Below: Before and After Images in Slide Show, Video, Summary, Credis
The demerger: Following the announcement of plans to create two independent, exchange-listed market leaders in their respective segments at the end of March 2016 and the approval of the Supervisory Board, the organizational separation was implemented in September 2016. At the Annual General Meeting on 6 February 2017, the shareholders of METRO AG approved the demerger of METRO GROUP into two strong and successful companies with a clear strategic focus.
The task: The demerger meant the end of the METRO GROUP brand. The key questions to answer were: What do the two new brands stand for in their respective markets? To what extent do they differentiate themselves from the former company set-up? And how do these brands best reach out to their respective target groups?
Consequently, an important part of the work on the positioning was the analysis of the relevant strategies and market environments. In this way, the groundwork for a more comprehensive description of the brand needed to be laid: What functional benefit do the brands have for their target groups? Which rational arguments speak in favor of the companies? And are there emotional reference points? In this context, the overall challenge was to address both the head and the heart.
The approach: The world is becoming increasingly digital and more and more people are using digital technologies. This change calls for solutions which help people to navigate their increasingly connected lives more easily. That is what CECONOMY sets out to do: providing guidance in an increasingly digital world. Driven by the leitmotif “Empowering life in the digital world,” CECONOMY wants to lead the process of digital transformation and to create added value for customers and shareholders. To achieve this, the company adopted a strategy of expanding their multichannel service offerings and pursuing new business models. The new branding was created to represent this strategy to the fullest.
The branding: With the comprehensive repositioning and visual identity development for CECONOMY, we created an excellent foundation for a successful future as an independent player. In the spirit of an ever-evolving media landscape, we have created a remarkable as well as highly adaptive brand expression. CECONOMY is born digital. The vivid and energetic visual identity unleashes its unstoppable power in all areas of a multichannel brand experience. One outcome on the road to success: 99.95% of the shareholders voted positively to endorse the proposed hide-down and spin-off agreement.
Client: CECONOMY AG – www.ceconomy.de
Vice President Corporate Communications, Public Policy & Sustainability: Andrea Koepfer
Manager Communications, Public Policy & Sustainability: Malte Hendriksen
Brand Strategists/Designers: Landor Hamburg – www.landor.com
Executive Creative Director: Markus Blankenburg
Senior Designer: Jack Osborn
Client Director: Andreas Gruss
Client Coordinator: Svenja Budde
Senior Realization Manager: Nils Schierkolk
Senior Realization Designer: Stefanie Schurr
