Symphony is the largest privately owned furniture supplier in the UK. 2004 saw the group entering an ambitious growth phase. As part of their growth strategy, Symphony decided to invest in their parent brand, which no longer accurately represented their position in the market. With increasingly sophisticated competitor activity, we had to clearly define Symphony as both a B2B and B2C brand, and create a new identity that would help fulfil the group’s ambitions. Symphony had an opportunity to expand their position in the minds of their customers from supplier of fitted furniture to developer of perfect living spaces.

We introduced the brand proposition ‘Creating the perfect living space’ to help the group claim this territory and focus the brand on where it fitted in people’s lives. Although the primary markets were the European building and retail sectors, the secondary audience was also crucially important – the Symphony workforce. It was important they should feel a sense of ownership of a solid, dynamic, and contemporary brand with a clear sense of purpose. Our first step was to consolidate the bedrock of the brand – the values, personality and vision. We then translated the groundwork into compelling communication materials that brought the brand alive across all channels.

What was absolutely critical was that the emerging identity embodied the values and personality of Symphony – stylish, vibrant, innovative, contemporary, confident, enthusiastic and committed. The identity was launched in 2005, first to the internal audience in a series of briefings to key management and all staff. The external launch then communicated the strategy behind the re-branding to key customers and opinion formers. The identity continues to be rolled out, one of the key tasks being the huge logistical project of re-branding a fleet of over 200 vehicles.

"The most important thing at the end of the process is we now have a brand we feel represents who we are and what we stand for – and it's a tangible, valuable business asset to help us meet the challenges of our ever-changing industry"

Alison Andrews, Head of Marketing
Symphony Group