Brandfusion

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the co-founder of Adams Vision, currently managing the company’s retail business specialized in food supplements, natural nutrition and personal care products, that operates through both brick-and-mortar and online shops.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Being in the offline and online commerce business for about 15 years, we believe we have the experience and we can trust our gut when it comes to new opportunities to better serve our customers, to answer their specific and changing needs.

That’s why, we felt there is potential for a new natural cosmetics brand, our own brand, one that could provide our retail customers with a relevant option in this category and also help the business create a stronger connection with them.

We already had a brand name in mind, Zanna, and this is how we started the project. Our goal for this project was to define Zanna’s brand positioning and to create the packaging design in order to help it stand out on the shelf, but also to tell a story that attracts the consumers, a story they resonate with.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We first started to look for branding companies for another project two years ago, and this is when we found Brandfusion. At that point, we really liked some of the projects on their website and we contacted them.

In our first discussion, they asked us many questions, trying to understand our business needs, and they explained to us their process and way of working. We felt their strategic and rigorous approach as well as their design experience can help us, and we decided to work with them. So, Zanna is our second branding project with Brandfusion, which means our initial collaboration was beneficial too.

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

In the beginning of the project we participated in an online session with Brandfusion’s team in which we answered their questions about our retail business, customer profiles, competitor brands in the natural cosmetics category, and our development vision for Zanna in terms of portfolio, pricing, communication etc.

Afterwards, Brandfusion researched the category, both locally and globally, analyzing the market and consumption trends, consumer profiles, packaging, communication, etc., and presented to us their findings. Based on all these insights, they chose and described the consumer profile recommended for Zanna, and they built a map of the market, made of both local and international competitors, where they identified the positioning opportunities for our brand.

We were given two different routes and they presented to us the logo and packaging design concepts for each of them. We chose the concept which we felt represented exactly what we wanted Zanna to be, and then Brandfusion prepared the master templates for the different types of products we were planning to have in the portfolio, as well as a brand guide with all the visual identity and packaging rules.

The final deliverables were: the brand positioning presentation including the consumer profile, brand idea, brand story, tagline, Zanna’s logo in different formats, the master design templates for the product labels and the brand guide.

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

The Brandfusion team we worked with was made of 4-5 people, but our main contacts were Mona Ursu and Ruxandra Trica for the strategic part, and Stefan for the design one.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have recently rolled out a partial portfolio and sales in the first weeks have exceeded our estimations, only by making the brand available in our shops, with no communication actions. At the same time, the first consumer feedback is positive, generating demand for specific products and further range extension, which is really encouraging.

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

As previously mentioned, we already knew Brandfusion’s way of working and we knew they do exactly what they say when they say, so everything went according to the plan and timing we have initially agreed on. One thing we really appreciate about them is that they respond very quickly to our feedback. they provide us with arguments and explanations to support each recommendation, whether they agree or disagree with us.

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

We can say that Brandfusion read our minds and turned our vision for Zanna into reality. It helped that we were involved in the process, that Brandfusion knew how to extract from us and put together all the relevant information related to the business, market, and consumer.

We especially appreciated their rigorous and comprehensive approach. They analyzed the international natural cosmetics category, building that map of the market on which we could see the opportunities for Zanna’s positioning, but also how they explained the implications of each scenario in terms of packaging design, product portfolio, communication, etc. We are really happy with the outcomes of this project and with our new Zanna brand.

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

I am more than pleased with Brandfusion.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Oncochain is a software company that solves specific problems regarding medical data in Oncology. Its main objective is to empower oncology health professionals, cancer institutions, and pharmaceutical companies with structured clinical data captured in daily routine practice. As one of the Oncochain’s founders, besides the responsibility I have for growing this business, I also have the responsibility to build the Oncochain brand around our purpose: “We innovate through technology so cancer will eventually have no impact on patients' lives.”

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brandfusion?

