Objectives

Sage, which offers accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses, has developed a new purpose, way of doing business and new look, and wanted to launch this to both employees and consumers across the world.

The launch strategy covered TV, digital, social, and out of home, as well as an experience-led element for its internal team members. Sledge was tasked with rolling all elements of the new brand out across Sage's two main offices in the UK, located in London and Newcastle. The experiences needed to engage, educate, and excite them.

Challenges

With the London and Newcastle sites being prototypes for this concept, this meant it was important that, while different sizes, they were consistent in their design. The idea is that all studios will have the same look and feel, regardless of which global office content is being produced in, and they are scalable so as to suit any office configuration across the world. 

Solution

Permanent brand fixtures, including studios, were also ideated, created, and installed at both locations, to generate ongoing interest, education, and brand advocacy, from both an employee and customer perspective. These studios needed to be sleek in design, showcase the new brand, and act as a visually exciting, complementary backdrop for the content that would be created therein.

To ensure consistency, the overarching concepts developed for the brand installations and activations were similar, yet also customised for each location, to take into account the different sizes and configurations of the London and Newcastle offices. They were all installed overnight, so that employees got a nice surprise as they turned up at their office spaces at the start of the day.

Installations included unmissable floor to ceiling photo mosaic walls, which featured picture frames of varying shapes and sizes. These frames showed photos employees had submitted which aligned to the brand’s new values. This initiative, which is designed to create a personalised workspace, celebrate team members, and in doing so enhance the company’s culture, will be continuously updated to include new visuals of employees.

Freestanding six foot 3D displays were installed at office reception areas, designed to be unmissable as employees and other visitors entered. They showcase both Sage’s new brand identity, and the company’s Magos characters, which represent a different company value, and will remain in place in these locations.

Vinyls at all the entrances revealed the new green flow element of Sage’s brand, creating visual impact. Several features complete with Magos character imagery injected colour into spaces, and were created for large, built-in cupboards, blank walls, meeting room pods, whiteboards, and the staff canteen.

Sledge concepted two studios which similarly reflected the new Sage style, repurposed existing meeting spaces to house these dedicated spaces, and managed the AV set up. 

The studios are accompanied by permanent technology installations that offer sound, lighting, and cameras; ensuring employees have the tools they need to easily and seamlessly record content, thanks to a user-friendly operating system. 

The aim with this initiative is to provide all Sage employees with a space to record podcasts, presentations, and live stream content, for both internal use and sharing with clients.

For the Newcastle location, Sledge also supported live podcast recordings on the launch day, which featured insights and musings from internal storytellers and external clients. These episodes were accessible to all employees both in the UK and abroad via Sage’s internal platforms. 

Promotional staff delivered healthy snacks and sweets to employees throughout the day, and teams were treated to a curated schedule of events in London and Newcastle.

In both offices, a Sage Foundation area – the brand’s action-oriented volunteering program –was set up. Here employees were invited to drop off company merchandise which reflected Sage’s former brand, and they received newly branded t-shirts in return. 

In a nod to the company’s CSR and sustainability credentials, they were also shown how to transform t-shirts which featured the previous brand into reusable tote bags.

Results

Despite working to tight lead times, the project was executed seamlessly, and there was immense excitement on the day, across all sites. Staff responded positively to the new installations, the snacks and entertainment were very much enjoyed. The studios were very well received by the team, with many eager to begin recording new episodes, and asking questions about its functionalities. 

The brand has plans to launch studios in Sage office locations throughout the globe, with San Jose, Atlanta, and Madrid next on the list.