pulse brands creds nov 2014

Nov 2014 1Nov 2014

Credentials

Nov 2014 2

About us

Our approach

What we do

Challenges

Principles, brands with purpose

Our clients

Our Team

Key Personnel

Case Studies

1. Building brands from within

Rumaila oilfield

Permira

M&G

2. Developing brand personality

Moneyline

Basra Oil and Gas exhibition

SBT

3. Supporting business objectives

Aureos

EB&V

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

14

16

18

19

21

23

25

26

28

Contents

Nov 2014 3

Our approach

Our job is to help clients use their brand to

unlock the potential of every manager, employee,

customer, investor or community leader to define a

product or service of value to the world.

We call this purposeful branding.

We believe that the brand – the articulation of

the organisation’s behaviour, culture, ethos and

values – is a powerful tool to either drive change

internally, externally or both.

In a world familiar with spin, we have always

believed that a brand’s strength comes from

its authenticity and simplicity. Pulse was set

up because we believe that brands can only

truly be built from within, through an iterative

engagement process of talking and listening to

people about their views, values, aspirations and

fears. We do this because we believe a brand

is best delivered by the individual actions and

behaviours of every employee and contractor.

We have seen how this approach over the

past 12 years has made a difference to many

organisations’ confidence and performance

– irrespective of location or industry. Be that

in the desert of post-conflict Iraq, the private

equity boardroom or in the small retail outlets

of a credit loan social enterprise. When staff are

engaged they live the brand. And, when a brand

is authentic and true to its purpose, it makes a

difference.

Foundations, trusts and charities are increasingly

finding themselves under pressure to behave in a

more commercial way. Equally, corporations and

SMEs look to operate in a way that is recognisably

of benefit to society. We work closely with both

worlds. And in everything we do, we apply our

philosophy of purposeful branding.

Simon Milton, Founder

Nov 2014 4

What we do

Corporate Culture

Internal External

− Developing vision, purpose

and values workshops

− Leadership mentoring

(orientated to achieving

organisational engagement

to deliver strategy)

− Designing and facilitating

management workshops to

create alignment and action

− Developing and designing

internal engagement

strategies

− Designing and developing

newspapers, engagement

materials etc.

− Public relations

− Digital marketing

− Exhibition design

− Branded environment

− Design

Nov 2014 5

ChallengesIssues we help to resolve

Protecting our DNA

at a time of growth

Our business is very successful and growing fast. I want to make sure that the way we work now as a small firm is preserved as we get bigger, I want to identify and preserve the essence of what makes us successful.

Managing Partner

Financial Services

Capturing our employees'

imaginations

We have invested heavily in a brand strategy that I thought everyone had bought into but nothing has really changed in the way we do business.

Global Marketing Director

Consumer Brand

Gaining internal

buyin

My team has been working on one of the most significant innovations in climate change for 40 years but I need to win acceptance and understanding throughout the organisation to make this work and turn an idea into reality.

Senior VP

Energy

Aligning our

leadership

We continue to work in silos. The company off sites are short moments in time but nothing sustainable. I need to align our leadership behind a clear and compelling vision and drive the business on a sustained basis.

Global Marketing Director

Automotive

Building from

the ground up

We need help to build a brand to unite three very different cultures

VP of Communications

Multinational

Our external brand

is not fit for purpose

We are doing some brilliant things but our external brand bears no resemblance to reality.

Managing Partner

Professional Services

Nov 2014 6

A powerful tool

The brand is a tool to

help engage and connect

with all the stakeholders

(employees, customers,

investors, suppliers, and

community to achieve the

organisation's goals). It is

shorthand for the vision

and values/ principles

that shape behaviour.

Substance

A purposeful brand is

everything going on behind

the logo or name. It is the

substance not the spin.

Stand for

something

For organisations to

stand out they need to

stand for something.

Understanding what this

is and what this is not is

critical to the purposeful

branding process.

