iwoca have had a make-over. They have a new logo, website and have launched a new advertising campaign to coincide with the run up to Christmas.
It’s always interesting to look back at how a website has developed and changed (anyone remember Tamebay v1 on blogger? It was only there a few months but its still live hidden away on t’internet). For history we’ve got a pdf document showing the iwoca website and branding evolution from pre-launch stealth mode to the latest incarnation just gone live a few minutes ago.
When brands re-invent themselves, it is also interesting to understand how and why the re-invention came about. Today I spoke to iwoca to get the inside track on their new brand identity and find out what the rebrand stands for.
Christoph Rieche, CEO & Co-founder at iwoca told us “It’s been an fabulous ride so far – iwoca has grown from two founders and a dog (called Pirate) into a company with close to twenty people. We’ve provided millions of pounds to thousands of merchants since launch in March 2012 and won multiple awards. It felt it was time for a new look. A new branding is always an exciting undertaking that makes you re-think about who you really are and how you want to communicate with your customers”.
Tracy Waxman, CMO at iwoca, added “The financial sector is largely populated by run-of-the-mill brands happy to stick with the status quo. We wanted to make sure that iwoca stands out as an innovative online company with a personalised approach. There is no ‘smoke and mirrors’ here: the new brand identity continues to reflect our core mission to provide fast, transparent and direct access to finance and at the same time conveys that we are not just a cash machine, but a valuable partner with a human face”.
“We are different to high street lenders as we are very technology savvy, but at the same time we offer best in class customer service and really take the time to understand our customers, their needs and business aspirations. Our quest to be unique in the financial sector is reflected in this brand re-design; we have chosen bright modern colours to convey our positive entrepreneurial spirit and the vibrant photography with fun annotations are a reflection of our personalised approach“.
I have to say that I do like iwoca’s approach to marketing – I love their new logo, but it’s the other things they do as well such as the online seller meetups that are truly innovative. Rather than splurging their budgets on traditional marketing, as well as providing finance they’re also paying back into the community with networking and education. (Book now for the London Meetup on 2nd October and Edinburgh on 24th October)
Nice company, nice new logo, well done guys!
One Response
Looks like more of a shift into the bigger e-commerce market than where iwoca’s roots started in the eBay market. The branding changes certain coincide nicely with the strategy change. I am surprised they haven’t acknowledged this change in the press leading up to the design changes, but perhaps my hunch is wrong and they aren’t going after the larger market as well….