Boots is one of Britain’s best loved brands. But 170 years on, it was starting to struggle. People’s ideas about wellness and their relationship with wellness brands had changed completely. New competitors – from discounters to online beauty specialists – were shaking up every category Boots operated in. And what’s more, its identity hadn’t been reviewed in decades and was out of step with what modern marketing needs.
We reviewed every element of the Boots brand strategy and found at its heart, a brand purpose that still rang true but had never been activated: Our confidence inspires yours. From this simple but powerful idea, we freed the familiar logo from its dated lozenge and designed a new and emotionally engaging brand identity for the digital age – flexible enough to shine in the very different areas of beauty, wellness, and pharmacy. We went on to work alongside Ogilvy as brand guardians as they brought the new identity to life through TVC, OLV, and social media.
Since the new identity launched in Covent Garden’s Boots Store of the Future, satisfaction has improved (especially amongst the crucial under 40s), and significantly more customers view the brand as ‘modern and up to date'. In some categories, the new store also beat sales targets by up to 14%.
