Founded in 1933, api is a historic trademark for the distribution of petroleum products in Italy and has consolidated its primary position among the Italian players in the market of reference. From the year of its founding to the present, it has played an active role in the Italian market, following both its evolutions and vicissitudes.
The company’s external image was conveyed and supported by communication campaigns with high visibility and sedimentation, especially during the 1970s (“con api si vola”, literally “with api you fly”). An important milestone in the company's history occurred in 2005 when api acquired IP. The acquisition allowed api to achieve a dominant position of leadership in Italy with over 4,200 sales points and a market share of about 10%.
One consequence of the acquisition was the merging of two business realities that, beyond the specific characteristics and peculiarities of each, also had different cultures and identities:
∞ api, a brand with a noble past, is small, close and reassuring.
∞ IP, is the stronger, more dynamic brand.
For more than 12 months, this has translated into the physical implementation, throughout the network of a new, unique commercial brand, “IP Gruppo api”. The trademark originates from the union of the two existing brands and the need to give both equal weight, with the api group elevated to the rank of corporate and the IP trademark becoming the commercial brand.
The process of Rebranding the entire network will continue through all of 2010 and conclude in 2011.
WHAT IS IT ?
In this step you will find information about the Brand Builder, who is asking you to propose a Solution for the challenge. He introduces himself (as a Brand of course :) The more you understand about the Brand, the more chances you have to create what is wanted.
IMPORTANT: There is a possibility that the Brand Builder prefers not to disclose who he is, usually for confidentiality reasons. Such Briefs will be published in an anonymous way. In this case the Brand Builder will say as much as he feels comfortable saying.
Here are two EXAMPLES
In case there is no problem with disclosing the identity (VISIBLE):
“NMN -No More Nicotine- is a Brand that promises to counteract the damages to the skin that can be caused by smoking. NMN is distributed in pharmacies and drugstores and its price positioning is middle-high; it is mainly promoted through professional endorsement and is not massively advertised.”
In case the Brand doesn’t want to disclose his identity (ANONYMOUS):
“Brand counteracting the damages to skin caused by smoking. Its products are distributed in pharmacies and drugstores with a middle-high price positioning; they are mainly promoted through professional endorsement and are not massively advertised.”
In summary: Who is your client (in a visible or “anonymous” way :)
api and IP have their own product lines that, until the present, have traveled in parallel with separate brands. With the birth of the single IP Gruppo api trademark, the need emerged for a restyling of the entire Lubricant product line, whose objective is to standardize the two trademarks in a single brand and define the new graphic line for all the packages and labels of each product. In fact, the new Lubricant offering will require the replacement of several api and IP products and the introduction of a single product portfolio.
IP offers a broad range of Lubricant products intended for numerous applications that fall within the medium and high bands of the market segment both in terms of performance level and technical specifications. Lubricants are a complementary business to the offering of petroleum products and are marketed through a variety of sales channels.
It requires the creation of a new line of IP Lubricants for distribution throughout the entire IP sales network and outside of it: industry, service garages, specialized stores and large organized distribution. The tender offer in question requires the ideation of the new packaging and the development of the general graphic line of the product labels, broken down by type and size.
The Key focus of the communication will be the new IP brand and its Italianness. Italianness is a cardinal value deeply linked to the origins of the two Italian realities (api and IP), which is, today, expressed in the new IP Gruppo api brand, whose colors are the blue background of IP and three colors of the api Group spark. Italianness must be graphically translated with a reference/symbol that characterizes it, and that can be associated to either the packaging and/or the labels and is associated to the concept of “power” (the performance offered).
WHAT IS IT ?
This is the task the Brand Builder asks you to accomplish. If you don’t understand it, you are completely out of luck !
EXAMPLE
“We ask the Creators to develop a print advertising campaign in order to increase Brand’s visibility. It will be used in national magazines this spring.”
In summary: It’s the objective of the client, therefore your objective too !
The targets are all the users of the Lubricant products:
∞ Wholesalers and resellers;
∞ Owners of car service shops/garages;
∞ Parts dealers;
∞ Sales point operators;
∞ Car dealers;
∞ Car drivers and owners of motorcycles.
WHAT IS IT?
People that the Brand Builder wants you to entertain and persuade to think, feel or do something using your creation. Usually you will read about their age, sex, social level and behaviors. You should always keep that information in mind while creating, as the target audience is the final recipient of what you create.
EXAMPLE
“Smoking girls and women who would like to quit smoking but can’t. Usually health-conscious adults who care about their looks. They feel guilty about smoking because they know it is harmful. They read books about it. This is a real problem for them: it’s like “My brain wants something, but my body acts of its own accord”. They don’t relate to my brand, they are just waiting for a trustworthy “helping hand”.
In summary: Get under their skin !
The new packaging should stimulate the targets of reference and Prospects (potential customers) to buy the new IP lubricants created from the unification of the two product lines with different qualities and brands.
