Business veterans, Chris and Aldo Calleja understood that creating an image to communicate with their customers by proxy no longer works in our web enabled, transparent society. Experience has taught them that consumers are more empowered than ever before to probe for their own truth about brands, rather than the one presented to them.

They hired Bulldog to help define relevant meaning for their startup ‘resource optimisation company‘,  to minimise the possibility of contradiction between their image and culture.

This is important because people no longer consume products for purely functional satisfaction but also, to define and maintain their identity. Proof of this meaning-based consumption is all around us. Why else are consumers willing to pay more for skin care products that are not tested on animals, cars that are more environmentally sound and wines that attest to social standing?

However, it’s not just about how the outside world will see this new company. If there isn’t a clearly identified set of core values dictating behaviour, employees tend to feel aimless and lost.

With this in mind, we defined and recorded a Roadmap that will provide the following advantages as the brand develops:

Effective planning and management. The roadmap will allow Sparkbow to chart their progress towards clearly defined business objectives, rather than just concentrating on the task of the day.

Evaluation based on objectives. Review processes for products, communication and actions will all be grounded by the same objectives and criteria – rather than individuals’ subjective tastes and personal preferences.

Communications informed by better insight. All communications to be created by Sparkbow’s advertising/design/communications agencies will be able to leverage a compelling point of difference in the minds of their audience, their unique strengths and the vulnerability of their competitors.

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To learn more about how to introduce long term effects as criteria for evaluating short term decisions, contact Bulldog at info(at)virtualbulldog.com

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Bulldog’s remit was to help create a new brand positioning, architecture and communication messages that would allow E. Calleja & Sons to redefine themselves as a more contemporary, unified brand.

The project began with research to identify key customer groups and the most powerful benefit for Calleja to own. Following workshops with top management, we gained a consensus on key elements of  a new brand design, including: target customers, essence, promise, personality and a new graphic identity. These were documented in a publication designed to help people both inside and outside the company understand the intent, spirit and expression of the new brand.

They were also used to drive the company’s marketing effort, products, services and human resources – ensuring consistency at every point of contact made with consumers.

This initiative represents more than just an exercise in aesthetics, it is an evolution of Calleja’s relationship with their customers. Over the years, those who chose them as their preferred electrical supplier did so, more because of interest in a given product rather than the brand.

Calleja hopes to correct this shortcoming over the next 2 years through a multi-faceted, solutions-oriented approach, that makes: dedication, innovation and personal responsibility in their relationships as important as the products they sell.

The combination of a complete branding system that encompasses Calleja’s corporate identity and how this is expressed in its many applications, represents a radical change to the legacy of the old brand. Intial marketing messages will seek to reassure loyal customers that they remain committed to the values that have contributed to an 85 year success story.

Wary of the risk of confusing existing customers with the brand transfer, for the next year, all major communications will carry a strapline advising that Calleja was formerly known as E. Calleja & Sons.

The rebirth of  Calleja’s retail showroom embodies the new brand promise in every aspect – from the ‘look and feel’ to the way customers move through the space. Bulldog created environmental graphics that compliment the great work done by Italian firm: Ideainterni, who were responsible for designing, engineering and implementing the striking interiors.

Circuit diagram influenced graphics provide a seemingly endless source of inspiration for collateral and point of sale material.

Armed with a new sense of purpose brought about by the rebranding exercise, Calleja are looking forward to the challenge of protecting and extending their legacy for many years to come.

www.calleja.com.mt

Related works:

1. Commemorative launch materials for the opening of the Calleja stores
2. New environmental graphics for Calleja’s lighting store entrance