wha ’s possible?
a very special brand . This guide has been created to help us keep it that way. As we head towards an exciting future, it’s more important than ever that everything we do or say is done in a Crown-worthy way. Crown has always been
In this book we’ll explain what our brand stands for, what our tone of voice sounds like and how we want to portray our brand out there in the big wide world. There are some parts that you will recognise and some that will be new to you, so please take the time to familiarise yourself with everything. And together let’s take our brand forward.
every great brand
has a purpose . A brand purpose defines why a company exists. It looks deep into the soul of a business and describes the important role it plays in people’s lives. Brands which embrace a purpose have been proven to positively change how people think, increase brand loyalty and ultimately grow faster. Our new brand purpose gives Crown relevance far beyond that of simply selling paint. It provides us with a meaningful direction that we can all live up to, and will help makes us liked not just known. By setting the tone for how we as a company should behave, it will guide our actions and bring clarity to everything we do.
our purpose is:
At Crown, we believe that every pot of paint is brimming with potential. And we want to put that in the hands of everyone. Because with paint, you can change a room, change a mood, even change a life. That’s why we want to inspire people to paint their world better, braver and beautifuller (yes, that's not a word, but this is paint, you can do anything). Whether you’re a DIYer, a Pro or part of the Crown family, we’re committed to supporting you. Not just with our wonderful paint but by giving you everything you need to open up new opportunities each day. We know what a positive difference we can make to people and our planet, so we’ll keep pushing what’s possible. Now and always, it’s not just paint, it’s personal.
there’s already a lot of l ove for our purpose.
Much like decorating, creating the right purpose takes a lot of prep work. Before sharing it here, we shared it with a large and varied group of customers, from DIYers and tradesmen to specifiers and architects. The reason for this collaboration was to make sure that our purpose could connect with each and every one of them. As you’ll see from their quotes on the next page, it did. But more than that, our purpose showed it has the potential to open up a whole new world of possibility for our brand.
"Crown have gone from being traditional and reliable to innovative and exciting." Home DIYer
“I love it. It's fantastic. It's exciting. It inspires me. I’m going to have to give these guys another look.” Interior Designer
"It appeals to professionals and DIYers." Architect
"It feels like Crown are trying to achieve what we are trying to achieve. We have a shared goal." Painter & decorator
"Reading something like that really makes we want to buy into their business!" Home DIYer
“It really makes me want to paint my house!” Home DIYer
“They’re talking to professionals and DIYers
saying everyone can make a difference.” Maintenance Manager
“It makes the company stand out.” Painter & decorator
"I like the fact that Crown is connecting you to a wider world. It’s not just about painting walls. It’s inclusive." Home DIYer
"I think it’s lovely. It’s very friendly and shows that they are there to give you what you need" Housing developer
“This has a real personal touch. Encouraging you to be brave, make changes in your home and make your life better too. It’s a space Crown can own” Home DIYer
"It gives the impression that it’s a very supportive brand." Home DIYer
"Really reminds you of what paint can do. The possibilities are exciting" Painter & decorator
“I’ve never been inspired by a paint provider. This idea feels very different.” Home DIYer
"They’re inspiring and will support you, which relates to me." Architect
"I like that it’s positive and sounds like Crown are on the up and up" Painter & decorator
one perfect line.
It’s not just paint.
It was no coincidence that our brand purpose ended with our famous brand line. Going forward, everything else we do should end that way too. As a line it is more than just memorable, our consumers love the warmth and empathy it evokes. In just six words it tells millions of home decorators and professionals that we recognise the huge impact paint can have on people’s lives and demonstrates how seriously we take that responsibility.
It’s not just paint.
how to live our purpose. Whether we are creating advertising, designing packaging, developing new products or doing anything else in the name of Crown, our purpose must be the starting point. To help make that happen, the first thing we must do on every project
is to ask one very important question: ‘What does this make possible?’
By finding the answer and bringing it to life in all we do, we’ll create a more insightful, more personal and an even more special brand.
Every one of us has our a unique way of talking. Our brand has one too. It’s a way for us to bring our personality to life, it separates us from our competition and it helps build a long-lasting relationship with our customers.
how we al . While our paint comes in 1000s of shades, our voice has just four. Before writing for Crown, you need to understand each of them. Inspiring • Empathetic • Supportive • Playful
empa he ic . We get it. We understand the
thoughts, challenges and desires of our customers. We talk with authenticity, humanity and honesty.
We open people’s eyes to the possible. Not all our customers want to be super adventurous, so we must flex our inspiration level depending on who we are talking to. But whoever they are, we must always leave them with a spark. inspiri g.
suppor ive
We help people to paint their world. While we may not be a yee-haw baton-twirling cheerleader,
playful We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We like to raise a smile from time to time. So long as it’s the right time to do it.
we’re not motherly either. Instead we speak with positivity, encouragement and in a friendly way.
four shades. o e voice.
When writing anything from Crown keep our personality in mind.
Does what we are saying feel inspiring?
Is it connecting to the audience in an empathetic way? Are we being supportive? Do we sound too stiff?
Just as having a tone of voice is important, so too is our visual style. While finished images are yet to be born from our new brand purpose, our audiences have told us the kind of things they’d hope to see. These images are not to be taken literally. Trust us, no one is saying they want pictures of colourful brains. What they are saying though, is that they expect us to do things differently. By interpreting each shot they selected, we’ve created guidance for all imagery going forward that has the power to make everything we do more engaging, exciting and distinctive. how do we loo ?
Let’s be honest, room sets are sterile, unlived in and devoid of personality. And that isn’t us. We’re not suggesting we will never again photograph in a studio but let’s never again create a room set; let’s build a ‘living space’. Or a ‘working space’. The sort of place that people can imagine themselves in. And actually want to be in. We can do this by making our styling authentic, even adding something small can make a big difference. But if you really want to go for it, think about featuring people. show places.
the way we
show people .
the way we
We may be a paint manufacturer but our business is based on the hugely positive difference we make to people’s lives. So let’s show it. As well as adding people whenever possible to our living spaces, let’s not be scared of using them as the main image. For example, if we are trying to express a product benefit visually, think about the human, emotional impact it creates and focus on that. When promoting a service or a collaboration, it’s okay to show the smiling faces of our CDC colleagues or an overjoyed customer. Anything works if it’s expressing the beneficial feeling we want to communicate.
show produc . the way we Our paint is the vital ingredient to everything we do but we don’t always have to show it on a plain flat surface. We can demonstrate our products in many visually expressive, maybe even surprising, ways. After all, we are helping to paint a world full of possibilities here.
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