Serve others

Organisations exist to

serve others. A purposeful

brand remains mindful of

its customers, investors

community and the world

it serves at all times.

Journey towards a

unifying vision

The purposeful branding

process starts with a

clear vision of where the

organisation wants to

be and what needs to

change to get there.

Uncovering /

Discovery

The founding principles

might have got lost over

time. Every business

or organisation is set

up because there is a

belief in being able to do

something better, cheaper

etc. It might be a case

of stepping back to go

forward or realising that

the founding principles

are no longer relevant.

Working iteratively

Purposeful branding

requires building a

purposeful brand as an

iterative process. Building

on what went before.

Courageous

leadership

Organisations require

courageous leadership

capable of making difficult

decisions and challenging

the status quo on a

regular basis.

Starts with the

individual

We are all different. It is

this difference that makes

great teams and builds

successful departments

and fundamentally

creates a business that

can sustain success.

The purposeful branding

process should provide

the framework for the

individual to thrive.

Ownership

Purposeful branding

requires all leaders and

functions to manage

reputation and not just

the brand/marketing.

Humility

A purposeful brand

never takes itself too

seriously. Like humans

organisations/ brands

will make mistakes.

Making a profit and being

good to the world at the

same time is a massive

challenge. Hubris can kill

a reputation.

Small things make

a difference

Organisations can get

hung up on big ideas

or idealistic visions. In

reality your workforce,

customers and investors

are most inspired by the

small things. The way

you respond in the lift,

via email or by phone

is critical to how your

organisation is perceived.

Principles, brands with purpose Over the last 12 years we have built a philosophy behind

purposeful branding. From our work with the energy

sector, social enterprises and managers of privately owned

businesses we are constantly learning and adapting.

Nov 2014 7

Clients / Work

Abcam

Artraker

Aureos Capital

BP

Carbon Capture Project

ITV

Jaguar

M&G

Moneyline

OceanBridge

Permira

OKI

Rumaila

Social Business Trust

UNESCO

Nov 2014 8

Our Team

Zoe Lester, DesignIago John, Consulting

Laura Watcham, Consulting

Simon Milton, Strategic Consulting

Michael Chapman, Executive Support Sarah Mahon, Accounts

Richard Pearce, Branded Environment

Robert James, Film ProducerCorporate CultureExpert

Greg Sheridan, Copywriting

Mona Ishaq, Consulting

Robert Goodsell, Strategic Consulting

Thomas Gaffan, Design Andrew Leith, Strategic Consulting / Design James Dunne, Strategic Consulting

Jacqueline Milton, Finance Director

Chris Lodge, Design

Simon Taylor, Strategic Consulting

Oscar Greensted, Design

Nov 2014 9

Simon Milton

Founder and Strategic Consultant

Since founding Pulse in 2002 Simon has led

corporate branding initiatives for global clients

including: BP (Technology, Emerging Business

Ventures, Carbon Capture and Storage), Permira

(Private Equity), Jaguar (Luxury Brand) Aureos

(Emerging Markets Private Equity), Moneyline

(Social Enterprise) and, most recently, Rumaila

(Iraqi oilfield run by BP, PetroChina and SOC).

Simon’s expertise is in developing and

supporting teams in using the corporate brand

to deliver change internally and externally.

He is a founder and trustee of the Social

Business Trust backed by Bain & Company,

British Gas, Clifford Chance, Credit Suisse, Ernst

& Young, Permira and Thomson Reuters.

Prior to setting up Pulse he spent 14 years in

corporate public relations for Daniel J Edelman,

Biss Lancaster Euro RSCG and Burson

Marsteller working on a number of accounts for

multinational organisations.

He built Pulse on the belief that it is corporate

behaviour that drives reputation and not the PR

or marketing function. A world beyond spin.

Robert Goodsell

Strategic Consultant

Robert has provided consultancy on leadership,

corporate culture and employee engagement for

many UK and international clients since Pulse’s

inception.

