Branding Insights: Adelta Finanz AG

Arndtteunissen: Behind every brand change there is a specific reason. What moved you at the time to redesign Adelta's appearance – and what challenges did you see?

Manuel Scheffler: The starting point was our customer portal. After 15 years, we wanted to redesign it – functionally and visually. We quickly asked ourselves: does this still fit our overall appearance? Or should we not fundamentally look at the brand as a whole – how do our customers see us, how do our employees? So the process began functionally, but quickly developed into a higher-level question about the brand.

Andrea Remarczyk: I think after a certain time it is always worth looking in the rear-view mirror: how have we developed, how do we talk about ourselves? Our website was a hotchpotch built up over many years. We realised that we needed more structure and clarity. It also struck us that customers often said, “Oh, so you don't wear a suit.” Externally we came across as very “bank-like”, but internally we knew that we are more approachable. We wanted to convey that in the relaunch.

Benjamin Arndt: What was special was that you approached the project holistically from the very start. Not just the portal, but all touchpoints were considered in order to create a consistent experience. Not many companies do this so thoroughly – and that is exactly what comes across as professional and well thought through in the end.  

Arndtteunissen: A new brand identity usually has an effect quickly. What changes have you noticed at Adelta in the first few months?

Andrea Remarczyk: After almost two years of work, it was great to finally go public with the topic and get reactions. And there really were a lot of reactions, especially from employees, who felt very involved thanks to the implementation event we held. They also visited the new website very diligently, engaged with it and gave feedback. Existing and new customers also noticed the change. I was particularly touched by comments such as: “If you already have such a professional website – what must you be doing in your core business?” That shows that the new perception works.

Manuel Scheffler: Exactly, because what we never wanted is for customers to feel: “This is a completely new Adelta.” Much of what our customers see now was long established practice internally – it just wasn't visible. Especially in the new customer process, we notice today that closeness and trust develop faster. Financial business is not based only on facts, but very much on feelings. Here it helps if our appearance conveys credibility and approachability at the same time. It is the many little things that, at the end of the day, convey a certain feeling. But it was important to us: it should not be a revolution, but an evolution. 

Arndtteunissen: What role does the new brand identity play in day-to-day work today – whether in communication or in everyday marketing?

Andrea Remarczyk: It is absolutely omnipresent. We are constantly revising documents and using the clear style guide to do so. That gives us confidence, saves time and means we can formulate messages more precisely. The tone of voice has also changed: with our claim “Time for what you love” we are speaking emotionally for the first time – and it resonates, even though it is unusual for a financial services provider. That is fun and also helps when developing new media, because we don't have to rethink the individual topics again and again. Of course, we are currently still in the process of replacing many things and documents internally and externally, rebranding them and giving them more precise wording. 

Manuel Scheffler: I would like to add that we have not yet fully arrived in everyday life. Thousands of details have to be adapted – presentations, documents, the customer portal. The latter in particular was the origin and is an important goal for us: to save time there and create real added value for customers. So it will certainly keep us busy for some time yet. 

Arndtteunissen: Whether a brand identity is successful shows in different ways. Do you feel the impact more in measurable results or in day-to-day feedback?

Andrea Remarczyk: More in the feeling – but very clearly. At the last trade fair we really had “spirit”. Employees appeared with new self-confidence. They were always good, but now they have a stage that makes it visible. It was great to see how colleagues – perhaps for the first time – put on this “Adelta coat”. It now has a certain colour and shape, and they came to that stand with a completely different sense of self. It was simply a very successful trade fair. And otherwise, when it comes to visibility, we know that real effects take time. It is an ongoing process that we can live with very well, because we are now doing many things in a much more focused and better way. In that respect, the process may take its time. That was clear to us from the outset.

Manuel Scheffler: We never wanted to calculate ROI in the classic sense. Our goal was to harmonise the brand and create the basis for further growth. We have been growing for 18 years – and we want that to stay the same in future. For that, the appearance has to fit and the gap in content has to be closed, so that we can say: “It all fits together again.”

Benjamin Arndt: At the trade fair in Hamburg it was clearly noticeable that customers were pleasantly surprised. Before, there was a gap between perception and appearance. The professional attitude that Adelta has always shown, also in what we picked up in conversations with customers, had not been visualised until now. That is simply completely different now. Now the picture is right. 

Arndtteunissen: Were there any statements or reactions that showed you in particular that the effort for the brand relaunch was worthwhile? 

