Pet protection specialist identibase becomes identi with new branding and app created by Perfect Storm

• New name and visual identity marks the next chapter for 35-yr-old pet protection business
• Locator app will help owners stay connected to their pets, with support if they go missing
• “We wanted to get away from the tropes of the pet category. identi is built for all of pet life. That became the filter for every creative decision”

Perfect Storm has partnered with 35-year-old pet protection company identibase on its rebrand to identi.

As well as unveiling a new brand, the agency has also helped develop a new app for the company to support their new proposition Locator – combining a smart tag and companion app to help pet owners stay connected to their pets and get extra support if they go missing. The changes mark the next stage for the pet protection business, bringing its microchip registration services together with new products and digital tools designed to make pet protection simpler, more accessible and more connected.

The new identi name, look and logo are now appearing across its website, products and on and offline communications, with the rollout taking place gradually over the coming months.

The shorter name, refreshed visual identity and warmer tone have been created to make the brand feel simpler, more accessible and more reflective of the care behind its work. The new identity brings together bold colours, friendly design and people-and-pet-led photography, while retaining the trust, experience and reassurance customers and partners have come to expect.

The new identi app was designed by Perfect Storm, with back end development handled by Cognitive Creators. It incorporates Alert, identi’s established lost and found pet service, which brings together a community of pet experts, vets, wardens, police, animal welfare organisations and pet owners across the UK to help bring pets home. A quick scan of a pet’s smart tag on a smartphone can help connect the person who finds a missing pet with their owner and a wealth of support. Further products, digital tools and partnerships that help pet owners protect their animals are currently being developed.

Claire Jefferies, CMO at identi, said: “The launch of identi and the Locator app reflects our wider ambition to make pet protection feel clearer, easier and more connected. identibase has been trusted by pet owners and professionals for many years, but our business has grown and evolved, so our brand needed to evolve with it. Perfect Storm and Cognitive have done a fantastic job bringing that vision to life.

“identi gives us a warmer, simpler and more distinctive identity that better reflects the care behind everything we do. Although our appearance is changing, our purpose remains exactly the same: to help protect pets and reunite them with the people who love them. With the introduction of Locator, we can now expand our community further, making anyone with a smartphone part of our finding network. The more people who can help bring missing pets home, the better.”

Matt Rennie is head of creative at full service marketing agency Perfect Storm. He added: “Great work always starts with bringing the right people together, and this project was no different, with our business model allowing us to pick the very best specialists for the job in hand. We wanted to get away from the tropes of the pet category. Because at one end you’ve got golden retrievers bounding through wheat fields and idyllic country walks and at the other, it’s all over-humanised pets and everything’s a fur or purr pun. The reality of owning a pet sits somewhere else entirely. It’s joyful, but it’s chaotic, and sometimes it’s standing in the street in your pyjamas shouting ‘Fluffy’ at 2am.

“identi is built for all of pet life. That became the filter for every creative decision. We moved away from the natural greens and yellows you see across the category, and chose a bolder, more distinctive colour palette. We avoided overly polished, idealised photography in favour of imagery with more character and reality and featuring owners on the same level as their pets. Then we created a tone of voice that could be warm and playful without pretending to be a dog. We really love pets. We just know we aren’t one.”

To discover more about Locator and the new brand, visit www.identi.pet

Source: Perfect Storm

  Branding, identi, Perfect Storm, Rebrand, Visual Identity