WDA are excited to announce the launch of a major rebrand for a-one commercial cleaners, designed to reflect the company’s ethos of delivering industry leading customer service and give the business real stand-out to elevate their marketing and communications above their competitors.

A-one are a company who pride themselves in delivering a first–rate service that comes second to none. As Joe Hunnam, MD and founder tells us;

“We’re called a-one because we do an a-one job! Having built up this reputation over the years by going above and beyond the call of duty to deliver very tangible service advantages over those offered by other firms. However, we didn’t feel this difference was being communicated effectively through our marketing which is why we approached WDA.

We first became aware of WDA through their re-brand of Derby County’s new gym Funktion Fitness, as a-one have their cleaning contract, and myself and my son Danny (who runs the business with Joe) are also members there. When compared to other gym’s in the region we felt the brand identity WDA had created gave Funktion real stand-out and a very strong, clear appeal to its target audience – two things we really wanted to achieve for a-one.”

With this in mind, WDA designed a fresh and bold new visual identity with the new brand positioning of ‘No One Compares’ to underline a-one’s stated service advantages; and also to compliment and reinforce the ‘a-one’ name.

The re-branding was then applied to their new website (also built by WDA), which you can see by clicking this link. Additionally, the new look has been applied to signage and vehicle livery (shown above – you’re certainly not going to miss that driving round the streets of Derby!) and a range of fully branded uniforms, which we hope you’ll agree makes these two gentleman look pretty smart!

“The a-one re-brand is a great example of how effective brand marketing can strongly differentiate a business operating in what many would consider a commodity market” said WDA’s Lee Waterhouse “This project was all about change customer perceptions about cleaning by highlighting that ‘not all cleaning companies are the same’ – and in fact, with a-one – no-one compares!”

 www.a-oneclean.com 

WDA are pleased to announce the start of a collaboration with Yamaha Motor (UK) following the successful launch of their 2013 motorcycle marketing campaign. Devised and created by WDA, the campaign takes a subtle new direction in-line with Yamaha’s new global strategy to move promotional communications away from product and more towards brand.

Delivered through both on and offline media, and followed through with a range of in-store dealer promotional materials, the ‘Nothing Moves You Like A Yamaha’ campaign is the precursor to a new global brand positioning for Yamaha which was revealed earlier this month.

“2013 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for Yamaha” says WDA’s Lee Waterhouse. “The return of Vale in MotoGP alongside reigning World Champion Lorenzo is sure to boost demand on the shop floor, whilst rumours that there are some very innovative new models on the horizon have created a real buzz amongst dealers and consumers alike. Until then the trade can enjoy selling a fantastic 2013 range including updated models such as the stunning new FJR 1300A and XJ/FZ street bikes, with retail prices held from last year and some great finance packages on offer. However, above all the features, promotions and incentives these bikes are Yamaha’s, and the brand benefits are something we’re very keen to embed in the psyche of the consumer; because if they want a Yamaha first and foremost before any other consideration, then there’s only one place they can go!”

WDA believe the ongoing work for Yamaha represents another great brand building success – and thankfully it’s not just us that thinks so:

“I was really nervous about moving the creative account to WDA as our previous agency were really good to work with but Yamaha needed to come to the market from a different direction. I don’t know what I was worried about. Lee and the team have interpreted, executed and delivered a fabulous piece of work that has surpassed our expectation.  It’s a good indication of great creative work when staff are using WDA images as screen savers!”
Simon Belton – Yamaha Marketing Manager, Motorcycles and Scooters, Marketing & Communications Division

For the full story please click here.

Based upon the opinions of leading marketing experts, business professionals and British consumers, Superbrands’ eagerly awaited annual league table of the UK’s strongest brands has just been published. Whilst luxury watch brand Rolex was a surprise winner ahead of the likes of Facebook, google and Coca-Cola, it was of course the Automotive brands which were of most interest to WDA.

In October we published Interbrand’s brand equity report (read story here), and how the best performing Automotive brands had seen positive value changes during 2012, with both BMW and VW up 18%, Mercedes up 10%, and Toyota and Ford up 9% and 6% respectively.  Indeed these Automotive giants again performed strongly here, with Mercedes-Benz placing 10th overall in the top 20 consumer brand results, one place ahead of arch rival BMW. Outside of the vehicle manufacturer category, it was tyre giant Michelin which won the General Automotive category, ahead of a number of other qualifying Superbrands from the tyre sector. Notable Automotive brand performers are as follows:

Top 20 Consumer Superbrands

10th – Mercedes-Benz
11th – BMW

Category Winners

Automotive Manufacturers – Mercedes-Benz
Automotive General – Michelin

Qualifying Superbrands

The Superbrands league is considered an important signal that a brand has communicated effectively and engagingly with its target. Click on the image below to read more about  Superbrands; or for a discussion on how your own brand could become a ‘Superbrand’  get in touch.

