If yours is a people-oriented business, promising commitment to your customer, trustworthy-ness in delivery and attention to detail, your brand is your bond. This is true for OCS and Colourworx.

With such companies there is more than a little importance placed on your brand, and – in the case of OCS Limited, a facilities management provider which is surprisingly huge: over 4000 colleagues employed in various roles through 25 branches across New Zealand – providing an astonishing range of services to businesses – and Colourworx, a corporate collateral specialist with a reputation for excellence in signage; branding is part of your stock in trade.

You have likely heard of Colourworx, but to give you some background on OCS: back in 1900, Frederick Goodliffe established his sole trader business: the New Century Window and General Cleaning Company, a business which later employed and was eventually taken over by, Frederick’s three sons.

The business diversified its interests over time and by the 1960s the business had seen a number of changes, acquisitions and expansions until it became what we see today, a fifth-generation family-owned business delivering expert, tailored support which adds value to its customer’s business, delivered with care, time after time.

Locally, OCS has a track record of over 85 years exemplary service in New Zealand, looking after its customers using the brand pillars of care, safety, trustworthy and expert in the maintenance and facilities services the company provides.

In 2020, OCS in New Zealand received a branding change directive from its parent organisational hub in Singapore – yes, that’s right, 2020 – that year!

This caused a bit of consternation at OCS New Zealand, as – supplier availability notwithstanding –the re-brand applied to buildings, vehicles, advertising and business collateral, uniforms, stationery and pretty much all the business assets across 25 branches – oh, and can that all be done within two years please?

OCS turned for help from their lease provider LeasePlan, to recommend a partner who could facilitate the requisite changes. LeasePlan connected OCS with Colourworx and the change was on.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge,” remembers Carole Norris, Marketing and Communications Manager for OCS, “but the Colourworx team were very professional all the way through the process.

“There were obviously a lot of moving pieces to this puzzle: we were still operating while buildings were being transformed and vehicles called in for the rebrand, which made Colourworx’ input that much more challenging.”

Colourworx was, however, more than up to the challenge, and Carole applauds their efforts. “Not everything went perfectly,”” she says “but then a project of this magnitude was never going to be easy. I can’t fault Colourworx though, right from the word ‘go,’ the team were onboard and fully committed to our needs.

“It was like the team were in the same room with us at the planning stages,” says Carole. “And there was a lot of finetuning that had to be done, but the Colourworx team took all that in stride, factoring in accuracy in design, assuring the right materials were used to retain the colour schemes and requirements, then moving through the logistics of pulling everyone and everything together. It really was service that was on a par with our own. A fantastic partnership.”

From the Colourworx side, Emma Jarvie was the key point of contact and coordinator of the entire OCS project.

Emma says that while the project was complex – made even more so by the global situation which OCS and Colourworx found themselves in – the two stage rebrand ran surprisingly smoothly.

“It was,” remembers Emma “an exciting project to undertake given the size and variety of the OCS assets.”

As a company, Colourworx is no stranger to large scale business rebrands, but the ‘excitement’ Emma refers to, came as part of the challenge inherent in orchestrating a national rebranding of 16 sites.

“Our national footprint really came into its own with this,” Emma explains. “While all the design and artwork preparation was done as it always is here in Auckland, our national network of trusted applicators were primed and ready to undertake the rebrand.”

Regardless of where physical rebrands are done, Colourworx ensures consistency of brand, accurate colouring, use of materials and placement of graphics by keeping everything in one location.

“It’s a formula which works really effectively,” adds Emma “and it’s been well proven to work. Ersonally, I believe that for branding to be effective, the key is consistency. There are too many businesses whose branding – had it been more consistent from the start – would have saved those businesses money and marketing.”

Implied in Emma’s comment is the importance of relationship building with clients, something else Colourworx excels at.

“Being responsible for a company’s brand and reputation is quite a responsibility,” Emma says. “When you take time to learn about the values and what’s important to your client about their business and factor it into the branding you provide, you become part of that business, which means it is in your best interests to do the best work possible.”

Emma’s words suggest that branding companies who don’t concern themselves with their client’s operations are probably companies whose work is going to be average and the one thing you don’t want your business associated with, is mediocrity.

“The other thing to consider,” Emma suggests “is the ability to deliver the same level of consistency across different assets. With the OCS project, step one was to rebrand the buildings which were literally up and down the country, and each was different – with the most basic challenge being the buildings needing horizontal or vertical branding.”

No small trick, as the design process involved photographing each location, advising the installers as to what was needed and then quoting to OCS and getting client final signoff.

“At that point, we could start the actual design process and, while everything was being done, we monitored every stage of the process.”

Phase two – the vehicle rebranding – went a great deal faster thanks to the teams’ earlier diligence and brand stewardship.

“Although the basic branding in place, the vehicles still proved interesting as there is quite a bit of variety in the OCS fleet,” says Emma. “We had to deal with quarter body wraps going to half body wraps on wagons, SUVs, utility vehicles, vans and SUVs with their varied body shapes.”

“Overall, it was a tremendous project,” Emma says, “which worked well for both organisations.”

Colourworx has an excellent long term relationship with OCS who’s branding across the company is intact and recognisable, delivering the OCS message of its core values of care, safety trustworthiness and expertise – a remarkably similar philosophy to that of Colourworx.