March 2, 2018
A re-brand can be an opportunity to show employee appreciation
The exciting new Hotwire branding positively beams with confidence, giving weight to their ambitious aim of being “the best agency you’ll ever work with” and their fresh, fun persona. The gifts they were going to give to their staff needed to be just as fun and ambitious if they were to provide the employee appreciation that forms a prominent part of their ethos. In true style, Hotwire exhibit their commitment to employee appreciation with a gift of “slick high quality ‘swag’”, as Group Executive Assistant Isabelle McCarthy aptly puts (aka some very nice branded products). Inside each recipients’ presentation box was a branded notebook, pencils and a tote bag; no one was going anywhere without a bit of Hotwire splashed on them that day – everyday tasks, like jotting down meeting notes, were promoted by pink.
A sleek black box of branded products makes an impressive employee gift
Put colour and texture to your ‘thank you’ with branded products
The sophisticated matte black presentation boxes were foil printed with the bright pink Hotwire logo and filled with the similarly stylish quality customised products. The notebook is debossed, adding textural variety without overpowering the overall outfit, while the entirely black pencils (wood included) and black cotton tote bag are screen printed in the company’s Pantone. For added surprise and variety, every other box contains a white screen printed pencil, in place of the pink, emblazoning an inclusive hashtag encouraging everyone to join in with the re-launch of the brand on social media.
The dominant colour, black, is usually associated with very serious and important matters. But by injecting a flash of pink the company stay relevant to their ethos and individual tone. The stark contrast of the black of the branded products with the luminous pink allows the logo to stand out in any context, bordering it with thick black lines that draw the eye away from everything else and bring your attention to the relatively small, but important, pink lettering.
A debossed notebook and printed pencils make a colourful and tactile gift for employees
The final result is extremely effective and serves as an example of how to translate bold branding into customised products. The sophisticated, hand finished black boxes sat panther-like on recipients’ desks, with bright pink foil printed lids inviting them to open them up. And when they did, their faces lit up at the sight of the personalised products, made specifically for them; a reaction worthy of all the effort and thought that went into the gift sets.
One Hotwire employee looks very pleased with her gift set!
A successful re-brand campaign
It was wonderful to work with an agency that know how to use colour and texture together with our branding skills for maximum effect. With simple, sleek products and carefully chosen branding, Hotwire were able to introduce their new identity to their team and make feel part of the global Hotwire Community whilst giving them a fantastic branded gift set filled at the same time. It was a win-win campaign – but what else would you expect from a global communications powerhouse?
That’s one well put-together gift set, or “very fancy treat” to use McCarthy’s exact words!
Hotwire employees proudly show off their loot from the company’s re-brand launch