WDA have just completed a major rebrand of the MER car care brand. Intended to put the famous range back on the map, the big changeover happened last month with an online reveal to existing MER customers and the launch of an all new website: www.merproducts.com

As we publish this post, major retail partner Halfords will have completed stock replacement and merchandising, and the all new packs and brand blocked retail display systems should be in your local store with roll out amongst the independent retailers following on throughout Q1.

In addition to the repositioning, new visual brand identity, packaging and POS, WDA have devised a national on and offline integrated advertising campaign, plus a whole range of new campaign collateral and are currently finalising specific advertising executions and producing a range of viral and instructional videos.

Blue sky thinking

It’s often true that the best ideas come to us in the shower. With MER, the idea for the brand positioning was actually drafted on an iphone whilst sat in the grounds of a Derbyshire castle one Sunday morning last summer! Based around the history of the MER brand and its German roots, WDA discovered a heritage which was simply not being used, and a whole back story waiting to be told surrounding the inventor of the original formulations – Franz Billich. This German positioning enabled an alignment with many other prestige German marques and a reputation for automotive excellence through the appliance of technology. To learn exactly how we did it read the case study here.

What’s being said

Since acquiring the MER brand in 2008, we had been searching for an agency who could help us to extract the true potential for the brand that we believed existed. WDA conducted an intensive grass roots review of the brand, identifying a unique position for the brand and an ownable route to mind with the consumer. WDA tuned in to the commercial challenges that we faced and created not only an outstanding brand design and integrated consumer awareness campaign, but immediately understood and supported our internal infrastructure and demands of our retailers. WDA are an exciting agency who challenge the norm and deliver outstanding value for money. Lee and his team are a pleasure to work with and on top of supporting us to launch on time an outstanding brand, WDA have helped us improve our marketing skills and thought processes. I would have no hesitation in recommending WDA, they are an exceptional agency!
Donna Howard Business Manager – Retail, Farécla Products Ltd (MER)

A huge thank you to all the team at WDA for their obscene amount of hard work in making the MER re-launch a reality. From detailed category research to striking design work, everything you have touched has been first rate. The whole team are a pleasure to work with and I have been particularly impressed with how brand focussed everyone has been. WDA are not like other agencies, I can only describe them as an extended part of the marketing team and I would have no reservations whatsoever in wholeheartedly recommending them.
Victoria Dringer Retail Brand Manager, Farécla Products Ltd (MER)

@wdaautomotive Thanks guys for the great research, striking creative and marketing knowledge. We wholeheartedly recommend your dynamic team.
Official MerCarCare 11th Jan via twitter

New packaging looks very smart Already sent off for my free sample, looking forward to trying it out.
Natalie North detailingworld forum 14-01-2013

Loving the New Packaging looks very classy with the Black Bottles with black and white labels. They Do look very striking and have a quality look to them….the German Flag should help distinguish the difference to the old especially moving away from the blue bottles. Amazing how a logo and colour change alters ones perception on an item.
James detailingworld forum 09-01-2013

These look great in the flesh really classy and very slick. The Gold and Black go very well together giving the product much more appeal imo – really great new design yet to try the re formulations but looking forward to it.
‘Whizzer’ detailingworld forum 14-01-2013

45% sales uplift

“WDA are proud to have given MER a story to tell, and we are looking forward to helping deliver that story over the coming launch year by building a strong, consistent campaign centred around the new positioning platform we have created.

With the packaging and POS already fully implemented and on the shelves, we have to say the packs look superb and create the desired level of differentiation and stand-out to hopefully drive sales beyond target. Early signs are good with very positive year on year figures being reported after just a few short weeks on sale – one product up 45% which given the snow has to be encouraging!

I would like to give praise to the WDA team involved with this ongoing project, and also thank MER’s marketing team for being so open to new ideas and having the faith to test  – and subsequently implement – such a radical solution. Watch this space because WDA plan to put the MER rebrand up for an industry award in the near future so that everyone involved can share official recognition for what we have achieved.

