Top 10 Case Studies

Thomson ReutersIntelligent information.Global reach.

Microsoft Bing Helping to create the “sound of found.”

The Challenge Consumers were happy with the two key players in the marketplace—Google and Yahoo! Microsoft had tried to enter the market before with MSN Search in 2002 and the Live Search brand in 2005 and finally by attempting to acquire Yahoo! in 2008. In 2009, Microsoft came to us with a refined search product and a working brand strategy and asked us to develop a new name for them.

Our Approach Research showed that another expected name like Live Search would fail, so we pushed Microsoft’s creative boundaries to show what they could achieve if they took a little risk.

We made sure that all our creative ideas were presented in the context of the real world in terms of design and application. We showed how the names compared not only to competitors, but also to brands that the target audience interacts with on a daily basis.

The Solution The word “bing” caught our attention for a number of reasons:

• Asanintransitiveverbitwasatonetimeused in place of the word “go.”

• It’sapositiveinterjection;theimitationofa sound that usually suggests an idea (like a light bulb) or when something is ready.

• Thesound“bing”wasonethattranslatedacross cultures and we wanted to equate that sound with the “sound of found.”

Business Results Bing was voted “Best New Brand” by Advertising Age and “Best Start Up” by TechCrunch.

Between February 2009 and June 2010, unique users rose 30 percent to 91.7 million;U.S.marketsharewasup3.5percentpointsto11.5percent;brandawareness rose by 42 percent points to 55 percent and advertiser growth rose by 24 percent.

Creating a new search brand for a world not waiting for a new search engine.


McDonald’s Energizing a global brand from the inside out.

The Challenge By 2006, McDonald’s was experiencing declining brand image measurements due to growing concerns about health and childhood obesity. Fast Food Nation and Super Size Me compounded the situation and customer relevance was beginning to wane around the globe. Despite these concerns, sales figures were on the rise, so executive attention was not being placed on the brand. Internally, the organization lacked a commitment to a shared vision that could help in unifying a very decentralized confederation of marketers.

We were asked to rally senior leaders around the globe to a common vision, making brand a tangible driver in the delivery of the McDonald’s business. We also needed to reconnect the brand to its core target market.

Our Approach Our approach was rigorous and rooted in evidence, but we were also highly collaborative and creative, engaging the global team and securing consensus for the first time in its history.

The Solution We developed a new proposition for thebrand:SimpleEasyEnjoyment. This is embraced by everyone in the organization from the CEO to those serving behind the counter.

Retail environments in Europe have been energized with healthy, fresh colors. The brand personality now has a more contemporaryattitude.Andthebrandproposition informs everything in the business strategy.

Business Results McDonald’s has risen to number six on the 2010 Best Global Brand table—the brand grew in value to US $33.6 billion. We were able to galvanize a previously decentralized global organization behind a single brand proposition.

Galvanizing a previously decentralized global organization around a single brand proposition.



Creating a new and combined entity with a single vision to be the global leader in integrated information.

The Challenge In 2007, the Thomson Corporation announced its intention to acquire Reuters Group PLC, anticipating that this could make them the global leader in the business-to-business information market. The organization asked us to help manage that process from a brand perspective.

Our Approach We set out to define the new brand through global, qualitative consumer research, internal management interviews, workshops, and competitive analysis. We also reviewed the market and business issues facing the new entity.

The Solution Research showed that, together, Thomson and Reuters could compel customers to choose Thomson Reuters over competitors because of three main purchase drivers: relevant depth, practical intuition, and immediate effectiveness.

To communicate the new positioning of “Intelligent Information” and signal that Thomson Reuters was one unified company around the world, we created a new logo.

The Thomson Reuters brand launched in 21 global markets and reached 51,000 employees worldwide. We created global signage in 25 locations, producing a total of 286 signs. We also oversaw the brand launch in Times Square and opened trading at NYSE, physically wrapping the building in the new brand identity.

Business Results Tracking studies show that from June to August2008,awarenesshadincreasedby 8.2 percent, familiarity by 12 percent, and recommendation by 2.4 percent. Additionally,theseconversionrateswerestronger than for both Thomson and Reuters independently.

Thomson Reuters rose to number 39 on the Best Global Brands table in 2010 and the brand is now valued at US $9 billion.


SephoraCreating a new retail concept for cosmetics and fragrances.

The Challenge Sephora was founded in 1969 as a cosmetics chain, but by the early 1990s it was languishing with an old-fashioned retail model of assisted sales, which was limiting sales volume. In 1993, with a portfolio of 40 stores, Sephora asked us to relaunch its retail model to take a leadership position in cosmetics retailing.

Our Approach We created a revolutionary concept in the industry: a cosmetics and perfume luxury supermarket. Women could now browse at their leisure through the store and experience the look and smell of products at their own pace, uninterrupted by the intrusive approaches of sales consultants.

