Overview
When two of Austria’s largest telecommunications brands were competing to the point of cannibalisation, the only prudent action was to merge.
The new brand had to carry significant elements of both old brands, to be new enough to signify change to everyone who worked there (and through them to customers and other external audiences) but also familiar enough to ensure it still felt like home and kept everyone performing through the merger – and after.
The brand idea ‘All becomes one’, was as relevant to the merger process as it was to the new company.
Our central brand idea ‘All becomes one’ (‘Alles wird eins’ in Austrian) helped to focus the teams on the direction of their new brand. On one hand, the phrase is a simple, inspiring descriptor of the merger process, and, on the other, it’s a wider maxim for the increasingly convergent telecoms reality.
A symbolic transformation
Our identity solution for A1 is a bold typographic form with an infinitely morphing face. It reflects the new brand’s dual character: strength due to scale, balanced by a fluid responsiveness to the diversity of customers’ lives and their ever-changing telecoms needs.
Comprehensive communication
The distinctive bespoke typeface has readability at its heart, and its blocky form inspired the geometric graphic styling of the accompanying set of icons.
Adapted to its environment
The flexibility of the identity presents an exciting opportunity to create bespoke executions for specific uses. From basic printed elements, like packaging, stationery and merchandising to the special applications for sports and music events, customisation is a smart way to keep the brand relevant and evolving.
A brand at one with its business partners
The beauty of a limitlessly adaptable identity proved itself in a business client-focused campaign, created with the brand’s advertising partners. The series features the marque taking on the brand image of some of Austria’s most well-known companies.
A brand for all senses
The identity comes alive when it breaks out of its two-dimensional format and is animated with sound. The sonic branding uses different instruments and sound effects to echo the shape and movement of each unique marque.
Engagement in a retail context
As a high street consumer brand, A1 sees its retail spaces as the number one showcase for the brand. Working in partnership with BEHF, we developed the overall concept, customer experience strategy and interior design. Video projections were used to animate the identity in store.
An ongoing partnership
Saffron has worked with A1 Austria and A1 Group since 2010 to bring the brand originally developed for the Austrian market first to the corporate group and then to all of its subsidiaries throughout Europe.
We continue to work with the A1 Group on evolutions of the A1 brand to the present day.
The A1 brand was extended to seven European markets. In Austria we are the former incumbent and market leader, while in Serbia we are the third attacker in the mobile sector. The group is one of the fastest growing telecommunications operators in Europe, and the unification of the brand certainly helped here.
Marco Harfmann
DIRECTOR MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AT A1
