Copywriting Archives

Australian Super

A distinctly Australian story

The superannuation sector is saturated by language that feels fairly same-same. In this environment, AustralianSuper – the largest fund in the country – was having trouble finding ways to get their voice to stand out.

We had plenty to look forward to

We revel in the opportunity to break up the language of a sector by finding something different in the way a brand speaks. For us, it’s about identifying those things that are truly distinctive, capturing and then weaving them into the key things a brand says. We worked alongside the AustralianSuper brand team to work out what kind of different would work best for a fund that is responsible for the retirement saving of more than two million Australians.

Write on the bright side

Turns out there was an effortlessly authentic, bright-minded side to AustralianSuper’s voice that the fund wasn’t making the most of yet. We evolved their guidelines to give the fund permission to do that – without losing the insightful, future-focused side that comes with being an industry leader.

Epilogue

AustralianSuper are now in a position to further distinguish themselves from the competition. Not only in the way they support Australians’ financial futures – but in the authentic conversations they have along the way.

Stride

A name that’s not an afterthought

Despite being Australia’s oldest mental health provider, Aftercare felt invisible in the sector. Even at industry conferences, people were puzzled by the name. Funeral service? Childcare? Post-hospital suicide prevention?

Getting upstream of the issue

While Aftercare began as a way to help people leaving hospital find a place to live and work, these days it supports people from the start of their mental health journey. While not a bad name in itself, the word ‘Aftercare’ had become misleading.

A rebrand was in order – but there were a few caveats. Our brief was to create something short and punchy that felt positive, but not too cheerful. Here we agreed to avoid options that oversimplified or trivialised the serious nature of what Aftercare do.

In their stride

Now known as Stride, the organisation has a name that’s not only fresh and distinctive – but more fitting of an organisation that’s shifted its strategy to prevention.

Epilogue

‘Stride’ is to move forward with purpose. It’s a word that carries a sense of confidence, hope and even adventure. And it recognises that mental wellbeing is not a destination you reach – it’s a promise to keep going. Even if that’s just one step at a time.

Officeworks

A distinctly Australian story

We had plenty to look forward to

Write on the bright side

Epilogue

Jetstar

Taking Jetstar under our wing

The bright orange colours. The star-shaped logo. The effervescent energy. Jetstar already had the cut through. And, after we first teamed up with the brand in 2018, an engaging and honest voice to match.

Where to first?

Speaking to so many audiences across so many touchpoints, Jetstar needed to put their new voice to work. Using the master guidelines as our launchpad, we partnered with their crew to show them just how far their voice could go.

Pretty far as it turns out

The in-flight announcements from cabin crew. Customer service agents helping people on Facebook. It even inspired the evolution of Jetstar Asia’s voice.

Epilogue

Since those first words and workshops, Jetstar’s brand voice has taken flight in just about every corner of the organisation. It’s brought out a personality that had previously been hard to identify. And made a real difference to travellers along for the ride.

Monash University

Taking Jetstar under our wing

Where to first?

Pretty far as it turns out

The in-flight announcements from cabin crew. Customer service agents helping people on Facebook. It even inspired the evolution of Jetstar Asia’s voice.

Epilogue

Virgin Australia

A rebel takes flight

As a staple in the Aussie skies for over 20 years, Virgin Australia had cemented itself as the more accessible and relatable airline than its classically serious flying kangaroo rival. Attracting a broader, more diverse range of customers, the brand was (dare we say it) flying. Then Covid-19 hit. Grounding its fleet, almost for good.

We’re bringing boldness back

With new ownership, came new opportunities. And so Virgin Australia engaged XXVI to craft and then apply a new and holisitic Brand Voice to help them reconnect with their base, grow their market share, and come back from the brink — bolder and better than ever.

The rebel has returned

Whilst the brand had matured over the years, research showed that Australians wanted the famous Virgin energy and cheekiness back. From here, XXVI crafted a unique set of values and Brand Voice traits that provided their heritage tone with more structure and purpose. Giving it the energy, longevity and flexibility to work across their whole scope of internal and external communications.

