Bekaert
Establishing the new possible
Going beyond the industry: an unparalled brand transformation
Bekaert, a global leader in steel wire products, faced a significant challenge: while the business was considered to be a leader within their industry, recognition and awareness outside of the category was falling short – for a simple reason: the brand could not keep up with the business. A shared challenge across a wide majority of heavy industry companies.
Most, if not all, players within this category focus their marketing and communications activities almost exclusively on their products, missing the opportunity to build and maintain a strong B2B brand to leverage as an asset for the business. At the same time, the needs and expectations of consumers are constantly evolving, influencing what kind of brand experiences we seek and find appropriate, leading to a big gap between expectations and reality.
Bekaert not only identified this challenge, but took in head-on and transformed their brand in a way that is unseen for the industry.
“With the renewal of our purpose and ambitions comes a new visual identity that represents our brand in a way that combines our heritage with a new boldness. And in a manner that makes the iconic Bekaert ‘B’ fit for the future,” says Oswald Schmid, CEO of Bekaert.
Establishing the new possible: a new brand with limitless creativity
Following the newly defined purpose, “Establishing the new possible”, Interbrand and Bekaert defined a series of moves to propel the brand to unseen heights and translate the new brand strategy into meaningful experiences. In a process that lasted about 1.5 years, Interbrand managed to develop a holistic approach that combines old and modern elements, thereby creating something new but in line with the businesses heritage.
In the center of the new identity of the B2B brand stands the brand feel that was derived from the purpose: “Creativity beyond steel”. Based on this, Interbrand developed a bold, confident, and digital-ready identity system that contains a new logo, custom typeface, new color-pallete, photography style, illustrations and icons.
Bekaert wants and needs to take new paths and actively help shape the way we live and move. The transformation of brand perception should shift from a traditional product provider to a leading partner on an equal footing with B2B customers. This gives the company the opportunity to take a differentiated position within the industry and beyond.
Shaping the way we live and move
Bekaert’s new brand identity sets a milestone that is unseen in the heavy industry, shifting the brand positioning away from a traditional product provider towards a new generation of B2B brands, that see transformation and change as an opportunity to meet their customers needs on an equal footing and make the employees part of this journey.
The new brand is not only strengthening Bekaert’s position as a global leader but also positioning the business as a pioneer in the industry thanks to its modern and innovative presence, allowing for more visibility inside and outside the category. Moreover, the brand communication is also changing globally, opening up new opportunities for collaboration and product innovation for Bekaert without risking inconsistency.
Beakerts new brand was launched in 2022 and has since then been rolled out on all global touchpoints, both physically and digitally.
