Jung von Matt Brand Identity sharpens Alpiq's brand image

Alpiq's transformation began when CEO Antje Kanngiesser took office in 2021. The energy group took a critical look at its own identity and its direction for the future. In the course of this, Alpiq is undergoing a transformation from a traditional large company to a strongly purpose-driven organization with a focus on sustainable business in the three dimensions of "people, planet, profit" and strengthening security of supply. The brand identity developed in collaboration with Jung von Matt was intended to make this strategy emotionally tangible, create clarity and also release new energy.

Sharpened purpose, strengthened values

At the heart of the identity is the sharpened purpose "Together for a better climate and an improved security of supply". This sentence succinctly sums up Alpiq's core task, shows the area of tension in daily activities and, together with concrete, action-oriented values such as "We learn and grow together" or "We share the steering wheel", forms the foundation for the strategic direction. "The values and purpose serve as a compass for how and why we do things and they drive Alpiq's transformation," explains Tobias Fässler, Head of Communications & Public Affairs.

Brand promise as a catalyst

The new brand promise "A different kind of energy" is also intended to succinctly summarize the objective. "The promise is the guiding principle for all decisions at Alpiq," explains Julius Jäger, Executive Strategy Director of Jung von Matt Brand Identity. "It's about leaving rigid traditional approaches behind and living the 'different' in its dynamic and responsible aura - in order to break new ground together with the workforce and partners. The promise therefore also stands for a different culture and a new experience for employees and customers."

Holistic brand identity

The newly created brand identity is intended to reflect this new understanding. Purpose, values and promise were translated into a characteristic design, a concise corporate language, dynamic motion guidelines and an independent sound branding, which was created in collaboration with the Berlin audio branding agency Why Do Birds. The change was brought to life for all employees at all locations with international roadshows. The introduction of the Employer Value Proposition (EVP), which was developed in parallel, should further strengthen this.

The brand can also be experienced in its digital presence, which Jung von Matt Tech has implemented in the form of a new website design and has been live since Monday.

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INTERVIEW

"Culture is about the 'how' - and that makes all the difference"

On Monday, Alpiq's major transformation reached another milestone with the go-live of its new website. m&k spoke to Julius Jäger, Executive Strategy Director at Jung von Matt Brand Identity, and Tobias Fässler, Head of Communications & Public Affairs at Alpiq.

m&kAlpiq has recently embarked on the path from a traditional large company to a "purpose-driven organization". How did this transformation process take shape?

Tobias Fässler: This change did not happen overnight. We have now been here for three years and are simply doing our homework step by step. We initially focused our business on the core markets, created a great deal of transparency, strengthened cross-divisional cooperation... We are now in a very solid financial position and have a clear strategy on how we want to help shape the energy world. This clarity helps.

 

Can you give us an insight into the vision and strategic considerations behind this transformation??

It is often the supposedly soft factors that are decisive, such as culture. Here we have found that if we really want to take our purpose as a compass and align our actions with it and live our values, then we need to initiate far-reaching change. Our environment is changing faster and faster. Our employees must be able to make decisions quickly and independently. However, this requires a framework with purpose, values and strategy.

 

What does this mean for the corporate culture?

Culture is about the "how" - and that makes all the difference. We want to put people at the center. We have to stand together. It's about our understanding of leadership and how we treat each other. It's about honest conversations, open feedback, value-based cooperation. It's about simplicity in our actions and taking responsibility. We can't always demand something from others, we have to deliver ourselves first. We want to see performance, but we also want to create the optimal conditions for it. We wanted to make this change visible and tangible both internally and externally with the new brand positioning.

 

How can the brand support the strategic transformation?

Julius Jäger: Who are we really, and why should anyone care? Defining a brand means creating clarity about your own corporate identity. And the more consciously companies link this to their strategic vision, the more robust and sustainable their success will be.

 

What does this mean for Alpiq?

