March 16, 2009—Onyx Group was named one of the worlds most effective rebrands in the fifth annual ReBrand 100® Global Awards. ReBrand 100 is the highest recognition for brand rebuilding and redesign in the business arena, and is the only global, juried program of its kind. Onyx Group’s rebrand of the former Studio Nine Twenty to the current Onyx Group encompasses the personality, attention to detail, and unique flair that exemplifies what a 21st century marketing communications agency should portray.
Agency Co-Principal Nadia Kamal, “The transition from a small boutique graphic design studio to a full service marketing agency was a natural progression for the business. The rebrand process was instrumental in taking us to new heights and accomplishing our goals as a business leader in the community and southeast.”
“With the value of branding no longer a secret, the world becoming borderless, and the rate of information travel unbounded, assessing brand distinction and leadership is no easy task. The range of excellence in this year’s global pool was inspiring, and demonstrated the value of effective rebrands and the global commitment evident in solutions.” said Thebe Ikalafeng, CEO of South Africa-based Brand Leadership Group and 2009 ReBrand 100 juror.
To select winners, jurors reviewed the work which was required to transcend cosmetic changes. In addition to specific review guidelines they followed, strong consideration was given to executed strategy that made an emotional connection, met the stated objectives and needs of the identified target market. In true democratic fashion, a one-person entity had as much opportunity to be selected as did global organizations, since jurors were unaware of the brand strategist’s name and size when reviewing the projects.
Over 40 industries and 21 countries are represented among the 2009 winners. Some of the world’s best known branding consultants such as Interbrand, The Brand Union, DDB Canada, and more competed, as did in-house teams, small agencies, and representatives of multinational corporations. The jury panel, new each year, consists of a multidisciplinary mix of prominent, international, industry experts. The 2009 panel of 10 included CEO for InterbrandHealth Jane Parker, Burt Helm of BusinessWeek, and Creative Director of Australia-based Principals, Simon Wright.
Unique among other awards, “before” and “after” scenarios of each brand transformation are reviewed with details of the accompanying write-up on the approach. The rebrand could have been an enterprise-wide effort, a change in a single brand component, or a brand extension. Winning rebrands are showcased for inspiration and learning at www.rebrand.com.
About ReBrand™ and the ReBrand 100® Global Awards:
ReBrand is the global, online resource for case studies on the most effective brand transformations: the repositioning, revitalizing, and redesign of existing brand assets to meet strategic goals. Featured in such media as The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, BusinessWeek, and Yahoo! Finance.
To view the award winning before and after pictures, visit: http://www.rebrand.com/2009-notable-onyx-group
