What should unite our businesses under one brand?

A shared brand promise should start with what connects the businesses in practice. For Ardonagh Advisory's growing SMB-focused business, The Frameworks used stakeholder research to identify relationships and trust as the common ground across a multi-brand network spanning more than 130 offices. Creative workshops led to the name Everywhen, expressing the ever-present nature of insurance and the dedication of the people providing protection.

The Frameworks took a similarly people-led approach with First Names Group. Following a management buyout, the business needed a unifying vision across global offices and siloed teams. Interviews with employees and stakeholders identified its people, and the confidence and trust they instilled, as central to the business. For a group seeking unity, the practical starting point is to ask stakeholders what genuinely connects the businesses before deciding what the shared brand should promise.

A shared promise becomes tangible when language and design express the same idea across the group. For Everywhen, The Frameworks developed messaging rooted in humanity, pride and partnership, with a tone that was warm yet authoritative and serious about risk. The Everywhen shield represented protection, continuity and connection. Photography showed clients and communities in real environments through the shield, while custom iconography echoed its curves.

Consistency also needs enough flexibility to accommodate different businesses. For Wates, The Frameworks brought the purpose "Reimagining places for people to thrive" to life through a brand platform and a verbal and visual identity designed to work across its diverse construction and property businesses. The practical task is to give the shared promise recognisable words and visual devices that can work throughout the group.