How to revitalize ABB’s corporate brand and build on 125 years of heritage?

Let’s write the future. Together.

ABB, the pioneering technology leader with a 125-year history and about 136,000 employees worldwide, launched its Next Level strategy in late 2014. The brand, however, had yet to follow: a heterogeneous portfolio of brands was hindering ABB from unlocking the value of its digital offering. As a response, the company adapted a single corporate brand strategy in early 2016 by consolidating more than 1,000 brands in 100 countries around the world under one umbrella for ABB brand transformation. The objective was to unify ABB’s portfolio of companies and showcase the full breadth and depth of the company’s global offering under one master brand.

The revitalization of ABB’s corporate brand and the push towards a master brand.

Within less than 6 months the re brand strategy and architecture had to be defined and translated into a customer focused, digital first and people-driven visual and verbal identity, ready to be launched at ABB’s Capital Markets Day in October 2016. The size and decentralized heritage of ABB meant that standard approaches would struggle, and an agile, phased methodology was needed. By bringing team-oriented experts from inside the company together with different agencies and consultancies at our Zurich office, Globeone ensured collaboration at eye level and at one table – from leading a complex strategy definition to enabling a smooth brand implementation. Which lead to the undertaking of the ABB brand transformation and brand migration.

The future is now.

ABB’s brand transformation and migration are still on-going. However, ABB’s initiatives have already resulted in meaningful value, with a 21 percent increase in brand equity since 2016. Feedback and commitment from internal and external audiences remain very positive, and we continue to co-pilot our client on this shared journey with strategy advice, brand expertise and integrated communication knowledge.