The primary objective was to develop the WinGD brand identity, evolve digital marketing assets and create new messaging.
The Challenge
Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD) is a leading developer of low-speed gas and diesel engines for marine propulsion headquartered in Switzerland.
The company was formed in 2015. Since then, the world, and the WinGD’s target market (the maritime industry) has changed. In the past few years, as a challenger brand, WinGD has offered a much-needed smarter perspective on marine propulsion technology to an industry in which ship operators are intensifying their focus on achieving ultimate operational efficiency.
As such, demand for WinGD’s engine technologies has increased, the company has grown and captured a greater market share.
The original brand proposition that was created in 2016 no longer reflected WinGD’s business’ operations and aspirations. Therefore, an evolution in the company’s brand and messaging structure was required in order to ensure clarity in communications, market perception and differentiation from competitors.
The primary objective was to develop the WinGD brand identity, evolve digital marketing assets and create new messaging. This also included the design of a new logo, a refreshed colour palette and creation of a new graphic identifier.
Our Approach
Oakwood and Wake Media worked with WinGD to create a new brand strategy, inclusive of the creation of a new company logo and graphic identifier. A new company website was also designed, built and launched. Additionally, technology imagery and visuals for use on exhibition stand graphics were developed.
This involved the creation of brand guidelines with a suite of branded assets. A messaging matrix was created and brochures, case studies, factsheets, sales presentations were updated in order to support the WinGD team in answering their customers challenges more effectively.
Photography, video and advertising templates were also generated to support digital marketing endeavours.
For the logo design, since WinGD has a global network of customers speaking a myriad of languages, a simplified logo design that enhanced impact and readability was developed. The addition of a contemporary font further strengthened this clarity.
The next step was to create a new graphic identifier. For this, a ‘Power cycle’ graphic was created to replace the original ‘Crystal’ graphic identifier. Derived from an engine’s dynamic energy and rotational movement, the ‘Power Cycle’ graphic is used to frame content and give focus to WinGD’s communications. It was decided that the WinGD ‘Power Cycle’ graphic should sit at the heart of the new brand identity since it creates a unique and dynamic visual language that reflects the company’s forward-thinking approach and their belief in the strength of full-circle partnerships.
The brand colour palette was also reviewed and a unique range of colours that reference the marine environment and the world of engineering excellence were chosen to provide a cleaner look and feel.
Once a comprehensive set of evolved brand guidelines had been created, Wake Media and Oakwood began work on updating WinGD’s key communications, both for external use and for use by the internal WinGD team to confidently frame and communicate the company story.
Impact
The evolution of the WinGD brand has strengthened their position in the market as the leading developer of low-speed gas and diesel engines.
At the beginning of the brand evolution campaign, WinGD held a 38% market share in a key segment against the dominating player, their biggest competitor. Eighteen months later, in 2020, WinGD had secured a global market share of 75%.
The new website has provided a future-proofed platform for WinGD to build on, as the industry changes and their business grows. In the first 6 months following the new website launch, over 6,000 users visited the site, with a high average session time recorded of 3:45 minutes and a very low bounce rate of 34%.
“With the help of Wake Media and Oakwood our company has established a new, improved brand proposition that is aligned with our vision of powering transformation for a sustainable future. All of our public-facing materials and digital platforms reflect our company’s position in the market and our values.
We are really pleased with the expertise provided and will continue to work with Wake Media and Oakwood in the future, the evolved WinGD brand looks fantastic!” said Anna Garcia: Director, Corporate Responsibility & Communications.