Eat, sleep, work, repeat

In a fairly saturated market of over 40,000 businesses where competition is fierce, it can be very easy to get lost in the crowd; and a very dusty crowd at that. It’s easy to slip into the pattern of comfort without taking the time to step back and have a look at your brand and the market you are positioned in, as much like people, even the most beautiful designs age. It’s never unhealthy to consider the role of what change can bring, whether that’s dragging it kicking and screaming in a drastically new direction, or a simple refresh.

In the case of CHP Consulting, or what's now known as Alfa, they opted for the more drastic side of change (without the kicking and screaming). By taking the ballsy approach of renaming the company and modernising their aesthetic, the rebrand allowed them to make ripples in the market and standout from their competitors with a ‘who’s the new kid on the block?’ vibe.

Ripping Up the Rulebook on Communication & Digital Marketing

With the current market being very set in its way, it can be very easy for a brand to slip into the tried and tested monotony (a.k.a boring) depiction of Fintech peers and the more established banks. Safe is fine and you can fit seamlessly into the market place, but the brand will become outdated in no time at all and always playing catch up with surrounding brands. Let's be honest though, if you’re rebranding you should be aiming towards the disruptive end of the spectrum, be the market leader with your brand, set the bar. Whether that’s set visually, structurally or through tone of voice. Influence the rest of the market to leave the stagnant brand landscape and take a walk on the wild side; because if you're not willing to push your brand and believe in the level of impact it can have no one else will.

Alfa did this through nearly every way possible, but it all stemmed from the core pillars of what they believed to be the most important areas; Company, Product and Culture. By bringing these to the forefront it allowed us to change the way the brand communicated using the three key features as fast track navigation, but also a very impactful and distinct landing page that diversified them from the formulaic digital designs and hierarchies of the competitors.

The revolution will not be televised

It can be hard enough to create a desirable product that looks amazing, let alone a trustworthy brand that speaks to customers, as well as to represent the people who work there and the company ethos. Most brands tend to only focus on how they look at face value in a mutton-dressed-as-lamb approach, and not look into what makes them great. What’s the unique selling point? What’s their innovation? What drives them? And most importantly, what’s their personality? It’s finding this and working from the inside out that will give the confidence for the company to show its true colours.

Alfa knew they wanted a rebrand, but not the direction they would take. After spending a lot of time with the Alfa team, it quickly became apparent that they were all very confident they had a great product to offer. For us the true personality was in the team, they weren’t dusty, finance stereotypes with calculators for brains; they were a diverse bunch with their own independent views, but all with the same common belief in creating a great product for their clients. It became paramount for us to show the true colours of the brand. Literally with the colours, as well as the tone of voice, photography, and style, portraying an approachable, trustworthy and confident brand who wanted to show that the Fintech world isn’t all clerical robots pushing numbers, it’s actually far more vibrant than first perceived.

Don’t Underestimate the Value of Great Design

Fintech companies are obviously focused on investing their time and money into the job in hand to reap the greatest return, often for their clients; which by and large is how every business should operate. The irony is this doesn’t always extend to the brand itself, meaning many companies are missing a trick and not truly representing the company to maximise their returns.

Alfa recognised their future plans and that the current brand wasn’t doing what it needed to, so they invested in the rejuvenation. By seeking out the help of a branding agency they’ve succeeded in bringing the brand to the forefront of the Asset Finance landscape and it's paid off, with sales rocketing, the largest technology IPO on the London Stock Exchange this year and a new shining spot in the FTSE 250. Some would say they are having a pretty good first year as Alfa.