As you might have noticed, there was a lack of posts between the Christmas holiday as I have been traveling and spending some well deserved time with my family. And in a blink of an eye, the New Year is already upon us.
Today: Over the last 18 months, UKTV and long-standing creative partner Red Bee Media have overhauled the broadcaster’s entire portfolio of ten channels, in what is the largest and most ambitious branding exercise in British broadcasting history. The final channel rebrand, Good Food (formerly UKTV Food) relaunches today, June 22.
UKTV’s Marketing and Communications Director, Tom Lucas, and Lifestyle Marketing Manager, Denise Wild, tasked Red Bee with encouraging a more diverse audience to the channel by making it feel more entertaining and less exclusively for ‘foodies’. The result? A fresh and lively rebrand that captures viewers’ universal love of food.
UKTV’s Denise Wild explains, “Developing Good Food brand identity has been a very different experience from our nine preceding rebrands. We had to align our new multiplatform brand with the established Good Food brand with a view to creating one food superbrand, while also ensuring our TV proposition is distinct and appealing to our current UKTV Food viewers.”
“To do this, we’ve utilised the Good Food type face within our logo but altered its alignment and positioning, and also used the recognised colour palette to create an on screen presentation kit that is both fresh and modern in feel.”
Red Bee Media developed an initial package of four idents, titled “Stir Fry”, “Wild Food”, “Dinner Party” and “Sunday Roast” that capture the energy, the fun and the social aspect that comes across when eating and preparing food.
Alongside the idents, the company also produced a full OSP kit – including all navigation menus, blips, which are momentary on-screen interruptions and break bumpers for the channel – and a launch promo (10 sec, 30 sec and 60 sec versions) that is currently playing across all 17 UKTV and Virgin TV channels. An off-air marketing campaign is planned for Q4 2009 to support a raft of new commissions and acquisitions that will premiere from September.
Andy Bryant, Director, Creative at Red Bee Media comments, “Changing the face of UKTV has demonstrated how a distinctive and relevant brand identity is one of the more potent and effective options available to broadcasters to achieve audience and revenue growth. Our work with UKTV has already delivered real financial payback in a fiercely competitive television market place.”
National Geographic International has revealed a new brand campaign and on-air graphics package for its Nat Geo Wild channel. The materials – shot entirely in HD – complement the channel’s new “Get Closer” tagline, and begin airing globally this month.
NGCI commissioned UK-based creative agency Devilfish to develop the brand campaign and Argentinean-based Medialuna design studio for the new graphics package. The “Get Closer” tagline and four “B-roll” brand spots created by Devilfish illustrate the extent to which Nat Geo Wild and its filmmakers will go to bring viewers into the very heart of the natural world. Inspired by National Geographic wildlife filmmaker stories from the field, the 30 and 45 second brand spots recreate these extraordinary moments from narrowly escaping a treacherous fall while filming on a remote mountain cliff to wading through leech-infested waters in search of howler monkeys.
Inspired by wildlife film-makers’ stories, the 15 HD spots include treacherous mountain falls and people wading through leech-infested waters.
A hilarious must see: sharp witted (and award winning Australian film & television critic) Marc Fennell does it again. Marc sent me a message yesterday regarding ‘#zombie looting’. Unfortunately, I don’t have all my Tweet-speak down yet.
What I do know is that audiences are equipped with greater awareness of our work in screen branding. They are connected to the mass media dialogue like never before. And since consumers now interact with content and programming through intersecting media portals, they’re quite likely to tweet and blog their true feelings towards our entertainment brands (and how we package them) into the digital hemisphere. The real question? Will those of us in the branding business hear their call?
There’s never been a greater opportunity to listen, speak, and interact directly with our evolving (and lean forward) audience.
In the span of just 6 minutes, Mark manages to channel some collective Aussie angst, while simultaneously being able to talk about Channel Nine’s Balls and the (beloved) BBC Three “Blobs” engaged in some alleged dubious behavior.
If you manage to get through the video without smirking, smiling (/crying), grinning, or outright chuckling, please immediately run out and get yourself some Pinkberry. Make that a large with blueberry, raspberry, and kiwi.