Prior to Pulse Robert was a partner and director

of Smythe Dorward Lambert (now integrated

with brand consultancy Interbrand) where he led

projects for suppliers to international healthcare

markets, international media, the travel industry,

the chemical industry and banking.

In addition, Robert has held senior roles ‘in house’

for international companies – communications,

strategy, marketing and operations in the IT, retail

and oil and gas industries

Robert has also set up a UK-based community

interest company – 'Akatemia' – to bring

practical entrepreneurship education to the

UK's Business Schools. Departments have now

opened in three UK universities.

Key personnel

Oct 2014 10

Our Work Pulse Case Studies

Oct 2014 11

A process of discovery; listening to people

across the organisation – stakeholders both

internal and external – to get to the heart of how

the organisation sees itself, and what kind of

organisation it wishes to be.

Building an authentic brand

begins by talking with the people

who represent the organisation

every day.

Through active employee

participation (via workshops

and sometimes surveys) we

learn what matters to them;

how their feelings, ambitions

and fears shape their thinking

and their relationship with the

organisation.

Gaining staff buy-in can be

difficult, especially in times

of change, but connecting

with employees provides the

foundations for a brand that can

resonate and guide action.

With participation in the process

of building a brand comes

ownership.

Brand methodology 1. Building brands from within

Oct 2014 12

"Pulse listened, respected opinions and responded with a visual identity which was so powerful that it went viral. It is still the only oilfield being rehabilitated with Western help that has an ‘Iraqi’ identity."

Clare Bebbington

former Vice President

Communications

and External Affairs

BP Iraq

(now Group Head

of External Affairs,

Petrofac)

Creating impact

Our principle task was to ensure that the 6,000 employees and the local communities developed trust and confidence in an operation that delivers 40% of Iraq’s GDP

Sustainability

The operating organisation is an Iraqi, British, Chinese joint venture – but the majority of the staff are Iraqi. We support them to acquire insight into modern business practices

Building identity

Creating a distinctive Iraqi brand – a visual identity, organisational values and culture – with a modern and international voice

Working together to achieve

what many would have thought

impossible

Building brands from within

Rumaila Oilfield

Oct 2014 13

Rumaila, in southern Iraq, is one of the three largest

oilfields in the world. It has lived through over 40 years

of conflict, suffered decades of neglect and under-

investment before BP and PetroChina were brought in by

Iraq’s South Oil Company to help regenerate the field.

Our challenge was to help bring together three distinctly

different cultures as one team around a common aim -

to meet ambitious production and safety targets.

We identified that everyone

involved was driven by a

common purpose: to help

rebuild Iraq. No matter

whether staff came from

Basra, Birmingham or

Beijing, there was a strong

desire to do more than just

increase oil production. It

was essential to tap into this

mutually shared interest,

identify common values and

help people connect in a

way that built real trust and

support for each other.

This was achieved through

a series of face-to-face

sessions with members

across the organisation at

all levels. To a workforce

that had to deal with

working with ageing

equipment and limited

power and water at home,

conversations around

values and logos could have

been seen as superficial.

But their participation

and engagement was

vital in identifying a set of

principles and values that

would help shape the way

people behaved.

We tested, refined and

gained buy-in from the

leadership for this new

way of operating. We

called it ‘The Rumaila Way’

which today shapes all

communications.


Rumaila Oilfield (cont.d)

Oct 2014 14

The new brand needed to help

connect the six different offices

more effectively, raise a major

multi-billion dollar fund and build

confidence in managing large

leverage buy-outs

Vision Workshops

Leadership workshops formed five year plan and overall vision

Corporate culture

Defining values to guide the corporate culture and reputation

Communication tools

Delivered communication tools and guidelines to help communicate more effectively

Supporting a visionary leader in transforming a medium-sized private equity firm into a major global operation.


Permira

Nov 2014 15

Even though Permira had considerable success, there

was a general concern from younger deal doers when

it came to managing larger deals. It was also clear that

Permira had its own unique value creation strategy and

way of operating that needed quantifying and protecting.

