Sergio Valente, director of communications at Globo and former president of DDB Brazil, on why the media owner launched a digital ‘brand book’ to announce its new visual identity.
As director of communications for the largest Latin American producer of exclusive, multi-genre and multiplatform content, I have a huge responsibility to care for a brand with both global reach and rich heritage.
Globo is widely known and loved across Brazil, Latin America and around the world. In Brazil alone, it is watched by 100 million people daily, and we know that they care about the Globo brand image. We are acutely aware of how the identity of a TV network can be iconic to its viewers, how it is heralded and deeply important to national culture. Change can cause a furore.
This is why, as communicators, we have a strong responsibility to make any changes with integrity and respect to our heritage, and to approach the task in a way that makes us relevant and contemporary to a younger, emerging audience.
We introduced the Globo brand book in March this year, and with it brought a very interactive way to connect people with the brand. Based on our success, these are the key things that I have learnt.
Evolve with your audience
At the forefront of my mind I know I have a responsibility to all our customers, to ensure we move in line with the demands of our audience. We know the world is changing, and that extends beyond programming, platforms and content. You need to put it at the forefront of communications too, which is why we released our brand book to the public in an interactive format. Discoverable for all, it sets out our brand values and guidelines to inform people how Globo acts and behaves across a number of touchpoints. This not only demonstrates the commitment to our heritage but also is a contemporary, stylised hub that gives people a sense of what we stand for.
Design and great creative are king
You must bring your brand to life in a way in which creativity communicates what words cannot. We worked with Adriano Goldman, the Brazilian BAFTA and Emmy award-winning director and cinematographer, to create ‘The Tale of the Brand’. A ballet of colours and shapes, with fluid movements and a soundtrack that transits between the contemporary and the memory of thousands of Brazilians. Having a strong creative that both evokes the familiar as well as the new is key.
Transparency is the new normal
Brand transparency has always been a vital component of the Global brand. In the modern era, it’s an absolute necessity for brands. Having a hub and an open resource where brands openly announce their policies, behaviours and values will be the norm before you know it. If you don’t make moves to keep up with this change, you will be left behind.
To be a market leader, embody the change you want to see
There are always pressures to keep the status quo in terms of brand identity. To stick with what is safe. But we must behave boldly and be the change you want to see across your industry. Do this, and you will naturally gravitate to being a leader in your field.
What we rolled out for Globo embodied or true beliefs of being an inclusive and transparent content provider and network. By providing an audience with a unique communication platform between brand identity and our audiences, we hoped to lead the charge for other communicators and content providers to do the same: not only declare brand values, but also to give public, tangible proof-points for audiences to measure against and create an open dialogue between providers and consumers.
