07-11-2022
Modernising identity for current market focuses. The Aderco rebrand story.
Interview Charlotte Baiwir by Innov8 Social, Head of Marketing Aderco October 2022
Why rebranding now?
For the past 2 years, the global vision in our industry has changed. We have seen the main themes in our business environment transformed. Realising that many companies are looking for sustainable products/services, as well as pursuing more environmentally conscious operations, we knew we had to shout about the positive impact Aderco offers. We believed it was time to refresh our approach and our identity to communicate this.
“Our company is not immune to the passage of time and can give off an old-fashioned image... But, in this case, it's usually time to roll up our sleeves for a little facelift.”
Following all the new industry’s aspects, we realized that Aderco is more than a simple concept, we have a real impact on the environment for future generations by minimizing fuel issues. This statement is our major key driver today which lead us to our new identity and our position in the business.
We felt it was time to freshen our approach to show our green side as we reduce emissions, stabilise alternative fuels and extend the life of engines as some examples, but not forgetting this is all done by the power of plants, a sustainable product itself!
New generations are not only focused on sustainability but are also attracted to everything visual, so it was time for a change. The new look is so different from our marketing previously which we have had for over 40 years.
People need to see new things; at some point you can make some noise and be different to keep up with competition. Branding is so important now.
What was the inspiration behind the rebrand?
We chose a company called @Havas, based in Belgium, and after an initial in-depth meeting with 15 of their team they got a clear understanding of who Aderco are and what we wanted to communicate. Our environmental aspect was a key motivator and its place alongside the technology it cares for. This is such a major focus in industry and there has never been a better time to promote our product because of this.
Havas also highlights the fact that Aderco is a pioneer and adventure lover, everything related to Aderco in many ways is about adventure.
Every day at Aderco is different and you must be ready for an adventure, in all our new branding we try to represent that.
After this consultation, they presented several design ideas before we chose the current one. Initially, we explored designs that involved human faces, but it just didn’t look quite right. When we saw the designs with the flowers it felt right, this is the soul of our product. We used flowers to symbolise Aderco Fuel Conditioners working to care for technology. Flowers powering technology what could be simpler?
The idea to change the colour of the logo was exciting, before it was red and blue, and to me red signifies gas or an emergency. The new colour really reflects the very nature of our product. We chose darker green as we didn’t want something too flashy, but to show calm, reassurance and communicate our sustainable message. It’s also a colour that you can use on the web that matches well with printed products.
How long did the process take?
We actively took part in the photo shoot throwing flowers up, everything was tailor made for us and a long process. It has taken us more than a year to pull this vision together due to Covid and the amount we needed to alter such as the website, app, social media, hard marketing materials etc.
There’s a new tag line as well, what is the story behind it?
Our new tag line ‘Fuelling innovation for the next generations’ was to really express the social impact on what we do, so it was important to include the next generation as they are driving change. The industry is also heavily focused on attracting the next generation, making sure there is a skilled workforce tasked with continuing to drive change for generations after theirs.
We also liked the concept of ‘Fuelling’ because Aderco is involved in fuel, but also it means promotion and that’s something we do in our bid for supporting emission reduction and new innovative technologies.
The new colours and our new baseline match perfectly together with our environmental and social approach.
The official Aderco statement on their rebrand:
“Aderco, having total faith in the limitless potential of its technology, has rebranded its entire identity to match the company's new vision and mission.
A pioneer in sustainable 100% vegetal-organic fuel treatment technology, improved fuel efficiency, operational reliability and environmental impact in the marine, mining, power generation and transport sectors for more than 40 years, Aderco has stepped out of its comfort zone with a new graphic identity, surprising visuals and a new baseline, "Fueling Innovation for the Next Generations," for a highly well-defined B2B sector.
By wanting to do things differently and being adventurous, Aderco intends to reply to the challenges of tomorrow, today.
We are Aderco……Fueling Innovation for the Next Generations.”