Both office and staffers get a professional makeover
Harbinger Communications is using its recent move to new downtown Toronto offices as an opportunity to refresh its brand identity – what it calls its “brand essence” – as well.
“It was time for us to rejuvenate ourselves,” said Jeff Weiss, president of Harbinger. “We haven’t changed our positioning – we’re still focused on marketing to women. And our tagline, ‘We’re always thinking,’ hasn’t changed. But our brand essence has been changed to the idea of being driven by forward thinking.”
Weiss said it’s not a huge shift, but it reflects more of where Harbinger is now than when the agency branding was developed 12 years ago.
“Clients notice a difference when they see everything combined. It’s about the energy and rejuvenation that people feel in terms of our new office and our new look. We’ve also developed guidelines, called ‘Harbinger’s Guide to Inner Space,’ that address how we want our space to look at all times, whether our clients are here or not,” said Weiss.
“We’re creative, but we’re also professional in our space and it reflects our image, as well.”
The overhaul extends beyond the light fixtures and foyer. Harbinger held an employee retreat in June and brought in well-known professional image consultant Mary Lou Andre to help the staff look and dress in a way that is consistent with the agency’s brand.
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen business attire become more and more casual at agencies,” said Weiss. “We realized that how we present ourselves to clients and others is a reflection of both our agency and the individuals who work on our team. It’s important that our clients focus on what we are saying and not what we are wearing, and we felt that it was time to put some parameters around our overall professional image.
Weiss said the result has been “dramatic” and that the staff “now presents with greater confidence as a result.”
Bing Creative, Harbinger’s graphic design sister company, handles internal graphic design mandates for the agency and did the logo rebranding.
The agency works on 35-40 brands into total. Unilever is its largest client, with roughly 12 brands.