Lee Waterhouse, Managing Director WDA

Is your brand really doing the business?
Contact WDA for a free consultation at: lee@wda-automotive.com

A great year for the Automotive sector with 5 of the top 50’s auto brands enjoying positive brand value changes. The sector as a whole outperforming all others in terms of brand value, ahead of both the financial and FMCG sectors. Whilst Coca-Cola remains in top spot, it is impossible to ignore Apple’s 129% increase ahead of both Google and Microsoft in the technology sector. Chart positions aside, the increasing fiscal values placed on these brands show just how much economic benefit is derived by their respective owners from ‘brand value’ – largely an intangible asset which is increasingly often worth more than a company’s tangible ones.
WDA have delivered branding and brand strategy consultation for clients ranging from global multi billion revenue companies, to SME’s and start up businesses, and everything in between. Regardless of size or market standing, the strength and relevance of your brand will almost always factor heavily in your customers decisions when faced with options to buy from you or a competitor. If you would like a chat to explore further how WDA might help your brand move up the charts,  then get in touch.

Last month we told you we had embarked on a re-build of our own website, and today we officially GO LIVE! – right on schedule. We hope you like it – take a quick look around and let us know what you think.

Apart from being due a refresh, the new site was created as part of a wider rebranding of WDA, including an updating of information site-wide to reflect WDA’s new processes and approach. From a visual perspective the new identity has been designed with a cleaner layout and minimalist colour scheme, reflective of a simplification of our service offering.

The new site launches WDA’s ‘ideas agency’ approach, created in response to the increasing number of exciting new media options available to brand owners today. This separates our services into ‘Route to mind’ (the ‘Killer Ideas’ which underpin everything we do), and ‘Route to market’ (the execution of those ideas utilising whichever media will give our clients maximum ROI). The site has been built on a new platform and features several functionality improvements to allow more rapid distribution of dynamic content. Both the case studies section and news blog have also been updated and revamped.

Thinking of a re-fresh yourself?

Your website is typically the most visible component of your brand, and as your business evolves to meet market needs, so should your site. Whilst content needs updating frequently to improve search and visitor retention, and incremental design or layout changes will keep your site fresh; sometimes more fundamental changes are necessary – especially if the visual impact of your site no longer represents your business, or if you are getting left behind your competition. Sometimes it is just a case of updating the back end to simplify and streamline content control, or to allow you to fully leverage the growing number of online and social media channels which your target customers are using.

If you would like WDA to evaluate your existing website to see if we can improve your customers experience, increase reach, improve functionality, and drive more enquiries and sales, then get in touch.

WDA are proud to announce the birth of another brilliant brand, this time created for Taiwanese scooter manufacturer CPI – and you don’t have to take our word for it:

“WDA really opened our eyes to the world of branding. The team at WDA have been professional and friendly at every step of the way. We feel the launch of the new branding will help us achieve a better market position faster and make our brand stronger over the coming years” – CPI Motorised Division Manager

To begin with, CPI were very focussed on the products; their widgets, bells and whistles – and how all this was being sold for an unbelievably low price. The team enthused about the specifications and how they compared to those of rivals, from an extra 1bhp here to a better MPG figure or a larger capacity fuel tank.

The reality is that brands only ever exists in the minds of the consumers and as such WDA suggested that whilst important, all these things were not strong points of differentiation as they could all be copied or (eventually) beaten.

We pointed out that CPI now operates in a very crowded market place consisting lots of far eastern bikes of similar specification also being sold on price. We argued that the real task was to successfully halt a downward image plunge and that what CPI really needed was a brand to go around its great products.

A brilliant brand was also going to be critical if we were to achieve the stated objective of wanting to move away from the poor quality image associated with Chinese manufacturing and take the fight upmarket to capture share from the quality European brands and even the Japanese big four.

Scooter is a challenging market as it is home to a very fragmented and diverse audience. In the case of CPI this was compounded by the company’s strategy to widen the product range beyond scooter. Looking over the 2012 model line up it was clear we had to appeal to riders young and old, from learners to commuters; sports riders, off roaders, female bikers – the list went on.

Basically CPI were asking us to appeal – and connect – to the WHOLE motorcycle sector.

WE ARE MOTO…

WDA’s final positioning – ‘We Are Moto’ gave CPI the platform to immediately communicate the brands clear intention to diversify out of small capacity scooters into the wider market – almost inferring ownership of the entire sector.

‘We Are Moto’ was designed as a tribal call to arms for the brand; acting as the glue to connect with the diverse audience – freedom and a sense of camaraderie being shared values all riders can enjoy. The drill down allowed us to engage the individual who ‘becomes’ moto once part of CPI, with messages such as “I AM CITY: I AM MOTO”, and “I AM MX: I AM MOTO”.

WHAT’S YOUR MOTO?

WDA created CPI’s fully integrated ‘Whats your Moto?’ campaign which comprised both consumer and trade advertising, online promotions, email marketing and viral activities based around Facebook and twitter integration.

