RIBA — Building a commercial brand
Six years ago we were asked to bring some clarity to the commercial businesses of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The brand architecture was fractured and confused, and we worked closely with the client to consider how to maximise the potential of each sub-brand and where to leverage the equity and reputation of the parent RIBA brand.
To do this we conducted research to understand perceptions of employees and customers, using this to agree brand strategies for each business. These brands included the national chain of Bookshops, and NBS, the industry standard provider of expert information to the built environment industry.
We continue to work with the RIBA’s commercial activities, advising on brand strategy. At the start of 2011 we conducted a brand audit for NBS to inform the launch of a significant new product, NBS Create. We developed the new name and positioning for the product, and refreshed the entire NBS brand to refocus the business around its purpose and the benefits it brings to its customers.
