We're Shaping the Future for Leica
Few brands have shaped the 20th century as profoundly as Leica. But in a world where everyone carries a smartphone camera in their pocket, how can the brand continue to stay relevant?
To unlock Leica’s future potential and elevate its global marketing and communications strategy, we conducted a holistic brand process based on our be.yond method.
The details are not the details
Our deep-dive analysis of the status quo took every perspective into account – past, present, and future, as well as both internal and external views of the Leica brand.
We combined desk research with in-depth interviews and brought together dedicated Leica enthusiasts and professionals for a roundtable discussion. As part of the Experience Journey, our expert team visited Leica Stores in key markets across the globe to gain first-hand insights.
Creating growth from identity
Together with the owner family and management, Leica’s brand identity was sharpened and transformed into a forward-looking growth strategy. First, we defined what makes the brand unique and developed the normative framework with values, vision, and mission. Based on this, the “Visioneering” revealed the potential unlocked by the identity – from positioning scenarios, target group potentials, and new brand experiences to potential products and services.
Making the essential tangible
With the holistic development of the brand experience based on the identity, values, vision, mission, and positioning were translated into experiences across all touchpoints. Based on coherent principles, we defined visual codes, the tone of voice, and profiling topics. Today, Leica is much more than a manufacturer of cameras and optical innovations: the brand tells stories about the essential things in life.
Proof of Concept
To ensure broad commitment, it was determined before implementation and activation of the further developed brand which stakeholder groups should be involved in the process and when. The next phase involved detailing the concept results for use at various touchpoints, formulating application principles, training users, and implementing the lighthouse projects defined during the “Visioneering”.
A lighthouse for new Leica storytelling
During the “Visioneering”, the Cine-Play campaign emerged as a first lighthouse for communicating the new Leica world – with a narrative language that translates the essential into a new product category. As lead brand partner, we brought the new product to life across all experience levels – with three films that celebrate product design, inspire the cinematic experience, and make the technical features easy to understand.
