Following the brand creation of Alpin conducted by our team, the product line up (0.5Lt, 1.5Lt, 19Lt. cylinder) was rolled out across the Adana and the neighbouring region.

Since it’s reimagining and repositioning, PET sales of Alpin are up 3 fold from 1 million to almost 3 million. The distribution network has increased seven fold and the factory has grown allowing for glass bottle production.

Now, as brand guardians for Alpin, we recently designed a new packaging range for the UAE/GCC region and Turkey, enhancing the label and bottle shape to maximise standout and assert a distinctive image in a competitive market. In approaching the structure we not only wanted to create an ergonomically pleasing experience we wanted also to represent the mountains of Adana which are now key design feature. Complete with a refreshed logo and new look labels the stunning new packaging are now being rolled out across the UAE and Turkey.

About Aeron

We are Aeron, a London brand design consultancy that specialises in branding and packaging, brand strategy and design. Our purpose is set on helping ambitious businesses thrive in today’s market place.

Based on fundamental insights, our London brand design consultancy is expert in helping organisations define their brand purpose; a clear, relevant, ownable and defendable territory – which delivers genuine value to customers.

With a reputation for linking brand strategy and innovative design with clear financial outcomes, our London branding agency combines intelligent data, imaginative insight with inspiring creativity and transformative digital technology to deliver enduring growth.

When I was asked to write a short article on the influence of brands and branding in the context of Abu Dhabi, it struck me that the recent London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games may provide an interesting parallel.

Clearly investing US$9 Billion in hosting the 2012 games was a major undertaking led by the UK Government, and a decision not taken lightly without a firm idea about what the expected outcomes would be. Having worked on the London 2012 bid campaign, it became clear that becoming the successful host nation would provide not only a global platform to put Britain top of mind, but create salience and awareness of Great Britain in Political, Economic, Social and Technological terms. In addition, at a more national level to the noble social aims of London 2012 being to “Inspire The Next Generation” and repositioning the Paralympics as the “Games Of The Possible”, the key international strategic objective was to use the platform as a lens to dramatize and reaffirm what the country really wanted to be famous for; and in doing so act as a driver for social change, economic development and inward investment.

As a result of the games, international audiences may now describe the UK as Creative, Inventive, Industrious, Sporty, Quirky, Entrepreneurial and Welcoming. These values and out-takes combine to form an overall impression of Great Britain, best summarised recently by the BBC’s Home Editor, Mark Easton who described Brand Britain as simply being Competent, Successful, Confident and Fun.   Being clear on what a country brand stands for, and delivering on this consistently also has a clear link with, and generally positive benefits to national brands through their association. RangeRover, Burberry’s, Jaguar and British Airways for example are great British brands benefiting from the recently elevated positive equity of the UK Country Brand.

Therefore determining what you and your brand want to be famous for is perhaps the starting point and ultimately the core foundation of building any successful brand; whether that is Brand Abu Dhabi itself, or home–grown Abu Dhabi based brands.

Whilst consumer brands can be more single minded in their focus, such as Disney, (which is beautifully and simply synonymous with Magic); Country Brands are by definition multi-faceted and more complex to build.  Country brands such as Abu Dhabi have to address the need states of diverse audiences seeking to Live, Work, Visit, and Invest in their respective Emirate’s and country’s.

But what though is a brand?  There are many definitions of what a brand is.  These include Brand Consultant Matthew Millard-Beer’s definition: “A brand is compelling central organizing principle, with tangible and intangible assets, which, when managed successfully delivers a promise of a clear, consistent and rewarding experience’; And perhaps one of the best coined definitions is by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos:  “A brand is what people say about you; when you’re not in the room”.

Ultimately though, brands are about Choice and Value. We all make choices every day, based on value judgements.  In the context of Abu Dhabi, we recognise that people are making rational and emotional decisions every day – perhaps choosing whether to live, work, visit and invest between Abu Dhabi, (which can perhaps be described by some as Authentic, Artistic, Conservative, Progressive and Sustainable), and neighbouring cities such as Dubai, (which may be described by some as Fast-Moving, Ambitious, Upwardly-Mobile and Adventurous). On a more frequent basis we can choose between airlines such as the UAE’s very own brands such as Etihad Airways (“Authentic Experiences For Travellers”) and Emirates Airlines (“A Promise Of Discovery And What Tomorrow Brings”). Both these examples of short and long-term decisions are arguably based on the clarity, consistency and relevance of the promise each of these brands makes to its audience, and how closely these promises are actually delivered.

