What does a Brand Sprint actually change?

Continuous: Why did EFT need to change?

Adam:
At EFT, we were working in silos. We needed to bring everyone together so we had a common voice – a language that we all spoke, and a brand and identity that everyone could get behind.

The big question was really, who are we? Everyone had an idea of what EFT meant to them, but we needed a common approach for how we could move forward as a company, all pulling in the same direction.

Kyla:
It was very disjointed. We had Systems, Construction and Electrical, and we really wanted the whole company to come together as a group because that's what we're all about. We wanted to be united.

The branding was also quite out of date, so we needed to bring it up to date, get some innovation in there and be a bit more dynamic.

Stewart:
The identity of the business wasn't fit for where we were going. Our logo and the feel around the business had become quite stagnant.

It really needed a re-ignition of who we are and where we're going.

C: What surprised you during the Brand Sprint with Continuous?

Adam:
What surprised me most was the workshops. They allowed us to identify that actually, we were a lot more aligned in our business than we thought.

When we went to a site, whether it was myself or one of the other directors, we all identified as EFT. It wasn't EFT Systems, Construction or Electrical. We were EFT.

That was so powerful – coming out knowing that we already had a single name that we could identify with.

Stewart:
We went in with an open mind, but it was quite difficult because we'd always done things a certain way. We'd always looked a certain way.

What surprised us was actually where we were against our competitors. We thought we were quite in tune with them, but we were behind. We were way behind.

Through the work we've done with Continuous, we’ve gained clarity and we know exactly where we are going.

C: What was the Brand Sprint actually like?

Adam:
It was intense for three days. I didn't know what to expect, but the energy that was in the room was great.

Continuous created so much excitement in the workshops. At the end of each day we were pretty exhausted, but we were excited to come back the next day and keep moving things forward.

Stewart:
The pace of the Sprint was good. It was three days without your phone and distractions. We did it in the Continuous office, which is quite a funky environment, and it got the creative thinking going.

It helped us with understanding our identity, and we came out stronger together.

Kyla:
It was just fabulous. The thought behind it, the storytelling, getting together from the start, talking about the history and working right through, even down to the colours of the logo.

It was fantastic to be part of it.

C: Had you tried to solve your brand strategy before?

Kyla:
We'd tried lots of strategies before, but they just didn't work. We'd got together as a board of directors and bounced ideas off each other, but nothing like the work we did at Continuous.

Stewart:
We've had some coaching and business development, but we'd never actually gone through a Brand Sprint.

The journey was great from start to finish. It gave us insight into the real background of marketing and brand identity, which we're now educated on.

C: So how did you get from all those ideas to the new brand identity?

Stewart:
The most valuable part for me was getting all the different ideas out. Cutting snippets and actually putting them all on the table, then coming up with the colours and the new identity.

It was interesting that you guys, as experts, gleaned all that out of our brains. It was a great process to go through. I really enjoyed it.

Adam:
Initially we felt the identity wasn’t quite right, but you guys took feedback and came back with what we've got today.

C: What changed once the new brand was launched?

Kyla:
The impact it's had with colleagues has been huge. It's enlightened everyone – the collaboration, everyone working together, just so happy really. It's really taken us to another level.

Construction, Electrical and Systems are not disjointed at all now. We're working as a team. We're talking about the whole rather than segments.

Adam:
The biggest shift was people's perception of where EFT were.

We've gone through such a big shift in our image over the last 50 years. It feels like we've matured. This will take us forward over the next 50 years.

Stewart:
The whole process aligned all the businesses together, which is what we wanted.

Everyone within the business is now working towards the brand guidelines, the clear strategy and the clear vision. It's been a really worthwhile exercise for us.

C: Has it changed how you work together?

Kyla:
Definitely. The board has really gelled. We've got ideas bouncing off each other, and it can be seen throughout the whole company.

We're not just talking about parts. We're not working in silos. We are a whole.

Adam:
The language that we use now, having that identity, is really important. We've redefined our values and who we are, and we have that common language about what EFT means to everybody and where we're going.

Stewart:
It has created a different vision and thinking within the team. People have always got that in the front of their mind: does it fall in line with our brand guidelines? Is this in line with the vision?

It's dovetailed everything we do and given us a straight-line direction.

C: And what has the response been?

Kyla:
People always see us on the roads because of the vans, so we needed a whole new, fresh look.

Everywhere you go, it's like, “Wow. Look at those vans. Amazing.”

The customers and colleagues have been excited. People like the new uniform. When we issued it at the launch event at St Helens, it was just an amazing reaction.

Adam:
We've had great positive feedback from our clients. They're saying, “Wow, this identity puts you in the arena with £50 million, £100 million businesses.”

That's where we want to go with it.

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C: What does EFT have now that it didn't have before?

Adam:
A brand and identity that everyone can get behind, and a common voice about who we are and where we're going.

Kyla:
We're not three disjointed parts anymore. We're working as one team.

Stewart:
We now have clarity. We know exactly where we're going, and we know our brand is correct for going forward with growth.

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