Invisible strengths
Braid Logistics is a global logistics company founded over 60 years ago in the UK. Specialising in the transport of liquids, Braid’s breakthrough flexitank product assures leak-free, taint-free delivery for mineral water, wine, and olive oil, among other vital commodities. It also places the company at the forefront of liquid logistics, the achievement of extensive, in-house R&D and substantial investments into leading-edge material science.
Some of Braid’s challenges include competition all-too willing to exploit the market with cheaper, inferior alternatives as well as bigger companies providing flexitanks in turnkey freight and logistics solutions. Sales staff and third-party agents around the world also found it difficult to articulate the Braid advantage, which resulted in aggressive requests for price cuts to secure or maintain accounts.
The team worked closely with Braid leadership on a new branding framework which marked a strategic shift for the brand. It would do two things: one, highlight Braid’s strengths as a leader of industry and two, set it apart as innovators of a clearly superior product.
Because everyone matters
The re-brand began with the objective of “making the unseen seen”, to educate a market on the value of leading-edge yet abstract science. Months of in-depth interviews and plant visits yielded a critical insight: from daily operations, product development, to testing and after sales care, Braid works as if lives depend on it. A new brand essence was created–BECAUSE EVERYONE MATTERS—unpacked as a series of qualities Exactness, Rigour, and Integrity which highlighted Braid’s science-led approach and defined all branding and communications moving forward.
To explain the complex science behind Braid flexitanks, the team gave it a name: Hexopure. A concept that communicates strength and purity, Hexopure refers to proprietary ingredient technology responsible for superior performance.
A range of cargo-specific flexitanks was created for Braid’s four most indemand product categories. Each one served to make the invisible visible, carefully crafted to communicate best-in-class performance engineered for the specific demands of each liquid.
With the new positioning, branded technology, and ingredient brands, next steps included educating and arming a massive sales force with the right tools and knowledge. Communications strategy needed to be simple enough to go global, yet substantial enough to be credible and convincing. With this in mind, the team developed a comprehensive communications system inclusive of a new brandmark, product icons, marketing collateral, even a brand showroom and video.
Safe with Science
Telling the Braid story with science overcame the challenges of educating without fearmongering. The banner statement Safe with Science evokes the assurance that can only be delivered by a global, science-led logistics group, captured by the spot-on visualisation of a box- within-a-box icon designed as the new corporate brandmark.
A milestone brand launch in China kicked off a company of the future. With branded technology and product brands all working together as a powerful demonstration of Braid’s evolution, the brand is now in a stronger position to provide turnkey logistics solutions to customers worldwide.
Internal and external stakeholders alike appreciated the re-brand’s clarity and creativity. Interviews with Braid’s chief material scientist were included in the short video documentary which, in essence, multiplied his presence around the world: through the video, he could now be “present” at every presentation and pitch. Armed with a standard toolkit and the video, sales staff now present the story of science with confidence and flair.