Andrea Remarczyk: Yes, when colleagues say: “I am proud to be able to present my company like this,” for example at trade fairs. Or when an IT colleague simply rebuilds the logo on a 3D printer for fun. Moments like these show identification. Personally, it makes me proud that we really devoted ourselves to this topic so extensively. We began by surveying our own employees and customers. That was absolutely necessary to get a little closer to the truth. In that respect, I am grateful that we dealt with all aspects with so much intensity. Only then can you really bring a project like this to the point, as we managed to do in the end. What we hear a lot from customer service is that customers are engaging with the website for the first time in many years, looking at the pictures … Existing customers are also engaging with Adelta in a new way. Because we have made real people and customers visible – no stock photos. That creates trust. 

Manuel Scheffler: Exactly, our customers were all happy to take part, too. We also held a corresponding event as a thank-you. Afterwards they were very enthusiastic about having been part of this transformation process. I am also particularly proud that we managed to bring all stakeholders along: shareholders, supervisory board, banks, insurers, employees and customers. A company is viewed by many people from completely different perspectives. We were able to contribute our ideas 100 per cent, and in the end there was no lame compromise, but a result that everyone stands behind.

Arndtteunissen: A brand relaunch thrives on good collaboration between company and agency. Which aspects of working with Arndtteunissen stand out most in your memory?

Andrea Remarczyk: The intensity – with everything that goes with it. You dived deep into our company and understood us both professionally and personally. The questions went so deep into the industry that I felt well looked after. That was the basis for a fitting result.

Manuel Scheffler: I would also like to emphasise that we felt understood by you quickly. Although we tend to be functional, you picked up our language and translated it into creative proposals that were so fitting that we hardly had to discuss them at all. The process was never radical, but comprehensible step by step – and yet the result is a clear change. We were certainly not ready to question everything from the start. But the Arndtteunissen team managed to bring us along in a way that made it easy for us. That becomes especially clear when the founder is sitting at the table with his idea. He had his reasons at the time and put an incredible amount of emotion into it. Questioning that sounds easy, but in fact it is not.

Andrea Remarczyk: I would also like to add that the topic of emotionality, which we have already talked about, was implemented superbly, for example through icons. They express quite simply that we are a modern company that is developing incredibly fast and puts a great focus on optimising processes. And that, too, has found its place. In that respect: the deep understanding of who Adelta is. That is what made the project successful.

Benjamin Arndt: It was a pleasure for us to see the brand grow. You put a lot of heart and soul into it, and think about it in the evenings and at weekends. I believe that everyone here has a great passion for these things. When you live and act like that, extraordinary solutions emerge. I am super happy that it worked out so well. 

Arndtteunissen: Many companies eventually face the question of whether their brand is still up to date. What would you advise other companies that are thinking about a brand relaunch?

Andrea Remarczyk: Do it properly, with everything that goes with it. Start thinking things through from scratch and definitely take your time. “Who are we? What do we want to radiate?” Only then does something sustainable emerge. It is a process that you really must not underestimate – an extremely intensive phase. It takes calm and creative moments to let it all take effect. But it pays off to put so much thought into it. That way you can communicate clearly and make sure that what you want to say actually gets across.

Manuel Scheffler: I think brand change is not an isolated marketing topic. To achieve an optimal result, it helps to include different views of the company from inside and outside – employees, customers, partners. Only then does it become holistic.

Arndtteunissen: Looking back on the whole process today: is there anything you would approach differently with the knowledge you have now?

Manuel Scheffler: I would probably approach it with a different time horizon. But in terms of content, nothing at all – I am completely convinced that it was the right path. In the end, the result counts, and it turned out very, very well. We are still delighted with the result and still in the “happiness phase”.

Arndtteunissen: The value of a brand cannot always be measured in numbers, but it has a decisive influence on a company's success. What does it mean to you personally to have a truly strong brand?

Andrea Remarczyk: The value of a strong brand is enormous – and requires continuous work. We are established in the funeral industry, and now the aim is to carry this strength into other industries as well. The basis is that we have clearly defined our values and formulated our mission. That is how brand building works … and the marketing classic: we know our “why” and we go out and communicate it.

In this series, we speak with companies that have fundamentally realigned their brand. What was the trigger? How do you bring employees and customers along? And what impact does the new appearance have? This time: Adelta Finanz AG.