FutureBrand Australia

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a former consultant for Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia. Currently, I’m the managing director of Hive Mind Australia.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FutureBrand Australia?

We needed to redefine the Golf Australia brand and develop a brand architecture for Australian Golf.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

FutureBrand met various internal and external stakeholders to understand the companies' complex environment. They held workshops and one-on-one interviews to obtain feedback. Then, they developed the brand architecture to support consistent, strong messaging in the marketplace, represent the brand, and reflect the national strategy.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 20 teammates, including the CEO.

How did you come to work with FutureBrand Australia?

I was familiar with FutureBrand’s work from past employment.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–September 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They developed the brand identity and messaging in the format we agreed on internally and within the timeframe and budget.

How did FutureBrand Australia perform from a project management standpoint?

We had an excellent response rate from them. They were always available and accessible via the phone, email, or in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The staff was highly professional and intelligent. They were knowledgeable in their field; their expertise was evident. Moreover, they spent a lot of time learning about the brand and environment we worked in — it never felt like their work was off the shelf.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they met the brief well and did everything we expected.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep constant communication and define clear objectives.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of brand and advertising for a financial services business. We have typical banking products, such as home loans, savings, and term deposits. The other part of the business is investment banking.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with FutureBrand Australia?

Our brand had been around for almost 80 years, so we needed to update it. We needed to make it fit with today’s customers and create a design that matched today’s marketing constructs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We divided the project's scope into three phases: strategic research, tone of voice, and design. First, FutureBrand helped us define what we wanted to stand for and how we’d engage customers. They cross-referenced what we felt the company was with what the staff felt. We created a core thought that allowed us to work on the design and write a tone of voice based on customer feedback to make the brand more consistent and relevant.

FutureBrand interviewed a set of customers and asked them key questions. We also did a historical audit to understand where the brand came from, so we looked at the guidelines and where they needed to be in the future.

In summary, FutureBrand helped us with all facets of brand creation, from looking at the logo to branding from a collateral perspective. They reviewed how the design worked on advertising, web, mobile, and social media; the team applied it to each brand channel to ensure it worked. Additionally, they did a basic search to identify any conflict with our organization’s compliance, and our legal team handled the trademarking.

What is the team composition?

We worked with six team members, including two strategists, a brand manager, and two designers. Christina (General Manager) was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with FutureBrand Australia?

We’d used them on other projects, so we knew their services. I also knew the CTO; I worked with him in a design agency many years ago. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $150,000 AUD (approximately $94,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together for nine months, from December 2021–August 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Internal stakeholders were very excited and energized by the change. The team was inspired to work with a new brand, so the engagement was very successful.

How did FutureBrand Australia perform from a project management standpoint?

They met all the deadlines. If there were areas that crept outside the budget, we discussed alternatives, so there was a lot of transparency and collaborative discussion around budget management.

For communication, we held work-in-progress meetings every week. They used Miro as a tool, but we fundamentally used a traditional style of collaboration because we thought the best design would come out of talking and collaborating together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were simple in their workflow; their work with customers centered around collaboration and transparency. FutureBrand’s team always brought current thinking to the party; they weren’t stuck with their own tools and means, so they were flexible about their process. Moreover, they were happy to listen to us and receive feedback.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Every project throws out challenges, so they were in a constant state of learning and adapting.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to understand what you want before you engage anybody.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the global Chief Marketing Officer at Flight centre travel group. a leisure travel retailer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FutureBrand Australia, and what were your goals?

Our business was looking to create a new brand to represent an emerging tour business globally. Our goal was to rebrand two existing business into a new single brand ready to scale and grow.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We created a RFP based on our brief and Futurebrand was in our price range and presented the best strategic thinking and direction.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Our scope of work required numerous face to face interviews with key global stakeholders, desk research, in market surveys and a 2 day workshop overseas with he business CEO's and management teams. final deliverables a single brand, implementation plan, markets surveys and base creative (logo) ready for deployment.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

from CEO down to admin teams. 5-6 in total

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project delivered a single timeless brand that has been the cornerstone for growth in all regions around the world. their work has helped create a new culture and brand positioning for the business and assisted in market awareness.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

the usual marketing and business channels where used. all very timely and well considered and accurate.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their unique tools to deliver the best creative outcomes, their attention to detail and stakeholder management and their ability to drive decision making from he key players int he business. Follow through and follow up a very positive experience.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Executive Manager of Engagement for Bush Heritage Australia. Bush Heritage Australia is one of Australia's largest and most respected conservation organisations. We work across more than 11 mio hectares of land, building resilience and protecting our most threatened species. We partner with traditional owners and agriculture.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire FutureBrand Australia, and what were your goals?

At the start of the year, we launched an ambitious 2030 strategy, which focuses on deepening and doubling our impact by the end of this decade. We wanted to make sure our brand could support our growth ambitions. As such, we worked with Futurebrand to redevelop our values, position, brand idea and the supporting brand guidelines, including editorial.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After establishing a project team, we developed a detailed project brief and undertook a market review to identify four potential partners. Those four partners were given the opportunity to pitch, pitching to the entire project team who scored against a wide number of success measures. We undertook reference checks, speaking with past clients. The team then made a joint decision, which was presented to the Senior Leadership team. FutureBrand scored highest on every single measure and so the decision wasn't difficult.

Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.

Our scope of work was very clearly established at the start: The review and redevelopment of our values, brand position, brand guidelines (visual and editorial) and a number of specific campaigns using the new branding. Our project brief was detailed and included a wide range of papers and background documents, from annual reports to impact statements, a competitor review, overview of our key audiences and much more to give FutureBrand an understanding of where we are now, where we have come from and to start to paint a picture of the opportunities ahead.

Following this review, FutureBrand conducted in-dept interviews with key stakeholders from our Chair to Major Donors, industry partners and staff, while the project group led internal focus groups. We had a number of co-design sessions and also took FutureBrand on a reserve visit to give them the chance to experience our work first hand. The output was the delivery of a brand plus (values, position, brand idea, brand personality, confirmation of purpose), new brand guidelines (brand mark review and how to use, new colours, font, illustration and guidelines on how to apply it all, including voice) and one public campaign.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

One of the things that made FutureBrand stand apart was the fact that the senior team who pitched was also the senior team who delivered the entire project. We worked with the best of the best, every step of the way from the GM of FutureBrand to the Brand Experience Director, the Strategic Director, Senior Strategist and Brand Manager. It was impressive.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We are at the final stages of the project so are yet to see results in terms of increased brand awareness and efficiencies, however even before the brand has been rolled out we have experienced internal results that have made the investment worthwhile: our new values are meaningful and our people are inspired by hem. They are easily translatable to how we work and how we make decisions.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

FutureBrand's style is inclusive, and they have approached the work with both a sense of curiosity and respect - for our people, our work, and the journey of our brand. They've been great at clearly articulating timelines, bringing the right people together at the right time, and using a variety of tools and meeting modes, depending on the need - from workshops to Teams meetings, miro boards, and our field trip to one of our reserves, it's felt like a genuine partnership.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their commitment to the project always bringing their best - brilliant people with brilliant ideas and clear enthusiasm for our project. They've over-delivered every step of the way, and we had high expectations!

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We are so, so pleased with the work delivered by FutureBrand and just can't fault the process.