PwC launches new brand positioning and ‘So You Can’ campaign
PwC has refreshed its brand positioning and identity for the first time in 14 years. The launch is being rolled out globally and supported by the Nike-style campaign ‘So You Can’.
At the heart of the new positioning is the idea that PwC, which has more than 370,000 employees worldwide, helps clients to “build, sustain and accelerate momentum”.
“Our new brand platform is that PwC is a catalyst for momentum,” explained Antonia Wade, Global Chief Marketing Officer of PwC, in a post on LinkedIn. “Value pools are shifting and our clients are redefining business models due to tech like AI and external forces like geopolitics and climate. We meet them where they are, and work with them to inspire, accelerate or sustain momentum so they can create and protect value.”
The concept of ‘momentum’ provided the framework for the firm’s refreshed logo, visual and verbal identity. The logo now has a ‘momentum mark’, which represents a visual symbol of the “upward and forward trajectory” the firm brings to its clients and the careers of its people.
The choice for ‘momentum’ was based on an extensive market research process, which involved many of PwC’s clients. “They told us: ‘We as clients are the ones that need to drive momentum in our business, but what you do is you come in and you enable that’,” Wade explained.
“PwC is constantly evolving how we bring our expertise to help our clients create and protect value. As technology and other megatrends continue to transform the economy, it is important that our identity provides the right platform for the future,” she continued.
The mark in the logo is notably smaller than its previous mark, making the brand more fit for online use. The global accounting and consulting firm has meanwhile maintained black and orange as its main colours.
So You Can
The rebranding is supported by the ‘So You Can’ slogan, which according to Wade was built to resemble PwC’s own version of Nike’s iconic ‘Just Do It’ slogan. “Of course, we’ll never be Nike, but it’s something that was simple, easy to understand, and that countries all around the world could get behind.”
“So You Can aims to position PwC as a partner that clients the catalytic confidence to start, sustain or accelerate progress.”
Global roll out
The new positioning and advertising campaign was developed in collaboration with UK-based marketing agency FutureBrand and US-based advertising agency McCann. The identity has been launched this week in the US and will be rolled out globally starting next week – PwC has offices in over 100 countries.
The advertising campaign will include Out of Home features including airports and other transport hubs, global and national print, and digital channels in key markets, as well as some high-profile media partnerships. PwC has also developed a tv-campaign.
PwC’s last rebrand, in 2010, saw the company shorten its brand name from PricewaterhouseCoopers to PwC. In 2014, the firm rebranded a subsidiary it acquired, Booz & Company, to Strategy&.