Given the complexity of the connections and exchanges of information between those involved in oncology - patients, doctors, treatment clinics, research institutions, the pharmaceutical industry, authorities - we felt that the way the brand expresses itself was not consistent enough and not at the level of our aspirations. More than that, we felt that our power to persuade investors to join the Oncochain idea was greatly diminished due to the lack of clarity and conviction of the brand message. In this regard, we are delighted that Branfusion has convinced us to take an important step in rebranding Oncochain.

What were your goals for this project?

We started the rebranding process before listing SeedBlink, the largest crowdfunding platform dedicated to technology startups from Southeast Europe, in order to obtain funds that will allow us to reach our business target for the next two years. Our goal was to have more clarity regarding our brand vision, our "speech" and our brand promise of value in front of our future investors.

SOLUTION

How did you select Brandfusion?

Brandfusion came to us with their vision to carefully look at our brand in order to articulate its message and visual expression, so that we can easily and convincingly convey the message to the audiences of our brand. They made us aware of the help we can have in our business, building a clear and coherent brand, with a long-term vision.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The approach in this project was based on the fast branding solution, Brandfusion Booster, defining the strategy of the Oncochain brand and its new visual identity through a “sprint” process, carried out entirely in the digital environment. In the online discovery workshop, Brandfusion managed to formulate our long-term vision. Furthermore, the exploration of the WHY led us to articulate our mission to innovate through technology, so that cancer has a much smaller impact on the patients’ lives. The profoundness of our mission is what inspires and fuels the brand idea and its promise to build a world united against cancer through viable data. Thus, Brandfusion brought to life the brand story, whose tagline is suggestively expressed in the slogan "Data comes to life".

What was the team composition?

We worked with an integrated team of strategists, designers, and online specialists. This multidisciplinary perspective made possible not only the development of the project in a very short time but, above all, increased the quality of the proposed solutions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When you start a rebranding project, you imagine that it is not possible for someone from the outside to understand your brand as you do and express it in words, graphics, and images, in a creative way. Working with Brandfusion in making the Oncochain brand visible convinced us of the opposite. When things are done with attention to every detail, thoroughly and responsibly, you see how the brand is reborn stronger and with a more convincing voice. We immediately became attached to the new brand identity and what concerns us from now on is our desire to give life to the brand through everything we think and through all the business actions we’ll initiate in the future.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The ease with which we went through the process, the logic of its development, and the way we were introduced in discovering our own brand, not only excited us but assured us throughout the process that the resulting outcome will be relevant to our brand. Moreover, because Brandfusion used collaborative applications, we felt that the process was in control and we enjoyed the transfer of knowledge from the Brandfusion team and our team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The fact that they understood exactly our vision, what type of problem we're trying to solve, and they succeeded to express this through every element that was used for building the brand. It was the perfect connection between us, as they made us discover hidden things about our brand and helped us to emphasize more our values and strengths. I was totally impressed by their professionalism, by their devotion to delivering the right message, as well as their high disponibility to solve any issue.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Definitely not, they did an incredible job and I recommend them to every company that needs a rebranding or just a new visual identity. They are the perfect team to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

INTEGRISOFT Solutions is one of the most representative provider of software applications for local public administration in Romania, with over 600 implementations in 400 medium-large institutions, counting over 4000 users.

Various components of Avansis integrated system developed by Integrisoft is used in over 40% of cities in Romania. At Integrisoft i'm a full-time marketing generalist, in charge with marketing strategy & planning, multi channel campaigns, CMS administration, content generation, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brandfusion?

For the 20th anniversary of the company, we wanted to celebrate and emphasize on the importance of this milestone through some internal and external communication actions.

In the same time, discussing with Mona (Brandfusion’s CEO) about our “brief” and business perspective, she made us realize that a brand update was needed to support our future development aspirations.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for this project was to re-establish the connection between brand and business, and to increase the team's adherence to the business aspiration of becoming one of the main actors in digital integration of the administrative and business environment in Romania

SOLUTION

How did you select Brandfusion?