The Solution Asenseofthemonumentalwaskeytothe brand experience, as was creating a “cathedral of beauty.” Freedom and pleasure were the watchwords of the shopper experience, resulting in a hands-on, self-service shopping environment. People were free to touch, smell, and experience the products, from fragrances and makeup, to bath, body, and skincare.

Business Results Sephora is now a global retail icon, having succeeded in redefining the rules of the beauty market.

The flagship store on the Champs Élysées was opened in 1996 with 350,000 clients per week—that’s the same number of visitors as the Eiffel Tower. In its first year, the store earned revenues of US $150 million.

The brand was acquired by LVMH in 1997 and opened its first store in New York in 1998.

What began as 40 stores is now a network of 400 stores in Europe and 1,000 worldwide. Sephora is now the leading retail beauty chain in Europe and isstretchingitsglobalpresenceintoAsia.

Creating a cosmetics and perfume luxury supermarket.


SamsungCreating the first Korean top 100 global brand.

Helping Samsung to become one of the world’s leading consumer brands.

The Challenge Two decades ago, Samsung’s business was making components for leading brands likeSony,HP,andApple.Bythelate1990s,Samsung had begun to move into the consumer space with limited success. The organization was manufacturing focused and consumers failed to connect with the brand. Samsung knew it needed to build relevance, differentiation, and emotional connection with consumers and change its internal engineering mindset to be more marketing focused.

Our Approach In 1998, we were appointed to perform a detailed valuation of the Samsung brand in all its key markets. We needed to demonstrate to senior management that the Samsung brand created shareholder value and that investing in the brand would yield measurable economic benefits.

The Solution We benchmarked Samsung’s brand against key competitors on Role of Brand and Brand Strength and showed how Samsung was a weak brand and less important within the customer decision process than the competition. We recommended that Samsung develop a differentiated, premium market position to avoid competing on the basis of price and features. We also suggested that brand value become a key performance indicator internally to rally everyone around the brand. Finally, we recommended that Samsung adopt a halo strategy, focusing on mobile phones and TVs (which research showed provided the greatest opportunity to connect with consumers).

Business Results Samsung successfully shifted from a B2B to a B2C model. It now connects well with consumers and is recognized as one of the world’s leading consumer brands. In 2005, Samsung overtook Sony in terms of brand value and in 2010 it reached number 19 in our Best Global Brands table (valued at US $19.5 billion). The value of the Samsung brand is understood and prioritized within the business. The brand drives innovation, marketing, rewards, and long-term planning.


Thai AirwaysMaking Thai Airways an ambassador for contemporary Thailand.

The Challenge ThaiAirwayswantedtopositionitselfasthenumberonecarrierinAsia.Anewfleetof aircraft and the impending opening of the new Bangkok airport offered the brand an opportunity to differentiate itself and redefine its customer experience. The airline believed that brand differentiation could be achieved through leveraging the rich culture of Thailand.

Our Approach Our team flew multiple routes in all classes to analyze the total customer experience. We researched the priority customer segments, exploring what they wanted from an airline. We examined the Thai culture and the Thai way of life to better understand the place and its people. We then looked at how every aspectoftheThaiAirwaysexperiencecouldbring the brand to life.

The Solution The ambition was that the brand would be an ambassador for contemporary Thailand, showcasing the rich culture the country has to offer. We developed the concept of the “Thai Touch”, which is expressed in everything you see, taste, smell, hear, touch, and feel with your heart: the six senses. We also created a designethicinspiredbythe“jumpee”symbol—the traditional greeting of bringing the two palms of your hands together.

EveryaspectoftheTHAIbrandexperiencewas designed to deliver a customer experience that celebrated contemporary Thai culture. We conducted workshops with staff to help them arrive at new customer experienceideas.Abrandengagementprogram built pride and created a sense of ownership in the brand to ensure that the brand was brought to life through every point of contact. We also conducted an extensive brand implementation program with all suppliers to ensure the smooth execution of the brand.

Business Results Customer satisfaction improved across all brand metrics within two years. Revenue rose from 150 billion Baht per annum in 2005 to 230 billion Baht in 2008.

Positioning Thai Airways as the number one carrier in Asia.


MINIRelaunching a 1960s icon.

The Challenge In 1998 MINI was seen as an old-fashioned, weak product lacking the features of a state-of-the-art car. On the other hand, MINI was still an icon of the 1960s, with cult status, fans all over the world, and success in motor sports and in films. We were asked to transform the 40-year-old icon into a state-of-the-art premium brand with the potential to succeed in all markets. BMW Group had set some very ambitious targets for the brand: In 1998 only 2,500 units of the old MINI were sold and the target for the new MINI in 2002 was 80,000 units.

Our Approach Based on the brand values, we turned the positive aspects of the MINI brand into a modern lifestyle experience:

• FromanEnglishcultcartoaninternational premium automobile.

