Client
Core Utility Solutions

Design Consultancy
Good Creative
Keith Forbes
0207 490 1270
keith@good-creative.com
www.good-creative.com

The challenge
In 2005, Scottish Power bought back 100% of Core Utility Solutions to supply gas, electricity, telecoms and water utilities to residential, industrial and commercial developments. Coinciding with a difficult trading period which culminated in a serious accident at a Core site, this cultural change caused uncertainty among the Core workforce. By late 2006, morale was at an all-time low and profits were non-existent.

Core’s management saw that a brand evolution could help to galvanise and rally the troops, and send a message of strength to customers. However, they knew that their target audience would be difficult to influence. In a market place crowded with companies trying to make themselves seen and heard, Core’s employees and customers would be resistant to any new marketing efforts. An innovative approach was needed to engage and speak directly to these key stakeholder groups.

Good Creative were called in to help find a way forward.

The solution
Core’s old identity was poor and inconsistently applied. The old logo featured four separate circles, each representing one of the four utilities – gas, electricity, telecoms and water. Reviewing the existing brand, Good Creative saw an opportunity to bring these circles together, echoing the fact Core delivers its separate utilities through one track, and reinforcing the concept of cohesion and unity. This simple idea came to be the driving principle behind the rebrand, with the four utility strands integrating to deliver a strong visual metaphor for ‘pulling together’ and ‘working as one’: just the ticket for a disillusioned workforce and a sceptical client base.

Using refreshed colours, Good introduced a green strand to represent the renewables side of the business, and devised a new rounded typeface to mirror the circularity of the graphic device. As a visual identity it was powerful – but still something was missing. So Good got to work on a strapline. Seizing on the notion that Core delivers utilities that enable users to switch things ‘on’, they came up with the powerful line, ‘Bring it on’. This urgent, motivating proposition allowed Core to engage its employees with the challenges ahead, and to reassure customers that they were up to the task.

The results
The impact of the new brand was immediate and impressive. Core’s sales increased 16% year on year from 2006 to 2007, and in 2006 Core was the second biggest player in the market with an 11.5% market share. Internally there was a 30% increase in productivity, a 40% increase in internal awareness of business goals and with a 79% reduction in customer complaints, all significantly boosting staff morale. This illustrates how rebranding can positively affect employee morale and productivity as well as change the perceptions of customers, with the end result of an increase in spend.

Gold
Corporate / Brand Identity – Design and implementation costs under £100,000

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