in India has been a household name for over 110 years. But despite a strong reputation for trust and reliability, it was in danger of being identified with the past, especially by a younger audience. This could have been a big problem when you consider that by 2010, half the Indian population will be under 25, and that India as a nation is looking to the future. The company that could harness this mood of optimism would benefit immensely from the opportunity of modern India and it could leverage it across its wide diversity of businesses. To do just that, we defined a new brand positioning by signalling Godrejs commitment to innovation. Brighter Living also articulates the positive effect Godrej has on the lives of the hundreds of millions of Indians who use one of its products every day. Godrej is part of the fabric and heritage of India. With a renewed sense of optimism, the brand is already growing into the countrys future and towards its ambitious targets as well.

SAMSUNG
How do you turn a components manufacturer into one of the worlds most desirable brands? Show it the power of branding. Our brand valuation showed Samsung that its brand was weak compared to similar brands such as Nokia, Sony, and Panasonic. By moving Samsung from an original equipment manufacturer to a cutting edge producer of innovative technology, premium design, and state of the art retailing, Samsung has become one of the worlds most valuable brands. Along the way, we have established Samsung as a leading brand in the Korean and international marketplaces and differentiated it from a plethora of cheap imitators seeking to exploit its success. Samsung has also overtaken Sony as the worlds number one brand in televisions. Our continuing work will help Samsung forge an even stronger emotional bond between the brand and consumers.

BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA

The term heritage appears in the vocabulary of several brands, but it seldom has the same meaning and authenticity as with Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the worlds oldest bank. Founded in 1472, today Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena is the centerpiece of one of Italys leading bank groups, with significant market shares in each of its lines of business. A highly respected brand, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena combines cutting edge innovation and service/channel integration with deep, long-standing roots in the territories and communities it serves. Interbrand was asked to conduct yearly valuations of the brand across each relevant customer segment. The objective was to transform brand value into a key performance indicator, as well as provide a solid, objective platform to steer the unique brand. Our work is helping to build a future for Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena that is as extraordinary as its past.

MCDONALD'S
McDonalds was under pressure to drive growth on a global scale. Although the brand was ranked number nine at US$ 27.5 billion according to the 2006 Best Global Brands study, it received a dismal year-over-year growth ranking of number 51 versus competitors like Starbucks who ranked number two. The mission? To deliver a single motivating McDonalds brand value proposition that would increase wallet share globally, without diminishing local relevance or sales. Global research taught us that McDonalds had permission to move on from a globally schizophrenic brand approach to one that had universal appeal. So, we united voices worldwide to sing the same brand tune, delivering a value proposition with universal appeal among moms, kids, and teens alike: Simple, Easy, Enjoyment. McDonalds global sales have increased seven percent annually in 2008, in large part due to the adoption of the new brand strategy in markets like Europe and Asia where sales increases are averaging almost 10 percent. Guess whos singing now?

BRAVIA
Facing fierce competition from rival flat-panel television makers, Sony decided to create a new, slightly higher-end flat-panel television brand that would push the envelope in technology and design. The ultimate goalto help Sony regain its edge in this rapidly growing market.

Sony selected Interbrand Japan to create a name to evoke natural, high-resolution image quality as well

as style, sophistication, and an exceptional user-experience. It had to be short, powerful and trademarked globally.

Interbrands verbal identity specialists in Tokyo developed a naming strategy and set of creative directions to drive the naming development process. More than one thousand names had to be developed to overcome the stringent linguistic and trademark screening hurdles and arrive at a strong shortlist for presentation.

Within a month, Interbrand was able to present several dozen linguistically and legally viable naming candidates. Sonys final choice was BRAVIAcoined from the word bravo, to express great admiration for stellar performances.

The BRAVIA lineup was launched in 2005. Since then, the name and brand have helped propel Sony televisions ahead of the competition. The BRAVIA brand has also helped boost Sonys sales in other electronics categories, making it an important win for the company as a whole.

ASCOTT GROUP
The Ascott Group is the serviced residence arm of CapitaLand Limited. It is the largest international serviced residence operator outside the US. Its residences cater to customers who are large MNCs, corporate executives, and business travelers. But will only price point to differentiate its different properties, it needed help with targeting specific customers. After auditing 23 Ascott properties, across all the three product brands (Ascott, Somerset, and Citadines), we looked at key trends in the service residence industry, and defined managements aspirations and goals for the brand. This helped us refine the brand architecture, segmenting the business via customer lifestyle rather than price point. The Groups new brand vision is about Defining Global Living, which emphasizes the brands values and personalities. We then created a positioning for each product brand: Ascott as Exclusive, Somerset as Balanced, and Citadines as Vibrant. The identities and visual systems were refined to bring out the new strategy. To keep the Citadines brand in line with the brand strategy, the properties have been refreshed with a trendier look to cater to young, independent travelers. More vibrant, contemporary designs were added, and features such as the beds, kitchen, and bathroom layouts were reconfigured to cater to the needs of the Asian markets.

After establishing the brand program, the Management team aggressively marketed the brand changes in the international market, and is expecting to see great growth especially for the Somerset and Citadines brands, since flagship Ascott branded properties will only be located in prime areas.

AUSENCO
In an industry characterized by generic images of men in hard hats, formidable structures and highly technical language, Ausenco is not your average engineering firm. Where others provide the standard solution for a project, Ausenco focuses on creativity and innovation for its clientsand has the reputation to match. However, its loosely defined branding efforts and cluttered brand architecture had made for an underwhelming reflection of not only who they were but also who they wanted to be. We were asked to uncover and bring to life a far more dynamic interpretation of Ausencos brand and mix of businesses. We began with a comprehensive phase of analysis to understand the key issues across each business line around the world. This consisted of a company-wide online survey, one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders and a global audit to reveal the strategic foundations for the Ausenco brand and its various sub-brands. What we recognized was that Ausenco was a collective of ingenious minds, working together to provide innovative solutions, Our brand strategy captured this unique energy under the banner of Ingenuity by example, an idea that championed their commitment to breakthrough results, inspiring relationships and insightful creativity. We set about developing a three-year roadmap to transition the portfolio to a refined architecture strategy that the various lines of business could relate to their sub-brands. Incorporated in the strategy were comprehensive guidelines for every touchpoint, including corporate and business line brochures, websites, tradeshows, newsletters, advertising and tender documents. By overhauling every element of Ausencos brand identity, we created a new standard for marketing and collateral design within the engineering sector. The brand launch has seen Ausenco not just raise the bar, but set it far above the competition. For us, it has been a journey of discovery. For Ausenco, it has always been a case of ingenuity by example.