A Journey From Robot Manufacturer to Market-Leading Brand
Universal Robots and Sunrise have enjoyed a successful collaboration for the last three years. The partnership began back in 2017 when Universal Robots, together with Sunrise initiated a strategic branding project that resulted in launching the brand platform and vision, “Empowering People”. Today, the relationship is still going strong,
Challenge
Naturally, for any company experiencing double to triple digit topline and employee growth year in year out, focusing on setting up shop in new markets, getting distributors on board and a sharp new sales orientation, Universal Robots realized that they had reached a point, where it was time to stop and think of what could take their branding and marketing efforts to the next level commercially. In other words, it was time to calibrate and consolidate.
Consequently, the management at UR decided that to continue strengthening the business commercially, a marketing-organizational transition was needed. With the mindset of creating one brand, one look and one message the following goals were set in place. 1) A harmonious and consistent brand experience, 2) Global control and coordination of marketing effort for maximised impact, 3) Standardization of processes, technology and strategy, 4) Comparable data and KPIs across markets and channels.
Solution
The goal was to create a brand platform that took its point of departure in extracting the DNA of Universal Robots – the Why? What? Who? and How? And translating this into a brand and communication platform that could be used to tell one consistent story globally.
By triangulating company, target group, and market insights, the essence of Universal Robots was distilled, and a value proposition and position created, forming the basis of an exclusive brand story and main purpose of “Empowering People”. More than simply automation, Universal Robots changes how people work and live around the globe by empowering their ideas and dreams. This was a brand statement that UR as a company could stand for, that their customers would be attracted to, and that would stand out in the market as truly distinct.
By democratizing automation to the millions standing on the factory floor, we would be pushing humanity forward. “Empowering People” is an emotional philosophy about making the impossible possible for businesses all over the world. It is a universal story that people will never tire of, making it a perfect banner under which to unite a global organization moving forward. To anchor the brand platform internally, a brand toolbox including on-screen employee testimonials, a brand book, roll-ups, posters and a range of other communication resources was developed. In a B2B world where employees are one of the company’s key assets for communicating the brand, internal implementation was essential.
Result
The result – based on one brand, one look, one message – became “Empowering People”. Fo obvious reasons, the brand transition is an ongoing task that requires constant efforts to grow the brand in the hearts and minds of customers and drive business. Yet, the results of the collaboration between Sunrise and UR can clearly be seen. At all levels of the organization “brand buy-in” can be seen as a result of our internal activation. This has created a close-knit internal movement that can be spread externally. A global brand experience with consistent form and expression has been created across all markets and touchpoints through numerous global campaigns and sales concepts.
For Universal Robots, a relevant, differentiated brand message and objective has been created that is constantly anchored by internal activation and external campaigns. While the mission to grow brand equity continues, the endeavour to affect a transition from robot manufacturer to market-leading brand has undoubtedly materialised.
