Logos

ANZ launches new brand

by Louise Kellerman on 23/10/2009

In April of 2009, ANZ chose Indonesia as the first market within which to officially launch it’s new brand to the world.

Here in New Zealand, we will see the new brand launch through a television, billboard and newspaper advertising campaign from this Sunday, October 25th.

In developing the new brand, ANZ commissioned Millward Brown to conduct research across the Asia-Pacific region which covered six countries and 12 cities, 50 ANZ staff, and 1200 customers and non-customers.

Through research to say the least…

There were two common themes that emerged: people wanted their bank to be “people-shaped” and they wanted to have a banking experience that was “uncomplicated”. From these insights ANZ developed the new brand, which includes the following features:

The reduction of ANZ word-mark lines from three to one – representing ‘One ANZ’. The line also represents the equator which runs through our region.

The addition of a new symbol to accompany the wordmark called ‘The Lotus’ which will represent ANZ in all our markets regardless of language. The three petals of the lotus represent the ANZ region; Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific. The central shape represents the bank’s customers and people who are the driving force behind ANZ’s business. - ANZ

The strap-line of the brand will be: “We live in your world”.

ANZ says “Despite these challenging economic times, it is important for us to continue to invest in our brand and reputation so we will be better placed for the eventual upturn. A bank’s reputation is what carries it through the highs and lows of the business cycle.”

And so we will see a very gradual (and cost-effective) roll out of the new brand over the next two years.

ANZ states that they have an aspiration to become a super regional bank, the biggest market of the region being Asia.

You can see the influence of Asian symbols and visual aesthetics they have drawn upon in creating the new mark.

This decision represents the huge size and importance of the Asia region now and in the future to an organisation such as ANZ Bank and it’s future success and perhaps to many more of us working across the area of visual communication and  design in the Asia-Pacific region when we think of our future target audiences…

- Photograph featured thanks to www.thefinancialbrand.com

by Louise Kellerman