New brand design, tone of voice and sonic logo; Campaign media investment over 70% digital
ZURICH – UBS has launched its first global brand campaign since 2009, reflecting the firm’s strategic transformation and future direction. Featuring a distinctive brand film as well as advertising with images by Annie Leibovitz, the campaign also refreshes the strong UBS brand with a contemporary look and feel. The external launch follows a three-month internal campaign that inspired unprecedented rates of employee engagement.
“The brand campaign is an expression of the successful strategic transformation UBS has undergone over the past four years,” said Sergio P. Ermotti, Group Chief Executive Officer. “Reflecting the strategic transformation through our branding gives us additional momentum.”
With the brand campaign, UBS is also introducing a new mobile and digital-friendly brand design, a simpler and clearer tone of voice and a new sonic logo.
The brand campaign features a brand film with a series of questions asked in the voice of clients. The film consists only of text on a white background accompanied by Family of the Year’s hit song “Hero.” The campaign line following the film and all other advertising is “For some of life’s questions you are not alone. Together we can find an answer.” The photography for the campaign features portraits by Annie Leibovitz of entrepreneurs who embody specific questions.
Reflecting the focus UBS places on sharing expertise, all advertising links back to a microsite that addresses a number of the questions from the campaign with thought-provoking content. Over the next two years, for example, this will include video interviews with more than 40 Nobel-Prize-winning economists.
With the brand campaign, UBS is also introducing a new mobile and digital-friendly brand design, a simpler and clearer tone of voice and a new sonic logo. These elements as well as the campaign approach are based on extensive research undertaken by the firm over the past two years. The research focused on client personalities and motivations, factors differentiating UBS and testing of campaign execution.
“We were going for a uniquely recognisable and emotional campaign and a brighter more modern UBS brand. Really doing our homework with exhaustive research and testing helped get us there,” said Hubertus Kuelps, Group Head of Communications & Branding.
Reflecting the media consumption of its client base, over 70% of the media investment for the campaign is focused on digital channels including social media. This allows UBS to target its specific client audience while also measuring the success of the individual creative assets to optimize and adapt them as needed.
“Our clients stand at the centre of this campaign and the vast majority of them are extremely digitally savvy,” said Johan Jervoe, Chief Marketing Officer. “They appreciate a bank that has an effective and efficient 21st-century approach to everything it does – including marketing.”
In conjunction with the global brand campaign, UBS has announced a wider cultural partnership with Annie Leibovitz. The bank has commissioned a body of new work from the photographer, focusing on portraits of women who effect positive change. These and existing works will be shown at an international exhibition tour entitled “Women”. The exhibition will launch in London in January 2016 and travel to 10 global cities over 12 months. Alongside the commissioned photography, UBS will present behind-the-scenes footage online offering glimpses of how the celebrated photographer works and gains insight into her subjects.
UBS worked with Publicis, Poke, Prophet, SNK, Format Punkt E, The Writer, Massive Music and Mediavest on the brand strategy, design refresh, creative execution and media investment.
