As part of a global rebrand that began rolling out in December, Hill & Knowlton Canada has rebranded as Hill + Knowlton Strategies (Hill & Knowlton Stratégies in Quebec).
The rebrand, which takes effect today, reflects a January 2011 merger between Hill & Knowlton and its sister WPP firm, opinion research and business advisory agency Public Strategies.
“We’re bringing together the best of those two brands,” said Selena Cameron, the Toronto-based vice-president for Hill + Knowlton Strategies.
The merger and subsequent rebranding also reflects the firm’s commitment to expanding research capabilities in order to better understand consumers and stakeholders, and “heavy” investments in digital – which continues to evolve as a major communications channel.
The rebranding affects literally hundreds of touch-points, ranging from signage at Hill + Knowlton Strategies’ nine Canadian offices to Twitter avatars, pencils, business cards and coffee mugs.
Established in 1927, Hill + Knowlton Strategies now operates 85 offices in 46 countries. It opened its first Canadian office 30 years ago.
“It is a long established and very well respected company name, so it was not without serious consultation that we took this on, but we think it’s absolutely the right move for the company,” said Cameron.
Today’s rebranding also represents the first time the agency’s Quebec operations, formerly known as HKDP, will operate under the Hill + Knowlton name.
The rebranding follows in-depth research conducted with PR heads across the world. “What we found is there’s very little differentiation in the marketplace between the big PR agencies,” said Cameron. “We thought this was a really important step in starting to differentiate us from our competitors.”
Does the new branding sufficiently differentiate the agency from competitors? Post your thoughts in our comment section.