• FromasmallgroupofMINIfanstoa larger, extroverted target group, anchored in the urban clubbing scene.

• Frommainstreamstylingtofashionablechic.

The Solution The brand proposition focused on Mini as a small luxury car, and the creative idea was defined as “downtown excitement at night.” Together these defined the brand identity. It became a clear and simple brief for all aspects of the brand experience—for dealership architecture and showroom environments, for communications, for trade fair exhibitions, for MINI lifestyle products, as well as for all the brand’s design elements.

Business Results In the first year after launch, MINI sold 144,000 units, surpassing its original target by 80 percent. Today, MINI is one of the most admired and profitable brands worldwide.

Downtown excitement at night.


GECommitting to environmental stewardship and performance.

The Challenge CEO Jeffrey Immelt was eager to identify a company proposition that could drive growth across GE’s diverse set of businesses. This proposition would also serve as an important internal rallying cry, moving the company on from the era of Jack Welch.

Our Approach We conducted qualitative interviews with heads of business, partners, and customers. We also undertook a global quantitative purchase driver study. Through this research we identified that there was a significant commercial opportunity for GE in the area of “green.”

The Solution We developed the “ecomagination” concept. We delivered the central business idea, the name, identity system, and experiential elements core to its launch. Ecomagination is a platform for Jeffrey Immelt’s leadership and core to the GE business, from new product innovation to every communication touchpoint.

Business Results Ecomagination has been cited as the key growth contributor to GE’s brand and business value since its launch in 2005. It has helped GE build its business by increasing awareness of how the company is using renewable energy and reducingcarbonemissions.Asproofofthe effectiveness of GE’s program, the ecomagination portfolio has grown from 17 products in 2005 to more than 80 in 2010, with US $14 billion in bottom line contribution in 2007 to expectations of US $25 billion in 2010. Ecomagination is now the central driver of business innovation and internal culture at GE.

Identifying the commercial opportunity for “green.”


P&GMaintaining global relevance for over a decade.

The Challenge Over the past decade, P&G’s leadership team has come to recognize the importance of packaging design in engaging consumers at first point of contact and in building consumer relevance and loyalty. But P&G needed our help to elevate the role of design across the entire organization, locally, regionally, and globally.

Our Approach In our work for P&G, we continue to use shopper, consumer, and design insights to inform our package design. We have consistently demonstrated that package design can impact all branding touchpoints and increase P&G’s consumer relevance.

Our truly global, collaborative, and connected network has helped P&G achieve its design ambitions.

The Solution We developed strategic and creative philosophies and processes. These philosophies and processes included design insights research and instinctive design. We helped facilitate the ease in which P&G’s design managers around the world shared these processes through Design Spas. We demonstrated to key P&G influencers that a close connection between shopper-based design and package design can drive efficiency and overall success. We also identified ways to incorporate sustainability into package design to help drive positive consumer perception of a brand over time.

Business Results Interbrand’s growing relationship with P&G reflects our client’s brand successes. Initially, we started working with P&G onasingleprojectforCascade;todaywesupport more than 25 P&G brands. Based on revenue, P&G is Interbrand’s largest client globally.

Engaging consumers at first point of contact.


Helping AT&T reach out and touch everyone—again.

The Challenge In 2005, SBC announced its acquisition ofAT&T.Interbrandwasaskedtohelpthecompany decide which brand it should adopt post-merger. Once the decision was made to keepAT&T,wewerefacedwiththechallengeof refreshing a tired, old brand that came with a lot of baggage.

Our Approach To help determine which brand to move forward with, Interbrand conducted a forward-lookingvaluationofAT&TandSBC.Overall,AT&Twasthemorevaluablename—with greater equity to take the company further in the future.

TosupportthenewAT&T,weundertook a complete refresh of the brand’s identity: a new logo and an overhaul of the brand’s look and feel across all touchpoints.

FromthebeginningwecoachedAT&Tthatgreat brands must “engage, deliver, and evolve.” We also helped establish a culture of brand evolution with the company. Early on intheprocess,wepushedAT&Ttothinkof its brand outside the walls of its category and to move toward iconic brand status.

The Solution Five years of progressive brand evolution has led to one clear point of view for the brand. The soul of the brand is now defined and united around a common purpose: “Relentless innovation for human progress,” which is summed up in the line “Rethink Possible.”

“Rethink Possible” is rooted in optimism and possibility. It represents a point of view and a lifestyle choice that can be fuelledbywhatAT&Thastooffer.Itisa brand proposition that drives both communications and behaviors.

Business Results AT&Thassuccessfullyevolvedintoaleadingtelecommunications and technology brand. Today, the entire organization is aligned around the idea of “Rethink Possible.”

Evolving a historic company into a leading telecom and technology brand.

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Top 10 Case Studies