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Over the past forty years, there has been an immense change in our industry.

We have moved rapidly from traditional bricks and mortar banking and retail to the digitization of every aspect of all our lives. During this time, Alhamrani Universal has been at the forefront as a consistent, and persistent pioneer, supporting Saudi Arabia’s businesses, and helping consumers to navigate through changes in our society. 

However, as with any company that’s been around for several years, that 7-to-10-year mark is when corporate identity can start to lose that original sparkle or effectiveness. Rebranding is vital for every business that looks to continue growth. Branding is critical to every business. For us, this means our identity, what sets us apart from the competition and the moment of our critical first, memorable impression. This recognition increases our company value, provides insight, sets expectations, and makes doing business that bit easier. 

Over time, a brand can become dated. That’s when rebranding must be considered. Even big brands like Coca-Cola, Target, Dunkin’ Donuts and Disney know this. Apple has rebranded three times. Starbucks? Four. And Pepsi has rebranded 11 times. 

Purpose-driven companies are changing the market dynamics.

The purpose is everything. Brands with a clear purpose are changing the way business is done, not only in KSA but beyond. Such companies not only tend to grow three times faster than the competitors, but they also achieve a higher workforce and customer satisfaction.

A clear purpose is everything to an organization. It gives an organization a soul and an identity providing both a platform to build upon and a mirror to reflect its existence in the world. It articulates why an organization exists, what problems it is here to solve, and whom it wants to be to each customer it touches through its work. Research has highlighted those businesses are using purpose to create deeper connections with customers, do more for the communities with which they work, attract, and retain talent, and in the process, are achieving greater results and impact.

1914 translation by H. Rackham

“But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?”

Change is good, the question we asked was how much should we change?

All good branding is built on strategy. All strategies are built on business objectives. And in business, these objectives naturally evolve as the world changes around you. We can see how fast KSA is changing and changed in the last few years. The question was do we go out with the old and in with the rebrand or make a series of subtle changes over time—in other words, a brand evolution.

Brand evolution is a baby step in response to customer feedback, design trends, the marketplace, and internal changes. Whereas a rebrand is a significant shift in how the brand looks, acts and presents itself. We opted for a rebrand, as we felt it was the right time to renew and announce our purpose. Our purpose is of a marketing-led brand, which was a pioneer and will continue to remain one. 

A Marketing Lead Approach

A marketing-led approach is all about putting our customers at the heart of our business. We want to identify and research those products that the customer needs and wants, instead of what we want to sell. In our brand story, we want to position our customers as heroes and the products and services we offer to help their unmet needs.

A marketing-led approach is a win-win for customers, partners, and us as a business. It will serve us in our long-term financial success, business survival and longevity by focusing the energy on producing a product or service that is wanted and therefore purchased. Our purpose is to be the “voice of our customer”.

More Than a New Logo

Our rebrand has been a major undertaking and represents a huge shift, not just in the way we look, feel, and present ourselves to the market, but also a redefining of what it means to be us. The steps to achieving our new direction include a complete visual rebrand, realigning our communications around compelling brand stories to create a solid brand positioning, and harnessing a new integrated marketing approach to establish a clearer brand persona.

The rebrand will provide us with the focus, clarity, and ability to analyze our interactions from a customer perspective. It will give us the tools to be able to plug in our products and services and how they have and can continue to be a guiding force for our customers. It will help us to maintain our legacy and prepare us, for the ever-evolving future.

In Brand We Trust.

A key driver for our rebrand was reintroducing our purpose, vision and ethos, the opportunity to re-establish our core values, those being what and why -the reasons for very our existence, both internally to our stakeholders, and externally to the market at large. Our mission, therefore, is to continually pioneer and innovate financial technologies, which enable our customers to evolve, stay ahead and grow. 

These elements of our ethos serve to guide “how” we conduct yourselves while carrying out our daily business.

1. Taking a customer-centric approach, one more in tune with the wants and the needs of our customers.
2. Valuing our partners and customers -to thrive on transparency, mutual respect, and integrity, which is vital in creating an atmosphere of mutual trust.
3. To further invest in our people, because they enable us to achieve our mission and vision.
4. To welcome constructive criticism and encourage change, by consistently, tweaking, improving, and learning.

The optimum time.

This is the right time to renew and announce our purpose of the marketing-led brand, which will continue as an industry pioneer, and marketing a led approach is all about putting our customers at the heart of our business. Our goal is to continually identify, develop and offer products and services that our customer needs and wants, instead of what we want to sell. 

Our rebranding as“AU” represents our ongoing mission to provide a platform and ecosystem that delivers transactions that are securer, cheaper, faster, and more reliable, which create more commercial opportunities, better ROI for businesses, and a simplified experience for consumers.