Branding - Case Studies

Charles Schwab
Corporate Identity Revitalization
Revitalization of a Trusted BrandDecember 2001

Background
Charles Schwab has long been one of the financial industry’s largest, most trusted companies. As the first self-service broker, they paved the way for the do-it-yourself investor. But as the Internet made it easier for Schwab’s competitors to offer low-cost financial transactions, Schwab determined to move upmarket, attracting affluent commission-based investors without alienating their loyal self-service customer base. Schwab decided to evolve their company, and their brand, beyond its discount-brokerage image to include more relationship-driven brokerage services.

Challenge
Schwab’s new emphasis required substantial changes to the company’s positioning and visual identity. This brand revitalization also offered a much-needed opportunity to address shortcomings in the former identity system, such as its inability to communicate in a variety of formats. Schwab engaged Landor to identify the brand’s core attributes and use them to develop a new wordmark, visual system and brand voice. The company emphasized its need for an identity that would appeal to both new and existing clients, while ensuring consistent expression in print, online and in retail applications.

Landor's Solution
In an industry where brands sometimes try to out-shout each other, Schwab’s new identity is strong, elegant and sophisticated. The new wordmark combines the personal with the professional by pairing a refined, cursive "Charles" with a bold, all-capital "Schwab". The new visual vocabulary, photography style and brand voice ensure brand recognition across a wide range of media. When used together, the elements of the new system deliver the message that Schwab offers personalized investment advice, thereby reaffirming the confidence of existing customers and attracting new affluent investors.

http://www.landor.com/?do=cPortfolio.getCase&caseid=529


Citibank
CitiGold Wealth Management Banking Brand Identity
Providing Distinction in a Cluttered Financial MarketplaceJanuary 2002

Background
In order to achieve maximum differentiation in a market riddled with “priority banking” services, Citibank recently changed the name of its CitiGold Priority Banking brand to CitiGold Wealth Management Banking. As a result, a signature was needed for its new Wealth Management descriptor. The new brand identity had to be applied to a range of items—primarily a set of point of purchase (POP) items—for immediate launch.

Challenge
Without changing the CitiGold part of the identity, the challenge was to create a graphical treatment to clearly convey the overall platform of “unparalleled advantage.” The focus was on growing your wealth as the key proposition, while appealing to the target audience, who already have substantial secure investments and are open to innovative and challenging new ways to invest in a riskier portfolio. All creative work needed to strongly convey the brand personality of prestige, innovation and trustworthiness. Landor was given about a month to deliver the identity and point of purchase items for launch.

Landor's Solution
Landor developed a graphic device to restage CitiGold, using a crescent to convey the idea of a vantage point. CitiGold is positioned above the summit, conveying the notion of an unparalleled advantage, or of being above the rest. The entire signature is gold, maximizing impact and reinforcing prestige. Landor chose a deep midnight blue as the secondary color for high contrast with the gold, without competing with it. The simplicity and clean lines of the designs, placed in large areas of clear space, achieve a sophisticated look that speaks of an innovative and prestigious offering.

See also
Industry: Financial Services/ Insurance
Project Type: Brand Identity

http://www.landor.com/?do=cPortfolio.getCase&caseid=546

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UFJ Tsubasa Securities
Brand Architecture
Brand Architecture and Harmonization for a Leading Financial GroupJune 2002

Background
The UFJ Group established its banking brand through the UFJ Bank and its trust banking brand through the UFJ Trust Bank. It unified the branding of its securities operations by merging Tsubasa Securities, which offered extensive asset management services through one of the largest retail networks in Japan, with UFJ Capital Markets Securities, which possessed extensive information resources and advanced expertise in financial technology. By bridging the gap between individual and corporate customers, the new securities company offers an innovative integration of retail and wholesale operations.

Challenge
The new company would be a central player in the UFJ Group, so its brand strategy needed to incorporate both its own corporate brand and the UFJ Group’s brand. While expressing the company’s individual identity, the new brand also had to show the synergy made possible by the comprehensive financial service offerings of the UFJ Group companies. The name chosen, UFJ Tsubasa Securities Co., Ltd., meets these requirements by keeping the name value of the former Tsubasa Securities while harmonizing with the group brand identity of the UFJ Bank and UFJ Trust Bank.

Landor's Solution
UFJ Tsubasa Securities was born on June 1, 2002. Through the unification of its retail and wholesale operations, the company can now play a unique role in the new financial era. The company’s primary commitment is to put the customer first and it will be able to meet its customers’ needs through the comprehensive and wide-ranging financial services that it is able to offer as the UFJ Group’s securities company.

See also
Industry: Financial Services/ Insurance
Project Type: Brand Architecture, Guidelines, Strategic Branding/Corporate

http://www.landor.com/?do=cPortfolio.getCase&caseid=594
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December 2005
society Generale extends brand strategy implemented in 2001 to the entire group. The logo is to be used by all units in the group.
Source Media release
http://www.sgcib.com/Net/sdpv6.nsf/87BDCCEA445F27D5C12570CF003A993F/$file/05103gb.pdf
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