The campaign launch took place at the Motorcycle Live! show and our objective was twofold: To get CPI on bikers’ radar, and also to get our audience talking about the brand during and after the show.

WDA implemented show activities which prompted the public to inspect the entire CPI range and answer the simple question: “What’s YOUR Moto?”. On answering the CPI girls took details and entered show goers into a competition which encouraged interaction online through blogs and the official Facebook fan pages – this in turn gave us a viral effect which generated further interest in the brand.

Virality (the number of people who have created a story from our post as a % of the number of people who have seen it) on Facebook peaked at 15.79%. The median virality rate for Facebook pages is currently 1.92% according to edgerankchecker.com. The response rate for the competition itself was equally high, peaking during show week at 26%.

In addition to creating the ‘theatre’ on the stand, WDA produced all the stand graphics and literature, including the official range brochure.

So happy were the team with the job we had done that one of the three motorised division managers put a call into our offices to thank us personally, followed up with the following emailed quote:

“Thanks to WDA’s brilliant marketing strategy and of course the vibrancy of our new brand CPI, we are having the most successful retail show ever. The footfall on to our stand in the first day alone far exceeded what took a week last year with our old brand and dated marketing to achieve. Their innovative ideas have hit the mark for us. – CPI Motorised Division Manager

Interested in turning your great product or service into a brilliant brand?

Contact Lee Waterhouse for a chat or an initial free consultation.

ARMR moto New brand build, positioning, visual identity and trade campaign creation for extreme apparel range

Renntec : now ready for anything Full re-brand and positioning for Britains favourite motorcycle accessory range

Tri-Motive brand distribution New brand build, positioning, visual identity, trade campaign creation and web platform

CPI Scooters Full re-brand and positioning plus campaign creation both on and offline for trade and consumer media.

The recent NEC motorcycle Trade Expo show was WDA’s first involvement with the knowledge shop, and proved a resounding success with many business owners taking advantage of 3 days of free marketing and branding consultation.

WDA also revealed Brand BuilderTM for the first time – A unique process developed by WDA and used to create some of the automotive industries best performing brands.

For those unsure about the return on investment in building or properly leveraging their brand through effective advertising and marketing campaigns; WDA were able to discuss the commercial benefits and reference several recent ‘case study’ businesses exhibiting in the same hall so that delegates could speak directly with brand owners who WDA had recently helped including CPI, ARMR moto, Renntec and Trimotive brand distribution.

Delegates we spoke to ranged from SME’s to marketing managers of large global corporations, and we were able to successfully reference examples of clients we have helped to drive business at both ends of this spectrum.

Having live case studies on hand was a great way to demonstrate the net result of investing in branding, without necessarily having to discuss the sometimes complicated strategic processes which underpin everything we create.

In simple terms, our objective is usually to make clients products or services more desirable to the consumer. All things being equal, a consumer will ‘tip’ towards the brand they favour most. WDA do this by creating a differentiated and ownable positioning at the very core of the offering – at that point where the market opportunity meets the most desirable things about a clients business.

Getting the core positioning right is essential before spending money on expensive media to communicate a message which might not engage, excite or motivate your target audience.

Leveraging your proposition through the wrong media channels is even worse if the idea is right, but nobody is listening. This is why WDA remain ‘media neutral’ and focus on delivering our core value – devising marketing and brand strategy, communication platforms and design solutions; unlike the usual model of recovering fee by margining production or media.

We believe we make the kind of decisions traditional agencies just aren’t able to recommend. For example, it’s s no coincidence that if you brief an ad agency then the solution will involve advertising; likewise a web development company’s solution will be to relaunch the website; and a printer will propose a solution involving print.

With WDA, our media advice is always in the best interests of the brand, not self serving to cover our own costs. It also means we are more flexible and can access a whole range of media channels; and react quickly as the media landscape changes (increasingly faster in the case of digital media).

If you missed us at the show and would like to discuss how WDA could help drive your business forward through more effective brand marketing, please email here or call +44 (0) 1332 372 728. An initial consultation is offered free of charge.

WDA were recently commissioned to take Longlife through a rebrand process as a key component of the Company’s broader growth plans.

Longlife are in a totally different market to most mainstream exhaust brands in that they work on a one-to-one basis with drivers to custom fabricate bespoke exhaust systems.

