Rebrand your fleet – the right way
Aura Graphics has the experience and resource to be able to deliver projects of all sizes, as DPD Group’s case study proves
Commercial fleet rebrand projects can be complex, so it is important to select the right partner to help you achieve your goals, without impacting on operations. Aura Graphics has the experience, resource and capability to deliver the most challenging of national rebrand projects, and the recent rebrand of the DPD Group fleet is testament to this.
The requirement for the project was to rebrand more than 4,500 vehicles across 56 depots throughout the country, while ensuring complete consistency of brand presentation, so the company’s years of experience gained on similar projects were put to good use.
Effective planning and project management
Richard Penn, brand implementation manager at Aura Graphics, says: “Managing this scale of project successfully requires close working with the customer and consideration of needs to ensure minimal disruption to operations, which is why we work with customers at the early stages of a project. By discussing everything thoroughly ahead of implementation we can address the specific needs of each customer and reduce risk.
“With the DPD rebrand, not only did we have a large-scale national project across multiple sites, but also complexities of vehicle variance and a mixture of owned fleet and owner-driver franchise fleet. So consistency of approach was absolutely paramount to the success of the project.”
Aura Graphics meets these needs by supporting the customer with a multilayered project team approach. Delivery of the project is the responsibility of the project manager who, in turn, is supported by team leaders for each of the installation crews and dedicated internal account management to oversee project reporting and communications.
“By having this multi-layered approach, we deliver accountability at every stage of the project,” says Penn. “The project manager is in daily contact with the installation crews, depot and central project contacts to ensure we are aware of changes in requirements and business operations that may impact on the project.
Meanwhile, team leaders manage the installation process at granular level to ensure consistency of finish and brand presentation across all vehicles. All information is then centrally coordinated via the internal account manager, so we provide the customer with a clear cohesive flow of information.
Maintaining standards and doing the brand justice
A successful rebrand project requires more than project management, however. As Will Bunn, key account manager for Aura Graphics explains: “We worked with DPD right from the conceptual stage of the rebrand project. First of all, working with the creative agency to assist with making sure the design was suitable for all the different vehicles in the DPD fleet and that it was viable for commercial production.
“Being involved at this early stage really does help deliver the project efficiently, as finer details can be ironed out ahead of implementation. We also worked with DPD to select the right material specification to deliver consistent brand presentation, not only during this project but throughout the life of the vehicle.”
Brand presentation should never be overlooked as a vital component of fleet branding. Tim Jones, director of marketing for DPD, is very clear that this was central to the project. “Our fleet is a very visible part of our business and is often the primary consumer-facing element of our brand, so it is integral to our brand strategy and a strong component of our customer engagement,” he says.
“So it is important that quality and consistency is maintained at all times. Brand guidelines, colour-ways and brand presentation are paramount. Aura has an understanding of the importance of this from the start and worked closely with our business from initial concept through to implementation. It took a cohesive approach to the rebrand project that delivered the brand standards we needed. It also worked with us to consult on material and production specifications to ensure our brand presentation is never compromised through the whole vehicle life.”
Being flexible and keeping control
There are other considerations, too. “The variances on this type of project can be huge – variance of vehicle, operating times, last-minute changes to plan, vehicle condition and installation skill levels all have an impact,” says Penn.“For example, we provide DPD with a full manufacturer backed warranty on all fleet branding. But central to this is the quality and accreditation of our installation crews. Operating such a large directly employed installation department is a definite strength, as we have absolute control of quality and
training. This gives us the confidence to deliver such large projects in a controlledand accountable way and to react quickly to project changes as we have control of resource and demand planning.”
Aftercare is another important element of brand control and one that Aura delivers on. By providing DPD with managed stock control and online ordering, they can guarantee that ongoing fleet branding requirements are met within very tight timeframes and consistency of brand is maintained. Bunn says: “By holding stock of the brand items we can fulfil accident damage livery repair requirements within 48 hours of receiving the order and know that the parts supplied are an exact match. All too often I have seen repairs being
handled by third parties and the livery is rarely the same as the rest of the van, but we help control this so your brand presentation is never compromised.”
It is clear that the successful delivery of fleet branding requires attention to detail across many facets of your business and that experience is key. By engaging with Aura Graphics as early as possible in the brand project you can benefit from these and enjoy a successful project.
Call us on: 0845 0525 241
Email: fleet@auragraphics.com
Visit: auragraphics.com