The initial discovery work found that deal size was always

a concern when larger funds were raised and the firm

had created a unique way of operating that needed

defining and protecting.

We delivered a range of

communications collateral

that helped build pride

from within, focusing

on a unique proposition

called ‘Impact Investing’

that really challenged

conventional perceptions

of private equity and

leverage buy-outs.

A distinctive brand

strategy was developed

and delivered over time

through a series of

workshops and branded

collateral across the firm

and with portfolio CFO's.

The real value came from

a new-found confidence

that helped the firm focus

on value creation no

matter how large the deal,

expanding its operation to

12 offices and raising the

largest fund ever raised

in the world at that time.

Impact investing is now a

common term used in the

industry.


Permira (cont.d)

Nov 2014 16

Helping a marketing team connect in the right way to support better innovation

Developing an

innovation culture

Understanding the dilemmas

Helping the team see innovation as a cultural issue and how their current ways of working support or undermine efforts

Inspiring a team

Energising the team to commit to the developments they would need to undertake to build the right relationships and ways of working

Developing innovation principles

Co-creating a set of principles that the team could begin to put into practice to build confidence and capability


M&G

Nov 2014 17

The M&G marketing team are regarded as successful

— their materials and events are on-brand, and deliver

results. But they wanted to understand how they could

maintain their edge in a changing operating environment.

Success was seen as being reliant on their ability to

innovate and be comfortable with taking risks.

The development of a

workshop for and with

the marketing team was

the first step in beginning

to build the right culture

they needed within a

changing business.

We took time to understand

their current culture and

their hopes and fears of

undergoing change.

The workshop methodology

involved ensuring that the

team were able to model

some of the principles

as they developed.

This entailed embracing

openness, collaboration,

learning to trust and

working with the heart

as well as the head.


M&G (cont.d)

Oct 2014 18

The key to creating or reshaping a brand identity

is to seek the authentic voice of the organisation.

‘Why XYZ Company?’ is the

question that will always be

asked by your customers,

investors and indeed employees.

Part of the answer will be the

suitability of your offer. But

what will make people want to

connect with you, support you

and, at times, even forgive you,

is how they feel about you.

People engage with a brand

through the tone of its literature,

the way it talks and the look-

and-feel of all its collateral. It

is both something that can be

defined visually and verbally,

but it is also about an energy

that can be sensed throughout

the organisation and inherent in

everything it does.

Our inspiration comes from

working with organisations so

that their personality shines

through with a single voice

which is recognisably consistent

and which resonates with

stakeholders.

Brand methodology 2. Developing brand personality, speaking with one voice

Oct 2014 19

Keeping the customer

at the heart of the brand

Unified brand

Creating a brand that unified 20 outlets. Giving the leadership confidence to scale up

Positioning

Developing a positioning which clearly sets Moneyline apart from ‘payday’ lenders

Leadership support

Supporting the leadership team in creating a strategy and tools that help them have conversations to get investors, staff and customers on board with the new brand proposition

Brand personality

Moneyline

Moneyline had a brand for the first time, that had input from colleagues from across the country, creating an identity that was recognisable to staff and customers alike.

Nov 2014 20

Moneyline is a successful social enterprise which has

operated for over 10 years with highly committed and

purposeful staff. Its ‘advisors’, who had always operated

independently in small offices and shops across the

country, provide credit to those in society who have no

access to regular banking and who could be vulnerable

to high-interest payday lenders.

The business’ strategy for

growth was to strengthen

the connection between

offices spread nationwide

– without making advisors

feel that the ethos of this

ethically founded business

was being compromised.

Following a series of

brand workshops with the

workforce from across the

country we incorporated

their language into the

brand literature.

We created a look and feel

as well as a tone of voice

that was reflective of the

advisor’s supportive role to

the customer —something

that has proved paramount

to Moneyline's success.