We considered several options for our initial brief, but Brandfusion’s strategic approach, business understanding, thoughtfulness and passion were key in selecting them for our project

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Starting from our business development vision, Brandfusion explored the company's ethos through a double approach: inside-out and outside-in. The approach from the inside-out was exploited through a workshop conducted by

Brandfusion with the Integrisoft management team, and it had the role of helping us define what is unique to the organization, what are the principles and the purpose that guide our actions.

At the same time, the outside-in approach consisted in interviews with the company's customers conducted by Brandfusion, and made it possible to formulate the promise of value that the Integrisoft brand makes to them.

Based on the company’s purpose and brand positioning defined in the first phase, Brandfusion developed our new tagline and three proposals of visual identity.

After we chose the corporate visual identity, Brandfusion provided us with a recommendation of brand architecture to ensure portfolio consistency and to establish a clear relation between its various components - corporate brand (Integrisoft), product brand (Avansis), types of product brand applications (Avansis for Taxes and Income / Patrimony / etc.).

Also, to mark the celebration of 20 years since our company was founded, Brandfusion prepared a special anniversary logo based on the brand's new visual identity.

What was the team composition?

The team that worked on our project was led by Mona Ursu (CEO & Founder), and it included a mix of 5-6 strategy consultants and designers that participated throughout the whole project

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are a b2b company, with a long sales cycle. Engagement levels for B2B customers are abysmal, but fully-engaged customers share more and are better brand advocates.

Branding gives definition to your buyer’s journey primarily through the content you create and share, content motivates action among your audience. Sure, we received the brand guidelines, a new set of values .. ,so we reworked all the marketing materials, but the hard work still remains on the horizon.

We have 3 lines of products and all of them needs new USP, Customer Buyer Journey, alignment with brand Identity, new marketing plans, and finally ..new content distributed over a whole new digital marketing funnel.

And this is just the marketing action front. HR , product management, customer support department all have to integrate the brand identity in all internal / external fluxes, process and interactions.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We found it extremely easy to navigate through the full process, because we were provided with a clear and detailed plan from the beginning. Therefore, we scheduled all the necessary meetings and feedback sessions in time, receiving the outcomes and deliverables within the agreed timeframe

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Even from the agency selection phase. We were impressed by Brandfusion’s rigorous and thorough approach. Which was confirmed throughout the whole project as well.

Mona (Brandfusion’s CEO and Founder) knew exactly how to get the most out of the process, and what insights and information to extract, using both the internal and external perspectives about our company, in order to build a solid brand foundation.

Also, we were very excited about the design work that has been prepared for us. They made us understand that every detail is important when building a brand.

But, above all, I believe that Brandfusion’s passion for strategic branding, for creating something truly meaningful, is what sets them apart from others.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Bu sure the to have from the very beginning the management team in the same boat. A company rebranding and product repositioning project is complex. So complex that it could have easily stalled.

That’s why strong leadership that drives the project to completion is essential to keep tasks on track, and hold all parties accountable.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CMO for Symphopay — a fintech startup that digitize payments by translating legacy bank protocols in modern APIs that can be easily integrated with retail systems.

In this way, we are helping acquirers and merchants to increase customer engagement with every transaction by facilitating the integration of value-added business applications such as loyalty platforms over the payments.

By understanding customer payment behavior through advanced reports & analytics, banks and merchant can easily engage their customer with relevant offers right at the moment of payment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Brandfusion?

We are now in the stage of scaling our business and preparing our entrance on foreign markets. We got in touch with Brandfusion, because we felt we needed to upgrade our narrative and visual presentation, so that we better communicate and engage with our different audiences (customers, employees, investors, etc.).

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for this project was to update our brand, digital presence and sales&marketing materials in order to support our current business development and future ambitions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Having previously worked with Mona [Mona U., CEO & Founder of Brandfusion] and the team on a branding project for a different company, it automatically made them our first choice. We knew their rigorous and strategic approach, as well as their creative potential, will help us achieve what we want.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

First, Brandfusion put in place a comprehensive process to define our brand strategy. They conducted a workshop with our team to help us define why we exist, what we do, how we do our work, who are our audiences and how we speak to them, the value we provide, and what our personality looks like.

