While readers furiously debate the merits of the new Pick n Pay logo on Bizcommunity.com, weighing in with their own suggestions – and this being the marketing and branding industry, our readers who all consider themselves experts in their field, do tend to call a spade a pick axe – but the overall brand essence of the new Pick n Pay brand is a massive exercise in rebranding and a risky business for such an iconic brand. [Poll: What do you think of the new Pick n Pay logo?]
In setting context, Pick n Pay CEO Nick Badminton, a far more media-friendly fellow than his predecessor Sean Summers, gave the following stats:
The current rebranding entailed customer research on what its customers wanted from it, in particular LSMs 8 – 10, which is its core strength. The rebranding exercise was then measured against the following criteria:
Pick n Pay knows that it has a strong brand personality attached to strong family values and it spent a lot of time trying to get it right – the rebranding was a full two years with Landor, the international branding agency. And it's not the new logo that is key here, but the total new brand essence. The new advertising and branding in store is colourful – and an additional bright and appetizing colour palette has been embraced. The new advertising that was shown to the media yesterday is eye-catching and engaging.
What's changing?
GM of marketing, Lyndsay Webster-Rozon, emphasised that it had a new mantra, which was a customer-led approach to the market. She described the new logo as contemporary, with an abbreviated PnP to use on packaging and in store as well, where required. ““We have a new mantra, inspired by you… new identity… new ranges of product… new colours and clothes… and above all, a new customer led approach to a changing market… “
Then a secondary vibrant colour palate has been introduced for various applications inside the store, across signage, trolleys, labels, packaging, bags, etc. The Pick n Pay with the P's in colour blocks will be used in store on uniforms and in store signage and packaging will use the abbreviated shorthand version: PnP.
But this is about more than just a new logo and new visual language: “It is about brand essence and new customer focus,” she emphasised. Even the photography was chosen to define and reflect the soul of the brand: bright, transparent with “Pick me” on some product advertising.
One of the questions being debated is why Pick n Pay went with an international branding agency, Landor, and not someone local. Badminton's short answer at the press conference in Cape Town yesterday, Tuesday 13 November, was due to the connection between its ad agency in South Africa, Y&R and Landor and the WPP group.
Yossi Schwartz, CEO Young & Rubicam SA, Pick n Pay's advertising agency explained: “The new symbols, new brand line ‘Inspired by you', had to manifest itself into advertising, including the Pick n Pay values which are very very strong with consumers. The challenge was to compile all of it into one comprehensive advertising strategy.”
He said that the new Pick n Pay advertising campaigns break on 18 November to differentiate the Pick n Pay brand from competitors with the new advertising and new media. “The advertising is new, new tonality, new look and feel, new typefaces, new photography.” A single minded message unifies the brand: ‘Inspired by you', and the advertising is all about Pick n Pay's consumers, including, on billboards and in store: ‘Inspired to deliver…, Inspired to provide…' etc.
Media will include the Pick n Pay distribution trucks, catalogues, a new magazine and a strong focus on digital. “We have rebalanced the media investment with consumer media consumption.”
And then on Monday 19 November, a million new Pick n Pay glossy catalogues will be distributed through knock-and-drop and stores – it will be available four times a year and is similar to what retailers are doing globally. The new customer magazine will number 150 000 copies, distributed through stores. The website has been streamlined, bringing seven different websites onto one site.
“It was a hellava challenge!” Schwartz quipped.
As editor of a retailing publication for Primedia, I remember hosting the editor of the influential grocery retailing magazine in the UK, Clive Bedall from The Grocer, in the mid-1990s. One of his requests was to visit the Pick n Pay Benmore store which was the first to launch Pick n Pay's new fresh/deli strategy then, as it was revolutionary retailing even then. So it is inevitable that there will be huge debate around such a massive brand change for a brand that has been part of most of our lives as South Africans – people feel an ownership. Isn't that exactly why Pick n Pay is such a successful brand, even with its previous old outdated logo?
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