Sofology had a number of ESG initiatives that had been created over the years. These sub-brands were disparate and disjointed, and needed a creative and strategic eye to organise them into a more connected experience.

They were making their products and processes increasingly sustainable and the brand needed to reflect that.

Starting a brand from scratch is ‘easy’. Taking a bunch of legacy brands and making them work together—and work harder—whilst bringing people along on the journey is more challenging. But it’s possible…

We held stakeholder workshops to understand the business processes, objectives and plans to enable us to define a future vision.

We created an audit of current ESG initiatives to understand historical context and priorities. Having the full picture enabled us to map initiatives more clearly and concisely for the customer and internal stakeholders.

No matter what a brand consultancy might tell you, or try to convince you with flow charts, models and diagrams, brand strategy isn’t a science.

Good brand strategy often involves a creative leap worthy of any creative agency. It takes a moment of inspiration, creativity and clarity to realise a compelling and simple proposition in so few words that can encompass so much.

Look Forward – a unifying proposition that ties together current initiatives, and gives a framework and platform for future plans. As more products and processes become sustainable, they can be developed consistently and holistically under the ‘Look Forward’ proposition.

With the strategy in place, we could look at how we could bring it to life across communications and in stores.

Guidelines for the future

Guidance was needed to bring the vision together and give consistency to its application, so a full guideline was produced covering physical and digital application across web and social platforms. We defined the brand visually and tonally, pulling it all together into this future-facing guide.

Films and content

We produced films and content for use across digital channels and in stores. The first film opportunity came on location at a tree planting initiative, where members of the Sofology team have the opportunity to plant the trees that customers receive when they purchase a sofa. Rather than produce a basic report of the day, as had been done in the past, we used the opportunity to create a brand statement. The film narrative underlined the overarching vision of the Look Forward proposition.

Look Forward in store 

The first physical incarnation of the project came within the new Sofology store built in Hedge End, where the Look Forward story was interwoven with conscious products and initiatives. The ESG work was given a significant footprint in the retail space, highlighting the real intent for this work to have impact.

A holistic brand platform that sets up the opportunity for real change. By bringing the initiatives together we moved ESG to the forefront of the business to enable a bigger impact—for the benefit of the planet, their people and customers.