When rebranding and renaming an international company, there are several criteria to consider. A Swedish 70’s pop sensation is here to help.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
Wellit, an international company based in Stavanger, was making software for managing operational logistics under the brand Wels. Marking their 10 year anniversary, they were looking for an upgrade and a rebranding.
Both names – Wellit and Wels – derive from the word well, suggesting a connection to the oil and gas industry. However, as the company wanted to expand and work towards other areas of the energy industry, they also needed a new brand strategy.
A simple and clear “one brand, one name” strategy was developed.
Before naming the brand, a few criteria were presented to us: The new name had to be unique, and it had to be perceived as relevant for the entire energy industry, not being limited to oil and gas.
After a thorough process, 1400 starting words were narrowed down to one: Kabal.
Kabal is the Norwegian word for the card game solitaire/patience. The word does not exist in any other language (as far as we know), leaving the company to fill the name with associations and representations.
So how did the Swedish 70s pop sensation Abba get involved in this process?
Well, the word Kabal has the magic “Abba” factor, namely that it’s easy to read, pronounce and remember, in any language.
To go with the new brand name, we also created a matching visual identity. The new name, identity and website were all presented to all Kabal employees around the world at a digital kickoff event, sparking applause and enthusiasm.
Nick Hegreberg, Chief Communications Officer at Kabal says:
“Fasett has delivered valuable brand management consulting, and developed brand name, identity and communication for the launch of our new brand Kabal. This collaboration has been challenging, fun, intense and exciting. We are very happy with the work, and the launch has been a great success.”
Get the company’s brand video “Meet Kabal” on Vimeo here. (Registration might be necessary).