They also interviewed customers from both our target audiences - merchants and banks - to understand their needs and expectations, their perceptions of the solution we provide and its benefits. This way, they revealed our brand vision and articulated our brand promise of value.

Next, they designed a new visual identity to reflect and support our brand positioning in a consistent and modern way. Although we hadn’t thought about changing our logo beforehand, Brandfusion’s holistic approach and well-thought-out brand framework inspired us for a bold move.

The final deliverables consisted of our new business vision and brand positioning, slogan, logo and visual identity guidelines, a creative platform with all marketing collateral, materials, and recommendations of tone of voice to be used in communication. Brandfusion has also designed, developed and implemented our website.

What was the team composition?

We worked with 6 people, including Mona (CEO & Founder) and Stefan (Stefan F., Head of Design). The team remained the same, contributing to the predictability of the process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The main outcome from the branding process is that we finally had a digital presence in tone with our product, metrics like visits and leads having grown since. The brand refresh helped us gain attention in the media. Also, the internal team loves the new graphical identity.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The Brandfusion team had a clear plan and structure, and we knew what to expect throughout the whole process. Things were laid out well and we all followed the plan.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team is highly experienced and, based on previous work, can approach these types of projects with a great perspective and proven tools to reach our goal. Their spark and creativity stood out. The thought process and detail that went into refreshing our logo was impressive.

We also found it impressive how they took the refreshed brand and implemented it across our various marketing and sales materials. In addition to having a well-thought-out roadmap and game plan, they went the extra mile for us. They pushed us farther than we were comfortable with, which was good because it helped us evolve into something really amazing.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wouldn’t change anything. The process was professionally conducted, the results are great. We are currently expanding our collaboration with the new office branding project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Marketing and Social Media Specialist

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

The collaboration with Brandfusion took place in order to refresh the brand and to concretize our identity (both visually and at the clinical level), but also the positioning.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The search for an agency started by requesting several offers, mostly based on recommendations, and then the final choice was based on how to interact with the agency, their creative potential, understanding our needs as a company, but also on the offer.

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

To begin with, the objectives of this collaboration, listed above, have been established, and then the steps by which we can achieve them have been established. There were interviews with the company's management, with the administrative staff, with the collaborating doctors, as well as with several types of clients for the brand audit.

Subsequently, the brand positioning continued, with the visual identity and brand book, the creative platform, the general logo and the logo in the anniversary edition, as the launch of the new image coincided with the 10th anniversary of the clinic.

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

I worked directly with the most senior people in the company, namely Mona Ursu - Chief Executive Officer, Ștefan Ferencz - Brand Design Director, Ruxandra Trică - Senior Brand Consultant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Certainly the new branding was enthusiastic, as it provided a unified direction and a common denominator for the things we were already doing at company level, but which may not be understood in the way they were presented. The implementation process has not yet been completed, being layered, but we are also working on our side towards this goal.

At the level of communication, this invigorated identity seems to be well received so far, but sometimes there is a slight lack of elements that we can use in banners and other visual assets.

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

We kept in touch with Brandfusion throughout the collaboration in multiple forms:

• online
• in-person meetings
• by phone

In any case, there were updates from them and a lot of feedback from us, which was integrated every time. They have been patient with us, realizing that relying on the certainty of the decision can be an impediment to our long-term development, and this has been helpful in trying to accommodate all our needs. Deliverables were updated as many times as we needed and in a timely manner - regardless of whether they were short deadlines.

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

Methodical and dedicated, they have certainly made a visible effort in their work, so as to help us reach the final decisions with which to be satisfied.

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

For us, all the company's growth has been organic, with constant development, and this point has been reached without such collaborations with creative agencies. Indeed, as an agency it is very important to support your point of view in order to trigger a change in the status quo of the company, and we, at least, are demanding as customers and we know this. But we can still work to balance the way we reach the same page and a common vision.