You, my friend, have yoda-like self control.
Do you have an opinion on this issue? Go ahead! Post your (g-rated) thoughts below and share your comments on the current state of television branding and continuity. We’re listening…
–
And as a (uber important) friendly reminder, If you’re a fan of the blog, you must:
As an Angeleno living in the UK for the past year, I must the Five USA Rebrand holds a pretty special place in my good old American heart. I can only watch so much Clark + May touring Britain and Nigella scurrying about Harvey Nicks before really missing the grotty parts of Sunset Blvd, In-N-Out Double Doubles, my Sunday cardio aka: Target, and the wide open car park also known as the 405. And really, who does a better chocolate milkshake than a good old fashioned American Diner?
Click for Brand Spot
The new on-air look reflects the channel’s strong American programming lineup with a bold and vibrant series of idents filmed over 2 weeks in New York, LA, Miami, and Las Vegas.
The camera work is up close and personal. The goal was to allow viewers to feel like they are in the middle of the action. The shooting style was intentionally handheld, raw, controlled, and fluid. A ticker-tape device was developed to reveal show information with snippets of overheard conversation within the scrolling text.
Click for Eye Contact Ident
The Five USA Rebrand launches with a set of 9 idents, capturing the energy and passion of exclusive locations as well as unforgettable raw and real characters.
London-based creative collective dixonbaxi, in collaboration with Five Creative Services, helmed the brand assignment. The new logo is part of a comprehensive identity package developed by dixonbaxi for the Five Network and sits alongside Five and Fiver.
Click for Heli Ident
The audience is put at the heart of the action, feeling the vibrancy and energy of America- up close and personal. DixonBaxi Creative Director Aporva Baxi further explains, “The tone and pace of the new identity is ‘Electric America’, an exciting, daring and distinct mirroring of the programming and channel ambition.”
Click for Full Image
The channel’s soundtrack was specially commissioned from Simon Pyke at Freefarm Sound Design / Music to capture the scale and spirit of modern, urban USA. The feel is chirpy, raw, and real.
Click for Football Ident
Extra thanks to agency principal Simon Dixon for reaching out and the kind words on the blog.
Today, the past has become present: UKTV History channel has rebranded as Yesterday, culminating in the last of UKTV’s factual channels to be renamed and rebranded. Yesterday targets upmarket 30 plus couples, placing serious history in the form of Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain and Auschwitz in the same schedule as The Alan Clark Diaries, House of Cards and Antiques Roadshow.
In other big UKTV news, the whole company got into spirit and dressed up in 80’s gear to celebrate the launch of the channel. I’ve managed to get my hands on some photographic evidence. Extra thanks to my super-secret inside source! Don’t they look cute? I’m digging the pink. (btw, what’s Hugh Jackman doing working at UKTV?)
Click for Full 80's Effect
**Updated**
2:05pm Added more pictures
12:36 Added Idents:Wright Brothers, Suffragettes, and Debutantes
09:18 Added Ident: Hoodies
09:15 Added Ident: War
09:05 Added Ident: Football
Yesterday’s Channel Head, Richard Kingsbury, adds, “Alongside classic history content which continues to be hugely popular there will be a new emphasis on living history. Our programming will cover everything from world changing events to fondly remembered moments of popular culture. The whole point of Yesterday is to make history feel more immediate and more personal.”
The new channel proposition and name was developed in-house at UKTV following a process that first began by identifying the channel’s target audiences before devising a positioning and creating the content offering. The pay TV broadcaster’s marketing team worked closely with Red Bee to develop Yesterday’s on-screen identity, which includes 15 different variations on its logo and will be unveiled shortly.
Yesterday Ident: Hoodies
Matthew Littleford, UKTV’s controller, explains: “We realized that because we had strong content we needed to have kick-ass brands that would stand out,” he says, stressing the importance of UKTV’s access to BBC programming.” The figures are impressive: six months of research, 32 focus groups, consultation with 120 staff members and 3,500 online respondents, £250,000 spent. Littleford adds, “All of the research about History was that people who came to watch it would be interested in 20th-century history and war. The history channel isn’t just about that,” he says. “We wanted a brand that stretched wider.”
