Valencia gets e-bike sharing service Pick-e-Bike off the ground

"This contract was a real dream job for us. It's rare to have the opportunity to support and help build a new brand so comprehensively and from the very beginning," says Valencia CEO Michael Gerber. Pick-e-Bike is a new, innovative e-bike and e-scooter sharing service from Baselland Transport AG (BLT), electricity provider EBM Energie and Basler Kantonalbank. Valencia Kommunikation was involved in the development of the brand from the very beginning and provided everything from a single source, from the naming to the branding strategy and corporate identity to the design of the communication measures.

The name was created in an extensive process. "The name Pick-e-Bike is concise and captures the brand's core values. It expresses spontaneity, speed and simplicity. The deliberate misspelling with the small "e" in the middle refers to the bikes' electric drive," explains Senior Copywriter Sebastian Refardt. The brand was designed in close collaboration with the customer. "When developing the logo and the color scheme, it was a particular challenge to also meet the technical specifications for the vehicle lettering," says Art Director Jan Kempen. The special emphasis of the "e" as a kind of pin refers to the location-independence of the offer.

The development of the communication also included an elaborate shoot including models, the images of which can be used for print, digital and moving images. An image and explanatory film was also produced. "Pick-e-Bike means a bit of freedom for users. They can cover distances quickly and conveniently, without any stress or traffic jams. We wanted to make this freedom tangible in the brand's appearance," says Creative Director Tommy Schilling, explaining the design concept with atmospheric images in rural and urban surroundings. In the first phase, the communication focuses on placing the name at the center and generating app downloads. The communication is complemented by a website, which functions as a clear one-pager and was also designed and developed by Valencia and its subsidiary cab services AG.

Responsible at BLT/EBM/BKB: Stephan Brode (Project Manager, BLT), Thomas Eglin (Project Manager, EBM), Reto Meister (Head of Marketing and Sales, BLT), Mathias von Wartburg (Head of Marketing, BKB). Responsible at Valencia: Michael Gerber (CEO, Strategy), Tommy Schilling (Creative Director), Jan Kempen (Art Director), Iraklis Hungerberg (Senior Account Director), Nadine Gschwend (Art Director) Jasmin Marty (Communications Planner), Sebastian Refardt (Senior Copywriter), Emanuel Plüss, Yves Bucher, Carole Gross, Deborah Lanz.