Sensis has stepped out of the dark ages, revealing its new brand and digital focus.
The advertising and directories business has launched its new look which is underpinned by its “strong digital growth strategy”. John Allan, CEO of Sensis says the majority of the company’s revenue is generated by digital. Sensis will now be recognised by this little fella – Dash the mouse.
Allan said: “Dash is just one part of a character set. He’s the brand for Sensis. He’s a metaphor for being agile, nimble, resourceful. Dash’s tail is shaped like an S for Sensis. He has a whole bunch of friends and characters that go with him.”
The array of characters aim to highlight the variety of offerings attached to the Sensis brand.
Sensis’ logo zoo was born out of a partnership with brand consultancy agency Interbrand but Allan says: “It is just for the Sensis brand, it doesn’t replace the Yellow Pages brand or True Local brand, they will remain as consumer brands.”
“This is about having a single coherent brand that resonates well with Australian businesses and that’s the point of the re-launch” he adds.
According to Sensis, the brand is more than just its logo. In a statement the company said: “it’s about connecting our staff to the future direction of Sensis, aligning them to our desire to be far more customer-focused. We want to provide services that are simpler and faster.”
“It is about providing businesses with the right channels to engage with their customers whether that is through
print or digital platforms such as websites, search engine marketing and mobile apps.”
According to Allan, the re-brand also aims support Sensis’ position as “the number one” marketing services company in Australia. To achieve this, Sensis says it must “educate” and “empower” Australian organisations of all shapes and sizes.
“To our knowledge, we’re the second largest digital media company in Australia after Google, which is of course, the largest,” says Allan.
Sensis reveals its new face as it acknowledges the onerous challenges the print industry faces as digital continues to dominate and drive businesses and consumers alike.
“The print business is definitely changing. In Sydney, about 70% start their search online and about 30% would use a traditional method like a print directory. But that changes when we move into regional Australia,” said Allan.
Dash the mouse will scamper across all of Sensis’ products and services in the coming months.