Yesterday Ident: Wright Brothers
Yesterday Ident: Suffragettes
Yesterday Ident: Debutantes
Check back soon for more updates from today’s launch.
There’s been a good bit of buzz and chatter here in the UK lately regarding the new Discovery re-brand. The comprehensive redesign of Discovery Channel’s (US) on air branding was developed by Los Angeles based motion & production studio Royale. The new package showcases stunning imagery from across the deep Discovery library.
Click for Movie
“Royale brought an idea to the table which brings to life the awesome, unusual and authentic moments found in our programming by combining a series of stills with dynamic 3D animation,” says Heather Roymans, Creative Director of Marketing at Discovery Channel.
Click for Movie
The brand assignment came together after Discovery SVP Creative James Hitchcock and VP Dan Bragg saw Royale’s promo package for Mythbusters.
Click for Movie
Another colleague from my Autonomy days, Amie Nguyen, serving as Art Director for Discovery Channel explains, “Royale showed amazing technical savviness in creating a simple interchangeable system generating unlimited combination of visuals.”
Click for Movie
Royale was also tasked with refining the Discovery Channel logo, which had undergone a design overhaul last spring. The studio re-worked the network’s signature globe icon, giving it dimension and finessing the typography. The new logo is currently being used across all of Discovery’s collateral materials such as letterhead and business cards.
Click for Movie
The comprehensive package for the Discovery Channel includes branding elements, IDs, show menus, transitions, and lower thirds, as well as a generic toolkit of graphics and animation.
In UK Discovery news, Discovery is set to launch a new channel called “Discovery Shed”. The new service, which goes live on March 20, aims to be “the place for men who like good old practical activities to escape to”. Programming will cover fishing, DIY, construction, cars, bikes and outdoor extreme adventure.The addition takes the number of channels in Discovery’s UK portfolio to 12.
A quick look back at some Sky cross channels. (By request)
For my colleagues in the States who hadn’t seen the Sky spot, here you go.
Of course, in Sept 2008, Sky Three (along with sister channels One and Two) re-branded in the biggest on air change in Sky One’s 20 year history. The re-brand saw the logo change from the written “three” to being replaced in favor of the number “3” as well as a tweak to the Sky part of the logo. The fresh set of indents complementing the relaunch were developed by Sky Creative and our colleagues at The Moving Picture Company.
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Art & Business of Motion 
TV Brand Identity: Balls, Blobs, and Spandex Clad Men
A hilarious must see: sharp witted (and award winning Australian film & television critic) Marc Fennell does it again. Marc sent me a message yesterday regarding ‘#zombie looting’. Unfortunately, I don’t have all my Tweet-speak down yet.
What I do know is that audiences are equipped with greater awareness of our work in screen branding. They are connected to the mass media dialogue like never before. And since consumers now interact with content and programming through intersecting media portals, they’re quite likely to tweet and blog their true feelings towards our entertainment brands (and how we package them) into the digital hemisphere. The real question? Will those of us in the branding business hear their call?
There’s never been a greater opportunity to listen, speak, and interact directly with our evolving (and lean forward) audience.
In the span of just 6 minutes, Mark manages to channel some collective Aussie angst, while simultaneously being able to talk about Channel Nine’s Balls and the (beloved) BBC Three “Blobs” engaged in some alleged dubious behavior.
If you manage to get through the video without smirking, smiling (/crying), grinning, or outright chuckling, please immediately run out and get yourself some Pinkberry. Make that a large with blueberry, raspberry, and kiwi.
You, my friend, have yoda-like self control.
Do you have an opinion on this issue? Go ahead! Post your (g-rated) thoughts below and share your comments on the current state of television branding and continuity. We’re listening…
–
And as a (uber important) friendly reminder, If you’re a fan of the blog, you must:
a) Follow me on Twitter, by clicking here
and…
b) If you’re on Technorati, please click here to add me to your favorites.
If you do so, the Kogi BBQ Truck is guaranteed to stop right in front of your house tomorrow night. So worth it.
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Filed under branding, channel identity, ident, opinion
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