We developed a brand

presence, both printed

and digital that hinged on

this valued relationship,

to help the business unite

and grow.

Brand personality

Moneyline (cont.d)

Oct 2014 21

Applying brand personality

Basra Oil and Gas Exhibition

For the past three years we have created the Rumaila exhibition stand for their key event of the year.

Narrative

Formulate the Rumaila story and key messages

Staff involvement

Prepare the stand team to work as company ambassadors

Stand design

Concepts, visualisations, build spec, final graphic output, panel build, coordination with manufacturers, delivery and build

Multimedia

Dynamic media wall animation, film, iPad interactive guide and multimedia

Building relationships.

Rumaila oilfield at the Basra

Oil and Gas Exhibition.

Oct 2014 22

Since work began on a programme of modernisation

Rumaila has needed to demonstrate that work is

delivering results across a wide range of measures.

As well as hitting targets it is also important that the

reason for development is clear – to deliver sustainable

revenues to the state to fund the country’s future.

The core theme of the stand has been to build stronger

relationships with partners, government and the local

community.

Rumaila operates 50 miles into the desert and this is the

one time in the year when this operation is in full show.

Liaising closely with

many stakeholders within

Rumaila on the design,

the stand builders in

Dubai and with the

Communications and

External Affairs (C&EA)

team and local suppliers,

we succeeded in delivering

an experience that helps

to demonstrate Rumaila’s

commitment to both

increasing oil production

and to the development of

its people and the region.

We brought the Rumaila

story to life by creating

an animated sequence

on a six-foot media

wall, an interactive map

of the field on an iPad

application, exhibition

brochure and collateral,

and trained ambassadors

to represent the company.

Exhibition Panels

Welcoming space

Printed collateral

Media wall/ Animation

Ipad / info graphics

Applying brand personality

Basra Oil and Gas Exhibition (cont.d)

Oct 2014 23

Building a brand that partners business skills with social enterprise ambition

Social Business Trust

Supporting business objectives

A clear positioning

for a 'disruptive'

brand

Developing partnerships

Positioning SBT as a professional purpose-led organisation which is clear on the benefits to corporate partners and ready to disrupt the corporate philanthropy market

A clear proposition

Focusing key messages on their point of difference – a model between skills and need

Practical delivery

Refreshing the brand image, simple message structure, and easy-to-maintain website that the client can manage

Nov 2014 24

The Social Business Trust facilitates powerful

partnerships between corporate business and social

enterprises. SBT has a deep understanding of why

social enterprises struggle to reach scale and it applies

corporate expertise to help them realise their potential.

After three years focused on building investments and

partners, SBT recognised that it needed to pay more

attention to building its brand in order to further develop

partner relationships.

Our task was to help

create a clearer brand and

narrative for SBT. This was

achieved by shifting the

visual and written style to

be more authoritative and

businesslike - focusing on

the effectiveness of their

partnership methodology

rather than the role

and benefits of social

enterprises in society.

With a focus on

redeveloping their website,

we looked at how SBT's

vision and partnership

model could translate

into clear messaging

and content.

For a client working with

a lean operations budget,

creating a website and

communications style that

could be quickly adapted

and implemented by the

in-house communications

team was critical to success.

Social Business Trust (cont.d)


Oct 2014 25

We work with senior business leaders to ensure

that the brand development is aligned with

delivering the business goals of the organisation.

We often find that organisations

can lose sight of what they

want to achieve and why that’s

important – either from being

too focused on day-to-day

business, the passing of time or

external challenges. Revisiting

and refocusing on this purpose

can create internal belief and

drive aligned to action across the

organisation.

We believe that by working

closely with business leaders and

understanding their challenges

both internally and externally,

we can help them leverage their

corporate brand to better engage

with stakeholders and strengthen

the business.

