Flex Rebrand
Client
When one of the world’s largest manufacturing brands transforms into one of the world’s leading innovators in technology… how do you change the perception to reflect the reality? Flex came to yU+co with a monumental task. In their 48 year history, Flex evolved from contract manufacturing to electronics manufacturing services, and were reinventing themselves once again. They now provided comprehensive services to help their partners commercialize products, from early design stages all the way to full-scale global logistics and distribution. But the company’s reputation as one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers still remained. In the eyes of public perception, their image needed a major face-lift to reflect their expanded capabilities and innovative spirit.
As Flextronics rebranded as FLEX, they needed a B2B marketing strategy that would communicate to potential business clients the newest evolution of their brand’s mission. They were now an innovation collaborator that could optimize the commercialization of their products from design to distribution. In a rapidly changing world, Flex’s increasingly complex and sophisticated capabilities needed to appeal to the market in a simple and understandable way. To do this required a fresh narrative, and more importantly, new ways to tell it… ways that would reinvent B2B marketing and utilize today’s growing landscape of digital consumption channels. We worked closely with Flex’s team to develop comprehensive digital content that broadens the perspective of the viewer, making complicated technologies and businesses easy for anyone to understand.
AN ENGAGING NARRATIVE As Flextronics rebranded as FLEX, they needed a B2B marketing strategy that would communicate to potential business clients the newest evolution of their brand’s mission. They were now an innovation collaborator that could optimize the commercialization of their products from design to distribution. In a rapidly changing world, Flex’s increasingly complex and sophisticated capabilities needed to appeal to the market in a simple and understandable way. To do this required a fresh narrative, and more importantly, new ways to tell it… ways that would reinvent B2B marketing and utilize today’s growing landscape of digital consumption channels. We worked closely with Flex’s team to develop comprehensive digital content that broadens the perspective of the viewer, making complicated technologies and businesses easy for anyone to understand.
DESIGNING A SIGNATURE VISUAL LANGUAGE In creating a branded visual language, we developed a distinct motion-graphic style defined by interconnected networks of digital lines and nodes. The ever-evolving networks graphically represented how Flex’s smart technology is connecting – and transforming - every part of our world. It became a signature “look” that the public could now identify with the brand. Our digital content also included a large format graphics package to play in immersive, multi-screen venues at Flex’s Customer Experience Center, San Jose’s Convention Center and Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium.
PUTTING A FACE ON TECHNOLOGY By communicating Flex’s story through the lens of innovation, we were able to put a face on technology, making it more human and approachable. We executed this strategy across all digital media, writing and producing a series of brand anthem, sales, and leadership videos, as well as large format conference graphics, multi-screen immersive displays, original web programming, and social content. Videos for Flex’s annual leadership conferences were designed to illustrate key messaging points, each aimed at a specific idea: “Revolution,” “Turning Point,” “Innovation,” “Global Citizen,” and “Inspiration.”
ORIGINAL WEB PROGRAMMING Brand videos were just a part of the digital content strategy. We also traveled the world to write, shoot and produce Connected Conversations, a web series that highlights creative leaders, influential visionaries and innovative thinkers across various industries. Hosted by Michael Mendenhall, Chief Marketing Officer & Chief Communications Officer for Flex, the ongoing series conducts one-on-one interviews and roundtable discussions that explore their life stories, passions, visions, and how they use technology to live smarter.
INSIGHTS AND INSPIRATION At forward-thinking conferences like the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Digital-Life-Design Conference in Munich and Fortune Brainstorm Tech in Aspen, we shot interviews with pioneers including David Kenny the GM of IBM Watson, Andy Page the President of 23andMe, and Tina Brown the Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Beast. These inspiring exchanges provide concise, yet enlightening, insights on the future of information, artificial intelligence, and how technology is profoundly disrupting traditional business models.
AWARENESS BRINGS NEW PARTNERSHIPS The effects of the rebrand have been extraordinary, exceeding all expectations. Awareness of Flex’s new identity and capabilities grew substantially, attracting new customers from startups to large brands including Nike, Bose, Ford, Google and more. As a result, Flex’s new “Sketch-to-Scale” capabilities now represent a increasingly larger portion of their business. 6 months following the launch, Flex announced their value share increased 44%, and overall, the value share has almost doubled since rebranding began. In 2016 and 2017, Flex was recognized by Fortune as one of the world’s top 10 most admired companies. The results are a testament to the influential power of storytelling and how content can be used effectively in a business to business application.
