Sudinfo
Faced with the rapid evolution of information usage and consumption patterns, Groupe Sudpresse, the leader of the French-speaking press in Belgium, had to rethink its brand strategy. Historically based on strong and popular local titles, the group wanted to preserve this proximity while imposing on digital information. In this context, Sudinfo, the digital-native brand that has become the most consulted French-language news site, has been imposed as a major strategic lever. In a rapidly changing market, Sudpresse not only faced an issue of brand strategy, but one of existing brands that, though well-known, were not meeting digital standards. With information becoming digitalised at breakneck speed, major names in the press and media are being forced to completely rethink their approach to branding and identity.
Challenge
The Sudpress Group was facing both strategic and identity issues. It was based on strong but aging local brands that were poorly adapted to digital standards. The challenge was to create a new generation of brands capable of accompanying digital transformation, enhancing a shared brand culture and repositioning the group as a media player in the broadest sense, beyond the print media. Developing brand strategy as a means of supporting the Group's growth through its digital transformation. Breathing life into the brand's culture, to make sure employees realise that the Group's values and purpose must be the basis of all strategic thinking and operational decisions. Positioning the Sudpresse Group as a media player in the broadest sense of the term; no longer focused solely on the written press.
Solution
The strategy was to place Sudinfo at the heart of brand architecture as the transformation engine of the group. Redesigned to meet digital challenges, the brand becomes the common signature of digital media, while valuing the local anchor. This development is accompanied by a change of name for the group, from Groupe Sudpresse to Groupe Sudmedia, to affirm an expanded ambition and a new editorial reality. Sudinfo is a new generation of brand, redesigned to perfectly adapt to digital challenges. It is carefully configured to help structure the interfaces of all Group platforms, both in digital and print media. Ultimately, this solution breaks with the conventions of the traditional written press using a global, strong, modern, digital and dynamic visual identity that goes well beyond a simple logo. The Sudpresse Group becomes Sudmedia Group, a name change designed to embrace a wider scope of activities and align with a new reality.
Incarnate information
To achieve the objective, it was essential to start by thinking about the positioning of the group. The brand platform revealed a strong reason to be true to the group's popular legacy: "Incarnate information". Close, human and committed information, brought by the conviction that readers and writers share the same reality.
A New Generation
The visual identity is based on a system of dynamic logos built around Sudinfo and adapted to themes and territories. The historic blue and red colours are preserved but modernised for a brighter, energetic and digital look, breaking with traditional paper press codes.
An omnichannel architecture
The new architecture clearly structures the Sudmedia Group by placing Sudinfo as the base of digital brands declined by region thanks to the historical titles, still preserved for the paper versions. A coherent, readable and evolving system serving a changing media group.