The new self-confidence plays a decisive role in unleashing the enthusiasm for Alpiq's new path. The brand identity is therefore like a catalyst of positive energy for the transformation.

 

How did the new brand promise "A different kind of energy" come about?
BarrelThat was interesting to observe, because it emerged organically from the process. We characterized ourselves in various workshops, defined our aspirations and how we want to approach things. Derived from the purpose and the strongly inward-looking values, we developed a kind of manifesto on how we want to deal with the energy world, our people and our partners and how we see our daily actions. This resulted in the brand promise "A different kind of energy".

 

What do you mean by "A different kind of energy"?

We want to be able to rethink things, be open, have the courage to be different if it serves the cause. When we are involved, we want to have an impact, help shape things and be on an equal footing with our partners. We want to bear our share of the responsibility. This is what we mean by "A different kind of energy" - and we want to be measured by this.

 

What does this brand promise mean for customers?

Hunter: The core promise has several levels. The most obvious are the sustainable energy solutions in terms of security of supply. However, the real customer benefit comes from the claim that Alpiq formulates internally: It's about being unconventional, breaking with industry codes and going our own way together.

 

And for the employees?

Fässler: Of course, we also considered this and therefore initiated the process for a new employer value proposition in parallel with the brand development. Because this has to go hand in hand. As an employer, we want to offer an environment in which we can make an impact.

 

How do you create this environment in concrete terms?

We follow a purpose and want to find the right balance between sustainability and security of supply. We have clear goals with our strategy, we have values and we have ambitions. Without people who go along with us and are enthusiastic about what we are doing, we will not reach our goal. We also have to have a different kind of energy, be unconventional from time to time and be different from everyone else. We are on the right track and will soon be able to say more about this.

 

The new development of Alpiq's uniform brand identity is also about the identity of the brand, including corporate language, sound branding and motion guideline. How exactly do you develop this?

Hunter: To begin with, we helped Alpiq get to the heart of their purpose, personality and promise. Once defined, we then had to find out what the experience needed to feel like in order to convey this identity: How does the brand sound? How does it speak? How does it move?

 

What goals did you have when designing the brand experience?

Together, we wanted to create a brand that was as unusual as possible in its sector, but still accessible. This required a range of expertise, a lot of fun, courage and a great deal of trust from Tobias and the Alpiq team. A collaboration that has "A different kind of energy".

 

What role will sustainability and energy supply play for Alpiq in the future?

Fässler: A central role, of course. Both elements are anchored in our purpose. You might think that's a contradiction. We don't think so. For us, it is an area of tension that we have to face up to and for which we have to find compatible solutions. We know that we can never have maximum sustainability with a high level of security of supply. There is always interference with the environment, there is visible infrastructure. But a secure and affordable energy supply is the backbone of a functioning economy and society and this is where we want to make a significant contribution.

 

How do you deal with this area of tension?

It's about our purpose. Such a field of tension demands that we question things, even fundamentally. We must first challenge ourselves. We have to be able to do this independently of hierarchical levels and company units. This is the only way we can find the best solutions, and we can only achieve this with the right corporate culture that makes this possible. And then we also have to inform the outside world, initiate discussions, endure them, get involved and sometimes even swim against the tide if it serves the cause. It's not always easy, but that's exactly what makes it so appealing.

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Responsible at Alpiq: Antje Kanngiesser (CEO), Claudia Bischof (Head Branding & Live Communications), Susanne Hess (Head of Public Relations), Tobias Fässler (Head Communications & Public Affairs), Simon Reber (Lead Organizational Development & Leadership), Antuan Pace (Head Digital Communications). Responsible at Jung von Matt Brand Identity: Julius Jäger (Executive Strategy Director), Fabian Ellersiek (Project Management Strategy & Consulting), Christina Widmann (Design Director), Didier Quarroz, Pablo Scheidegger (Design), Lukas Gebhardt (Motion).