Project services
Brand-led culture analysis & cultural change
Brand creation
Visual identity design
Internal communications
Launch event
Office environments
Agency partner
SN Design
Project A
Our brief
Perfect Blends Nepal is a joint venture between JTI and Chaudhary Group. Nepal’s tobacco market is monopolised by Surya, which holds almost 95% of the market, constraining choice, value and innovation for smokers.
Fighting against this giant is demanding – requiring absolute strategic clarity, a shared vision and total commitment from the most talented team.
Our challenge was to shape a business culture, that would inspire success and shift ingrained behaviours. More than just a rallying cry, an ongoing journey of change was required to make a tangible difference to the day-to-day experience of all team members.
What we did
Brand-led culture change
The team in Nepal was a mix of two distinct businesses and cultures, each with its own standards, norms and language. An international JTI team had to understand the Nepali way of collaborating and communicating; more traditional and hierarchical, it meant that younger team members were reluctant to come forward with challenges or ideas. The team had endured set-backs in the market and product issues. The arrival of a new GM and the development of a new product and marketing mix represented an opportunity to break through in the marketplace. But to realise this potential, the team needed to adapt their beliefs and day-to-day behaviours.
We built a branded platform for cultural change, called SOAR. We created an identity that was full of energetic emotion, and that could translate to practical meaning and use.
Visually, we leveraged the codes of aspirational performance more usually found in the sportswear market. The intent was to create an icon that the team would be proud to wear at the weekend. As well as this, we needed a simple and powerful visual language that would work across multiple channels and formats.
Brand creation & visual identity design
The name SOAR was an acronym for the behaviours that would drive success:
Shine Bright. Own it. Aim High. Respect the team.
Each behaviour was targeted at a specific cultural opportunity or challenge. These were revealed through consultations from the leadership team and the data they had gathered. Each was defined in tangible, practical terms with every day examples: is and is not’s.
Launch event
After a teaser campaign, the SOAR brand was launched at an event in Kathmandu in Jan 2022. With keynote speeches and simple exercises to demonstrate the role model behaviours, it was a first feel of what it was like to SOAR. A photobooth and a pledge board encouraged the team to engage, commit, and to make their personal mark on the moment. With a famous guest speaker from the world of cricket, music, dance and cocktails, it also felt like a celebration of what was to come.
The event was followed up with workshops on the SOAR behaviours and integration of the platform into the multiple touchpoints of the employee journey – internal communications, performance reviews, measurement and rewards. The existing awards programme was rebooted, with SOAR at its heart.
Finally, SOAR was integrated into the office environment which was transformed through a comprehensive redesign in a partnership with SN Design. Investment in the teams’ workspaces was a huge opportunity to improve the day-to-day of team wellbeing, behaviour and communication. It was a concrete symbol of the commitment to the market and the cultural vision.
And the impact on the culture and company performance?
Nikesh Shrestha –
“SOAR helped to build stronger relationships within the team. This culture has helped us in building our capabilities and always pushes us beyond our limits.”
Manas Koirala –
“SOAR has changed the way that we have thought negatively in the past. Every time we engage in discussions, we always think of the SOAR values and behavior.”
Internal communications & office environments
Could we make a hand signal for SOAR? A simple and immediate symbol of aspiration and commitment. A gesture of belonging and belief. A pose to share on social media. The simple iconic design of SOAR translated beautifully to a physical gesture – a new touchpoint of the brand.
Today, it seems like every brand has its own manifesto. This is no bad thing – a manifesto can be a great tool to inspire – if it is properly made and properly used. A manifesto needs to be nailed to the wall. It must be shared widely and vigorously. In this case, the medium really is the message.
That’s why we made two oversized artworks of the SOAR manifesto for our client. We used die cut letters, layered on top of each other to show off the SOAR identity, and to show the depth of our care and commitment for this vision.