Kantar adopts new corporate identity for its twelve operating brands
Professional services firm Kantar has launched a new corporate identity for all its global brands. By harmonising the brand, the advisory aims to create a much more unified look and feel across the whole business, and to highlight that the firm’s operating units collaborate closely when it comes to client service.
Kantar, which is part of WPP, is one of the world’s largest market research data, insight and marketing consultancy companies. The firm employs around 30,000 employees and serves clients in over 100 countries.
In January of this year Kantar launched a large change programme on the back of a new strategic direction set for the coming years. Key pillars of the strategy include seeking much closer alignment between the company’s twelve brands*; a shift towards a global shared services model for back-office functions such as HR, finance and IT; and the launch of several new brands, including Kantar Public (focus on governmental and public policy work) and Kantar Consulting (focus on marketing and sales consulting services).
As part of the strategy, Kantar has decided to deploy a harmonisation effort across its twelve brands. The new identity, developed in close collaboration with WPP branding specialists The Partners, sees 11 of its 12 operating companies adopt the Kantar name as a prefix in their brand. For example: TNS Nipo has now become Kantar TNS, while Millward Brown has rebranded as Kantar Millward Brown*.
“The rebranding is a tangible, visible expression of our desire to present clients with more easily-navigable and connected solutions that bring together the best of Kantar’s expertise”, explains Kantar CEO Eric Salama. “It is also helpful that for the first time we really look like a single family of brands serving a common purpose.” Along with the rebranding, Kantar is introducing a new tagline, “Inspiration for an extraordinary world”, drawn from its new corporate purpose statement, “To inspire our clients, our people and society to create and flourish in an extraordinary world.”
The new identity was formally launched on 9 September, and will be rolled out across all external and internal communications channels in the coming months. The only exception to the corporate rebranding effort is Lightspeed GMI, which now operates as Lightspeed.
* An overview of the twelve Kantar brands: Kantar Graphic, Kantar Added Value, Kantar Futures, Kantar Health, Kantar IMRB, Kantar Media, Kantar Millward Brown, Kantar Retail, Kantar TNS, Kantar Vermeer, Kantar Worldpanel and Lightspeed.
