How Luidspreker helped us build a professional brand for Embrosa
This is a success story about how Luidspreker, a communication and design agency, helped our company Embrosa with our rebranding in 2024.
Written by
Embrosa
We are a Dutch martech startup, and over the last 8 years, we have built our Marketing Control Tower™️. Brand managers and trade marketers who want to turn their (brick-and-mortar) resellers into loyal marketing partners use Embrosa’s Marketing Control Tower™️ to reach end consumers through their resellers' channels, increasing their visibility, reducing marketing waste, and driving in-store traffic.
We knew our product was exceptional, but our poor branding and unclear messaging were holding back our business growth. We needed help. Our website looked like a hobby project, not a cool and stylish brand tailored to our target audience: brand managers and trade marketers.
We had sought help from external designers before. But these re-branding projects failed. In January 2024, we contacted Luidspreker for help. I knew the owner, Twan, from the marketing world in my city Venlo. I had seen on LinkedIn that Luidspreker had won a red dot design award for their rebranding of the modern art museum Van Bommel van Dam in Venlo. After our move from Utrecht to Venlo in 2024, Embrosa was also located in the same office building as Luidspreker, so I thought our collaboration could benefit from this nearness.
Well, I can really say that selecting Luidspreker may have been one of our best decisions of 2024.
When I spoke to Twan, the owner of Luidspreker, in January of 2024, he told me their planning was jam-packed, which was to be expected, when dealing with price-winning designers. However, they were able and willing to take on the job, but we had to be patient. Starting in April, they could work on our request.
Nine months later (a full term 😜), Embrosa is in great shape. It's incredibly ingenious how Luidspreker guided our company through this rebranding process, capturing the essence of Embrosa—playful, colorful, likable, geeky, and innovative—in a visually compelling way.
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Unveiling our new branding
Brand Reveal Video
This week, we are excited to unveil Embrosa's new branding. This includes a fresh logo, updated positioning, a revamped website, and an explanatory brand animation. Our friendly, tech-savvy, and helpful identity was captured by Luidspreker in visually appealing branding. I would like to give Twan and his Luidspreker team credits for the amazing work they've delivered.
Why was it such a pleasure working with Luidspreker?
They know how to capture the essence
Creatively Brilliant
First, Twan and his team are true professionals. They are creatively brilliant. They have been able to cut through our smoke-screen of technical chit-chat and clutter and capture the essence of what “Embrosa” is. I've seen them doing it for others like Museum Bommel van Dam and Theater Maaspoort. Now I've experienced it first hand for Embrosa.
They don't invent a 'new Embrosa'. It's not a spray-paint new identity that is put on us. I would explain it as follows: They have a kind of radiology goggles that they put on, which filters out all the fluff and allows them to get to the core of the company and translate it into a visual design.
As I mentioned before: the Luidspreker team has truly captured the essence of Embrosa.
The team knows how to manage expectations
And they meet them. Always.
Second, I am tremendously impressed with how Twan and his team manage expectations. Up front, they are clear. About the timeline. About the necessary budget. The confirm when they will get back to you. And every time, they deliver on that.
They walk you through any challenges and present solutions. You get to decide the path to take. They are honest and sincere, clear and trustworthy.
Often creative minds are terrible to work with because you can rely on them to run out of time, forget to inform you and go over budget. Luidspreker shows that it can be done differently. And for that reason, it's wonderful to work with them.Melanie van Norden
CEO & Co-founder Embrosa
It's fun working with Luidspreker
Each and every one of them are specialists
Third, the team is a gift to work with. Each and every one of them are specialists. Pam specializes in Photography, Ryan for animation, and Sjeng for design. Twan was our project manager and strung everything together seamlessly.
They worked out two concepts each time, allowing us to choose. The cooperation between the team members was brilliant and the uniformity of the visual design - although coming from different specialists - was finger-licking good.
Guided with caution and respect
They keep you close at all times
And perhaps most important of all, I have felt connected to the team at Luidspreker at all times. The whole process of rebranding was a hefty expense for us as a startup and also terrifying because we had to let go of our (self-designed) logo's and look & feel. It was truly: kill your darlings.
They guided us through the process with such caution and respect that they really won our trust. And they kept us close, every step of the way.
3 takeaways about rebranding
What to think about when rebranding
So if you think about re-branding, do I have any tips for you? For me, these are 3 most important takeaways:
- It takes you 9-12 months to give birth to your new look and feel. Good design studios are full, so count on having to wait until it's your turn (this takes about 3 to 4 months). You will have to have a very clear strategy (we created an extensive brand book in advance, which took us 3 months). From the presentation of the mood boards to the delivery of the concept, it takes another 4 months.
- Value a good 'read back'. We worked with a designer before. The experience is a day-and-night difference with Luidspreker. Where this shone through for the first time was the presentation of the mood boards. This moment is a test: You get to see if they fully understand your briefing and request. With previous designers, we always had to 'chase' them because work was not delivered at the agreed time, and we felt very much 'having to adjust' their brainstorm ideas: Luidspreker was a) on time and b) spot on with their ideas. This gave us confidence in their ability to create something extraordinary that represented us and their proficiency in managing the process. If you don't feel that confident during their first presentation, find another designer. You have to speak the same language!
- Give them creative freedom. Initially, I was reluctant (I didn't have the courage) to let go of our old logo. Luidspreker was unambiguous: They didn't want to take the job if we didn't give them creative freedom. They needed the freedom to discover the core of 'Embrosa.' His explicit demand for complete creative freedom gave me the faith that he knew what he was doing, and I had to let go. I trusted Twan and his team then and there and recommend you do the same. If you know you are dealing with professionals, let them be at the helm for a while.
The process of our rebranding
follow along
- January 2024: Twan & Melanie first talk about a collab
- February 2024: Discuss Budget, Timeline & Plan of Action
- March 2024: Embrosa provides brand book to Luidspreker
- April 2024: Read back & Presentation of Moodboards
- June 2024: Presentation Creative Concept (evolutie & revolutie)
- July 2024: Creation of Assets (for example the corporate photoshoot)
- August 2024: Brik builds website
- September 2024: Add content to new website
- October 2024: LAUNCH 🚀
We highly recommend Luidspreker
And again; for all companies who, like us: need help translating their inner strengths into a sparkling brand identity that does justice to 'who you are': I highly recommend Twan and the entire team at Luidspreker. Thank you Sjeng, Ryan, Pam, Silvie and Twan for your wonderful work.