Brand methodology 3. Supporting business objectives

Nov 2014 26


Aureos Private Equity

Reinvigorating a brand

that struggled to see

the best in itself

Building confidence

Deep engagement revealed that Aureos lacked confidence. Our task was to find out why and create solutions to reinvigorate the firm

Private Equity+

We identified nine principles that gave Aureos its USP in servicing emerging markets

Outputs

A new proposition supported by staff and reinforced by a host of collateral – a new brand identity, website, brochure and investor conferences – provided fresh impetus to the team

Aureos’ new proposition, Private Equity+, was the catalyst for rapid expansion and a presence in 30 countries, before successfully being acquired by the Abraaj Group in a multi-million pound deal.

Nov 2014 27

Emerging markets private equity firm, Aureos Capital,

sought to position itself as the leading private equity firm

operating in the emerging market SME arena. But, despite

having over 20 years’ experience and having some of

the best investment staff in the business, it struggled to

communicate its inherent strengths effectively.

Top three invested sectors:

Financial services

TMT (telecoms/media/IT)

Construction & engineering

Team:

Led by Davinder Sikand, the experienced team

comprises 50 people, including 9 partners

AfricaTotal Funds Under Management:

$578mRepresents 48% of global Funds Under

Management for Aureos“Aureos has been investing in emerging markets for a long time and has maintained a physical presence in the market place and this gives us a lot of on-the-ground experience. It is not gained from reading a textbook. It’s actually experiencing it, going through the turbulent times. You’ll appreciate that Africa has been through numerous cycles of economic development. Aureos has been there and has actually experienced each one of those. And therefore we are able to contribute meaningfully, practically and reasonably.”Jacob Kholi, Managing Partner, Aureos West Africa

“As we have grown, we need to be much more aware of the wider impact of our operations; on our workforce, our community and our environment. The foresight and expertise provided by Aureos has really helped us here.They think ahead; think of all eventualities. They are involved, help us plan and implement, but never dominate.”Suresh Aggarwal, CFO, Athi Steel

Case study

Aureos is a specialist private equity firm, helping to scale-up small and medium-sized

businesses in emerging markets

Mauritius

Kenya

Tanzania

Zambia

South

Africa

NigeriaGhana

Senegal

Morocco

Offices

Figures vaild as at June 30th 2010

Through conversations with

the leadership team we

determined that the failure

of Aureos to express itself

came down to a lack of

confidence and a desire to

just get on with the work in

hand. We found that Aureos

had a unique model of

working and was blessed

with an extremely capable

team of people who deeply

cared and understood the

emerging markets in which

they operated.

Pulse helped Aureos

define, reflect upon and

communicate its ethos.

We identified a number of

principles which lay behind

the Aureos way of working

that made it a truly unique

organisation within the

world of private equity.

It was called ‘Private

Equity+’ and became the

source for how Aureos

communicated and how

staff undertook business.


Aureos Private Equity (cont.d)

Oct 2014 28

We developed a visual identity and collateral to enable the business unit’s offer to be recognised in highly challenging conditions.

EB&V


A visual identity for a new

complex business that excels

at collaboration in a highly

challenging internal market

Sharing strategy

‘Our world’ chart to support internal strategy discussions

Centre of Expertise

Creating a narrative that connects their expertise to the wider business

Creating a brand

To fit their entrepreneurial style, development focused on being dynamic and collaborative

Nov 2014 29

BP’s Emerging Business and Ventures (EB&V) used its

venturing experience to support young businesses and

technologies which might become of strategic interest

to BP. The world it operates in is broad, complex and

innovative. We developed a visual identity and collateral

to enable the business unit’s offer to be recognised.

As a new unit, EB&V’s

initial focus was on

talking to potential

internal customers and

advocates. A ‘chalkboard’

style demonstrated they

worked with a responsive

entrepreneurial spirit and

looked to shape solutions

with others.

The creative but very

practical spirit of EB&V

ran through the design

of all materials and

demonstrated to many

key audiences the energy

and desire to collaborate

together.

alternative thinking

EB&V


pulse brands creds nov 2014

Documents