From the ground up: Helping global engineering, industrial manufacturing and mining leader NEPEAN tell their story
NEPEAN is a privately owned global organisation and industry leader in mining equipment and industrial manufacturing, with a proud Australian heritage and an excellent reputation for consistently delivering superior outcomes for its customers.
NEPEAN is widely acknowledged as one of the world leaders in mining equipment, building and infrastructure products, engineering services, and transport equipment. The company owns and manages a portfolio of multiple distinct brands across engineering and mining services, as well as power systems and steel products, to name just a few.
But with growth through acquisition comes growing pains, and internal and external research found the evolving organisation had a problem: Many of their existing customers and employees were not aware of all of the brands, and therefore all of the products and services, under the broad NEPEAN umbrella.
The research revealed an opportunity to help raise awareness of NEPEAN’s full house of brands; futureproof the brand strategy; and develop a cohesive and strategic communication plan for the company’s portfolio, including strategic brand positioning and key messaging.
Nailing the message
Our head of strategy worked with the NEPEAN marketing team to document and develop a brand strategy that was representative of the brand’s current company and product portfolio, and futureproof the brand for growth.
We looked at employee and customer research findings and brand objectives, to inform the position statement Global expertise, delivered locally – a two-part statement that can be altered to deliver countless derivative key messages, such as:
- Australian made. Globally respected.
- A global workforce. Keeping local operations running.
- Global innovations. Made right here in Australia.
- Global expertise. Helping local operations operate seamlessly.
With the position statement in place, we further derived key messaging across five pillars – Australian made; global footprint; quality products and service; passion to help customers win; and expertise – and aligned the key messages with features, benefits, advantages and emotional payoffs.
A visual refresh
We also identified that NEPEAN needed increased visual consistency across all touch points. This would help customers immediately identify NEPEAN among competitors and support key messaging.
A dynamic blue and warm white was added to the existing palette to help add personability and energy to the brand. We refreshed all fonts by introducing friendly, assertive and highly legible typefaces, including Noto, which can host over 1,000 languages.
We recommended a brand device inspired by the square grid system found in the existing ‘N’ logo mark. Using this grid structure allowed for easy design rollout, while speaking to existing brand codes.
Alongside these changes we refreshed photography, videography, iconography and illustration guides to help guide future content in the renewed branding.
Aligning execution
We developed a strategic content plan with recommended channels, messages, content types and pillars to guide the ongoing communications with NEPEAN’s primary audiences (customers, employees and other stakeholders and shareholders), and developed a refreshed brand book to arm the company for growth.
The new company position statement in all its variations, and the brand’s new key messaging framework, would form the basis of NEPEAN’s communications to help raise awareness of their various brands and services and help keep them front of mind with employees and customers alike.
Execution recommendations included a company-wide update from their CEO; articles that told stories from each of the brand’s new content pillars (people, portfolio and projects); and strategic social communications. Each of these helped to communicate to some or all of NEPEAN’s audiences, and ensured that the organisation’s varied portfolio was constantly at the forefront.
Outcomes
NEPEAN’s new position statement and refreshed brand launched in early 2024, and has been rolled out in the company’s internal comms, new website and social media communication.
The client is now rolling out a global campaign with thie new messaging and visual brand at its centre.
From the ground up: Helping global engineering, industrial manufacturing and mining leader NEPEAN tell their story
NEPEAN
September 10, 2024
NEPEAN is a privately owned global organisation and industry leader in mining equipment and industrial manufacturing, with a proud Australian heritage and an excellent reputation for consistently delivering superior outcomes for its customers.
NEPEAN is widely acknowledged as one of the world leaders in mining equipment, building and infrastructure products, engineering services, and transport equipment. The company owns and manages a portfolio of multiple distinct brands across engineering and mining services, as well as power systems and steel products, to name just a few.
But with growth through acquisition comes growing pains, and internal and external research found the evolving organisation had a problem: Many of their existing customers and employees were not aware of all of the brands, and therefore all of the products and services, under the broad NEPEAN umbrella.
The research revealed an opportunity to help raise awareness of NEPEAN’s full house of brands; futureproof the brand strategy; and develop a cohesive and strategic communication plan for the company’s portfolio, including strategic brand positioning and key messaging.
Nailing the message
Our head of strategy worked with the NEPEAN marketing team to document and develop a brand strategy that was representative of the brand’s current company and product portfolio, and futureproof the brand for growth.
We looked at employee and customer research findings and brand objectives, to inform the position statement Global expertise, delivered locally – a two-part statement that can be altered to deliver countless derivative key messages, such as:
- Australian made. Globally respected.
- A global workforce. Keeping local operations running.
- Global innovations. Made right here in Australia.
- Global expertise. Helping local operations operate seamlessly.
With the position statement in place, we further derived key messaging across five pillars – Australian made; global footprint; quality products and service; passion to help customers win; and expertise – and aligned the key messages with features, benefits, advantages and emotional payoffs.
A visual refresh
We also identified that NEPEAN needed increased visual consistency across all touch points. This would help customers immediately identify NEPEAN among competitors and support key messaging.
A dynamic blue and warm white was added to the existing palette to help add personability and energy to the brand. We refreshed all fonts by introducing friendly, assertive and highly legible typefaces, including Noto, which can host over 1,000 languages.
We recommended a brand device inspired by the square grid system found in the existing ‘N’ logo mark. Using this grid structure allowed for easy design rollout, while speaking to existing brand codes.
Alongside these changes we refreshed photography, videography, iconography and illustration guides to help guide future content in the renewed branding.
Aligning execution
We developed a strategic content plan with recommended channels, messages, content types and pillars to guide the ongoing communications with NEPEAN’s primary audiences (customers, employees and other stakeholders and shareholders), and developed a refreshed brand book to arm the company for growth.
The new company position statement in all its variations, and the brand’s new key messaging framework, would form the basis of NEPEAN’s communications to help raise awareness of their various brands and services and help keep them front of mind with employees and customers alike.
Execution recommendations included a company-wide update from their CEO; articles that told stories from each of the brand’s new content pillars (people, portfolio and projects); and strategic social communications. Each of these helped to communicate to some or all of NEPEAN’s audiences, and ensured that the organisation’s varied portfolio was constantly at the forefront.
Outcomes
NEPEAN’s new position statement and refreshed brand launched in early 2024, and has been rolled out in the company’s internal comms, new website and social media communication.
The client is now rolling out a global campaign with thie new messaging and visual brand at its centre.