Project services
Naming
Brand architecture
Brand definition & modelling
Brand messaging frameworks
Culture stories
Launch event
Visual identity
Agency partner
Looms World – visual identity creative partner
Our brief
The formerly named Kanava Hotels & Resorts is a leading hospitality group with seven hotels across three destinations in the Cyclades and the Peloponnese and, after 30 years of success, an enviable reputation in the industry.
But, they had a problem. The ‘Kanava’ name was not ownable – indeed it was shared with a competitor. This meant that up until now, the group brand was under used.
A new group brand, with a unique name, a powerful narrative and a distinguished identity, would enable them to communicate the group success story more effectively, endorsing and connecting all of their hotels. This would help to attract talent, to cross-sell between locations and to build a community of guests loyal to the group, not just an individual hotel.
What we did
Brand definition
We started on the inside, with a leadership workshop that would ensure the new brand came from the people at the heart of the business. We aligned on the key strategic issues facing the company and focussed our creative efforts on uncovering and articulating the purpose for the brand:
Why do we exist? Why does the world need us to exist?
Purpose is found at the intersection of Passion, Skill and Insight.
‘Joy’ was a word that was ever-present in our workshop discussions. Clearly it was close to our clients’ hearts. But the more we tried to define joy, the less magical it felt. Our insight was that joy could not – and should not – be bottled. Joy was individual to each member of the team – and each guest of their hotels.
We agreed that our role in the world was not to give people joy – each of us already had joy inside us. Instead, our true purpose was ‘to create space for joy’.
Naming
To channel our ideas in the right directions, we structured our name generation, research and checking, around four territories: Light; Life; Heavens above; and Pleasure.
We recruited the client team in our name generation efforts, and it was the founder Kalia who had the inspiration behind the winning name. Empiria was born, derived from Greek word ‘Empeiria’, meaning ‘experience’.
We based our naming research around four naming territories: Light; Life; Heavens above; and Pleasure.
Culture stories
To truly deliver an experience that would ‘create space for joy’ it was essential that everyone across the business understood what the new brand, its purpose, personality and values meant for day-to-day behaviours.
To make this tangible and inspirational, we created a set of culture stories. These were true episodes from the history of the company, epitomising one of the four core values of the business, presented at the launch event and captured in the brand bible.
Messaging framework
The brand bible was supported with a detailed messaging framework.
This would enable our clients to talk about their new brand in a consistent and compelling way. We provided key verbal elements for the Group brand, soundbites for the trade and press, and copy for the new group website.
Brand identity & launch event
Empiria partnered with Looms World to develop a new visual identity system for the brand. We were proud to be part of the team throughout this journey, ensuring that the connections between identity and strategy were strong.
The new brand identity, inspired by the icons of Greek mythology and the elements that surround Empiria’s hotels, was complemented by a dynamic palette of colours and patterns, reflecting the elevated experiences offered to guests.
A unique typeface for the wordmark was paired with a playful and uplifting brand symbol.
A dynamic palette of colours and patterns brought energy and vibrancy throughout the brand world.