Products capable of providing quality and reliability (since they are composed of basic minerals and suitably selected synthetics) and providing the engine the maximum protection against wear.
WHAT IS IT?
The thing that the Brand Builder wants to make the target audience think/feel/do because of your creation.
Here are some very concrete examples:
∞ Some things people can think/feel:
- There is a new Brand (or product or idea or...) out there
- This Brand is better than the alternatives or than it used to be
- This Brand is worth paying more for
∞ Some things people can do:
- Start buying the Brand’s products
- Buy the Brand more often
- Stock more products of the Brand in their outlets
The above written examples are very concrete whilst often the proposition of the Brief is emotional. That’s even better as it can be more inspiring!
EXAMPLE
“We’d like to encourage smokers to use NMN in order to minimize the damage to their health while they are keeping giving up smoking (especially if they’ve already tried and failed before).”
In summary: Get inside their brain !
In deciding to purchase IP Lubricants, the targets can perceive the following characteristics linked to the image and performance offered by the product:
∞ Quality: guaranteed by the certification that all the products conform to the specifications of the ACEA (European Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association), under which each lubricant is considered to be in line with the principle of Fuel Economy, which guarantees fuel savings of about 2.5%;
∞ Reliability/efficiency: translated as the possibility that IP products have of providing the motor the maximum efficiency under all operating conditions, low consumption and long intervals between oil changes and reduced costs.
Both must be combined with the look & feel of the new packaging and the graphic line.
WHAT IS IT?
This is the key to achieving the objective. It is what supports the proposition and makes it believable. Usually it is a rational statement.
EXAMPLE
“Every cigarette you smoke is causing damage to your appearance. A recent study took several pairs of identical twins where one twin was a lifelong smoker and the other had never smoked. The smokers’ skin was a quarter thinner than that of non-smokers, and in some cases there were differences of up to 40%. NMN contains thinning-blocking anti-oxidants which counteract the effect of nicotine on the skin.”
In summary: You are looking for arguments? You’ll find them here!
Below, we list some of the most important adjectives that could best convey the imagined new packaging:
∞ in line with the new corporate brand;
∞ a reference to the concept of “power” (power in the engine);
∞ elegant;
∞ handy/practical;
∞ new.
WHAT IS IT?
It’s who the Brand is. Yes... who!
Treat the Brand as a human being, as it has its own personality. To know the personality of the “client” is fundamental in order to provide a tailor-made job. So, read carefully the listed adjectives...
EXAMPLE
“Scientific, trustworthy, result-oriented, ‘a party’ to achieve your goals.”
In summary: Imagine the live person !
The graphic will be applied to all the material contained in Attachment A.
Please note Attachment B, it contains important information for designing packaging that respects production limits.
WHAT IS IT?
A list of places (or media, or things) where the target audience will see the outcome of your creation. In this step sometimes the Brand will also acknowledge you how much he plans to invest into production. This information will give you an insight whether to create a BIG project or make it small... :)
EXAMPLE
“This campaign is going to appear in lifestyle- and health-focused women magazines of New Zealand, during the spring of 2009. We plan to invest 500,000 USD, which means approximately buying 100 single pages.”
In summary: Consider the medium !
Functional attachments to the brief:
∞ List of materials to be designed (Attachment A - in English language);
∞ Technical requirements for developing the packaging and labels, which are distinct for each different type of package (Attachment B - in English language).
∞ New corporate communication format with spark and pantone colors (file: format);
∞ New IP and IP Gruppo api brands (file: Logo Gruppo API – Logo IP);
∞ Graphic kit for the new IP and IP Gruppo api brand(file: Linee Guida IP - Linee Guida GRUPPO api);
Useful and informative attachments:
∞ Competitive analysis (file: Analisi della concorrenza);
∞ Graphic of the front and back of the labels currently used for both the api and IP trademarks;
∞ Technical sheets and photo gallery of the current api and IP packages (file: attuali imballi api e IP)
Request for technical specifications:
∞ Technical sheets for each creative proposal: formats, dimensions and dies for all the required pieces.
∞ Indicate the chromatic references for each proposed piece and indicate the color scale per line/range/category.
We ask that you also specify the references (rights management and photo source) for any images that will have to be acquired on api's behalf.
Keep in mind that the technical content (specifications, chemical compounds, etc.) to be shown on the body of the back of each label will be developed at a later time and are not the object of the tender.
So, proposals can be presented in PDF or JPG format. The delivery of the definitive format is not required.
If the Brand has preferences or technical requirements that your Solution has to match, you will find them here.
Here are some items that you may find in this section:
∞ Guidelines or mandatory inclusions (do’s and/or don’ts)
∞ Business objectives
∞ Market and competitors overview
∞ Good and bad samples
Depending on the Brief, you may also find some files attached with a logo, pictures of product(s), a template that you should use in order to submit your ideas, or any other file that the Brand wants to share with you. So, study the attachments before starting creating.
In summary: Anything else you need to know (not written in the 7 steps before) !