Customers generally fall into two groups; either drivers who have specific performance requirements which may not be catered for with standard systems; or owners of rare, modified or unusual vehicles. The basic kit components alone can give over 1400 different silencer combinations, before the engineer even begins fabrication. This custom build approach enables Longlife to better control the quality of each individual system produced, which is the foundation of a reputation for exhausts ‘built to last’, and was the inspiration for the ‘Longlife’ brand name. Longlife have now quietly been at the forefront of custom build exhausts for over 30 years and today the company is so confident of build quality that each system uniquely comes with a fully transferable lifetime guarantee.

‘Bringing the Drive Alive’

“Lots of exhaust brands already produce great off the shelf systems which drivers looking for a ‘bolt on’ upgrade can choose from” says Longlife Marketing Manager Jason Freeman. “Our brief to WDA was to differentiate Longlife away from those brands and better target the niche customer base our products are created for.
WDA have positioned Longlife as a no-nonesense, almost utilitarian brand which creates products of the very highest caliber. The military inspiration hints at both the Aerospace industry processes and materials employed by Longlife, but also the shared approach of creating products which are designed to ‘get the job done’ and critically are entirely dependable in extreme conditions. The ‘Bring the Drive Alive’ positioning underlines the promise of a product designed to be experienced rather than looked at. We wanted the visual identity to be strong, bold, confidence inspiring, and to convey a premium feel. We are very happy with the results and believe WDA have succeeded in transforming Longlife from a great product into a brilliant brand!”

Strong branding the key to long-term survival and success

“As confidence begins to return to the automotive market the timing is arguably right for Longlife to invest in its brand and push for growth” says WDA’s Lee Waterhouse. “A rebrand can be undertaken for a variety of reasons. Often we talk to clients whose aim is to be able to charge a premium price for goods or services. Sometimes its a defensive action against competitor attack. Often it’s simply a case of good housekeeping where a tired brand needs refreshing to stimulate renewed interest amongst consumers, and boost staff morale.
Whatever the reason, in today’s automotive market strong brands are key to a company’s long term survival and success. Increasing brand equity has a very direct impact on a company’s book value. In fact, the book value of many stock market companies is increasingly determined more by the value of such intangible assets; sometimes accounting for upwards of 75% of total value.

A good rebrand is about more than just creating a striking visual identity. Controlling how the brand is represented across all touch points and media channels is necessary to ensure consistency. As a full service agency WDA are perfectly positioned to deliver this and look forward to rolling out a host of marketing collateral for Longlife, beginning with a new advertising campaign which is set to launch very soon.”

Check out the new website  www.longlife.co.uk

For a brief chat to discuss your own requirements please call Sally Parkin on +44 (0) 1332 372728 or email sally@wda-automotive.com

WDA are pleased to announce a major rebrand for Travall this month, with the new identity set to roll out across various media during 2011.

Travall is the Automotive aftermarket division of ASG Group Limited. Operating from its own dedicated facility, Travall creates a wide range of vehicle and leisure accessories such as dog guards, load separators, vehicle side pipes and waterproof seat covers. The recent rapid growth of the business can be credited largely to the drive and vision of Commercial Manager Paul Rowden and his team. Paul identified the need to create new partnerships with specialist suppliers to fast track his plans to make Travall a key global brand within the automotive accessory market – WDA being drafted in to assist with the marketing, branding and design components of the project.

“With Travall we have created a brand which focusses very much on the lifestyle its products facilitate, rather than how they function.” commented WDA Marketing Director Patrick Chapman. “As they say “Life is a journey, not a destination” And, if life is a journey, it makes sense to focus on the enjoyment the customer can get out of it. Lots of Travalls products are quite utilitarian, many are safety orientated. Whilst many drivers will understand the sense in investing in such products, they are not always strongly desired being more a ‘head’ than ‘heart’ purchase. One of Travalls flagship lines is a good example of this. Dog guards are effectively steel cages for dogs, designed to protect the interior of a vehicle; and preserve the safety of both occupants and animals in the event of a collision. So instead of focussing on these things instead we emphasise the scenarios the guard enables –  Dog and owner enjoying the countryside, having both arrived safe and sound, the pet relaxed and fresh; the vehicle clean and tidy.”

Enjoy the journey

In addition to creating the brand WDA have also developed the visual identity and will collaborate with Head of Design and Marketing Mat Fern to roll out the Travall message across an integrated mix of media and communications as well as identifying opportunities in ‘uncontested market space’ not being used by competitors.

In Travall we have created a brand for ALL life’s journeys, whatever the customers vehicle, whatever their driving style. The new positioning ‘Enjoy the journey’ gives Travall the foundation to diversify out from its current product ranges into many other areas in the future. Travall is a brand WDA are really excited about and feel it is now perfectly positioned to make a real impact in the marketplace – watch this space.

New website launching soon: www.travall.com