Whatever the brand’s proposition or central organising principle may be, it is critical to ensure it is Clear, Relevant, Desirable, Differentiated, Defendable and Deliverable.

What successful brands have in common though is not just their absolute clarity of purpose, but rigorous and consistent application across all their touch-points.  These include:  Products & Services, Communications & Campaigns and People & Behaviours, Environments, Events & Web.

So what about the future of Abu Dhabi and its brands?  The last principle would be to understand that the world of brands has moved from a brand centric corporate “let me tell you and let me show you” model, to a more consumer centric model which is based on shared values, authenticity and a cause that consumers can join, be proud of and advocate.

If we embody these principles just as brand Abu Dhabi has, then its family of brands has a bright future.

The Volkswagen Beetle, was produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003. The car was conceived as a cheap simple car, and it was commissioned by Adolf Hitler and designed by Ferdinand Porsche.

With over 21 million manufactured the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single design platform, worldwide.

Not many know though that the the car was officially called Volkswagen Type 1, and it was the public, not VW, that named the car (amongst many other nick-names) the Beetle.

The Beetle is perhaps the ultimate case of a brand democracy, and just goes to show that some of the worlds most powerful brands are indeed created and named for the people by the people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65Rrl6Lka18

A brand is not just a logo. It is every single thing your business does.

We believe advocacy drives growth.

We believe brands must engage with their customers. They need to conduct conversations, inspire loyal communities, create dialogues and sustain meaningful relationships.

Brands are about choice and value. And ultimately about delivering their promise  of a clearly defined, consistent, relevant, rewarding and differentiated experience.

A brand is a living business asset, experienced at every point people meet it.

An asset that can be managed – creating a strong identity, setting the business apart from its competition and increasing its value.

Obviously, value means different things to different people. From a consumer perspective it’s the promise and delivery of an experience. From a business perspective it is the security of future earnings.

Behaving consistently makes a brand strong. Every time a consumer sees, hears, does business with an organisation, they must feel they’re meeting and talking to the same company. And to one they like and trust. This will build confidence in the business and help it succeed.

Constant brand innovation is essential to stay relevant and ahead. A combination of robust strategy, compelling creativity and outstanding delivery are required to deliver commercial gain. Out-performance requires out-thinking and out-execution of a better experience.

Ultimately we believe brand is action.

Brand is action 

Context

Danny Fullbrook, the chief football writer of the Daily Star, was well known to fans and players both as a writer and as a regular and forthright guest on the Sunday Supplement, talkSPORT, Radio 5 Live’s 606 and a host of other media outlets. He was a larger than life character, earning himself the nickname ‘Frank and Fearless’ and was sadly taken from us early at the age of 40 after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Ambition

Danny had a reputation for fearless reporting. In fact, he lived his life and everything in it with a fearless determination. He had great passion for every project, every task and was always ready to help and encourage others. Because of that, the Fearless Foundation aims to inspire young people to make their own fearless journey through sport, education and training, embodying Danny’s attitude and approach to life to help others achieve their dreams in the way Danny did.

Working hand in hand with local community organisations, we will look to expand and build on existing projects and provide young people with a variety of ‘rung on the ladder’ opportunities along their own individual journeys. Initially, these will likely take the form of taking young people from existing community programmes for the following:

Fearless Coaches: from programmes such as ‘Kickz’, training young people under the FA’s coaching schemes to become sports coaches assisting in primary school sports projects;

Fearless Mentors: from programmes such as ‘My Future Goal’, training young people as mentors to other peers on those community programmes;

Fearless Apprentices: giving apprentice opportunities in the world of finance, engineering and media; and

Fearless Scholarships: working in conjunction with the University of Hull, (where Danny studied History and Politics), we will look to sponsor a small number of young people to study there under a partly paid bursary programme

Action

Working with the Charity’s Trustees and their PR Company Speed Communications, we led the development of the Positioning, Name, Web look & feel, Corporate Identity and Visual and Verbal identity of the charity and designed the tools used for its launch in May 2013.

Results

The Foundation was officially launched on May 23, 2013 at London’s Hurlingham Club with a fundraising dinner attended by hundreds of influential media and sports personalities including a heartfelt address by QPR boss Harry Redknapp. The event raised thousands of pounds towards the cause so far and looks set to make positive pace on and off the pitch.