Epilogue

What followed was a distinctively ‘Virgin’ Virgin Australia Brand Voice. One that harks back to it’s bolder past to create communication that people actually pay attention to, from charming flight delay emails (it’s possible) to cheeky destination headlines, and literally everything in-between. A strategically powerful reset that’s been vital in helping Virgin Australia transition from survival mode amidst the anxiety and unpredictability of Covid, into being a delight to fly with once again. – xxvi

What’s in a name?

Chances are you’ll never know.

In an airport near you, there’s a nondescript door, in a nondescript corner of a nondescript departure’s hall. Beyond it is a world most of us can only dream of. An exclusive space for very important flyers. Where everything is taken care of, seamlessly. It’s Virgin Australia’s exclusive club. And our job was to give it a very memorable name.

A peek behind closed doors

Virgin Australia (VA for short) emerged from the pandemic with a new lease on life. And a bold transformation strategy. One that saw them make a hefty investment in the products and services guests told them they love most.
This project was a significant milestone in that journey. And part of a raft of changes happening right across the board.

Landing the perfect name

We were tasked with renaming ‘The Club’ to align with Virgin Australia’s new brand framework, strategy, and bold ambitions for the program.
The name needed to be original, flexible and capture the essence of the offering while evoking a premium yet uniquely ‘Virgin’ feeling.

Welcome to Virgin ‘Beyond’

A whole new world of luxury. All highly personalised, fuss-free, and built around your needs.
The name epitomised Virgin Australia’s promise to provide service that’s as tailored as it is effortless. And to consistently deliver an experience that goes above…and way beyond.

Epilogue

Beyond was always intended to be more than just a name. Members took advantage of a whole range of exclusive benefits beyond the lounge. From bookings and upgrades to airport access, boarding, and flying.
In fact, with everything thoughtfully designed to be turbulent free and flawlessly catered to the individual, Beyond begun to embody luxury — the Virgin Australia way. — xxvi

Active Super

A super star is branded

In early 2021, Local Government Super rebranded to become Active Super. As part of the project, we created a new name and voice to bring the superstar energy of Active Super to life – one that could talk to the idea of the fund as a fun, ethical trailblazer.

The pioneer emerges

In a competitive market, Active Super aimed to grow beyond its local government roots and appeal to people looking for something better. To do this, it was time to be louder and prouder about who they are: a pioneer in responsible investing since they stopped investing in tobacco twenty years back. (In fact, they were Australia’s first super fund to do this.)

Positively encouraging

With its community ethos and track record of examining investments for positive impact, Active Super had an authentic proposition to inspire its new identity. ‘Active’ was picked as a name to reflect how it chooses and manages investment, its role in the community, and how it empowers members to get involved in their super.

Along with fresh visuals by Principals, we created a voice that felt bold and assertive, yet playful. Rather than doom and gloom, the idea was to inspire confidence in the future.

The winds of change are here

No more having its thunder stolen or failing to champion its longstanding expertise. Active Super is out celebrating the good message it has now, placing top three in its industry for positive attributes and boasting its highest member growth in four years.

Much more than a coat of paint, the rebrand celebrates the best of who the organisation has always been – a leading fund for investments that are brilliant for both its members and the world. I.e. Profitable and responsible.

RACGP

A communication health check

When Australians need medical advice their first stop is generally their GP. General Practice is Australia’s largest and most trusted medical specialty, and a fundamental part of what makes our healthcare system truly world-class. There are over 40,000 GPs in Australia, and the vast majority of them are members of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. As the voice of the profession, communication is fundamental to almost every aspect of the RACGP’s work. Which is why they engaged us to develop a distinctive, easy-to-use brand voice that could be applied across the organisation.

The examination

We found the RACGP’s existing writing to be in reasonably good health. But it was often overly formal, longwinded and, at times, lacking in warmth. With so many communications, and so many content creators, the tone of communications varied widely from piece to piece. For an audience that’s highly educated but time poor, the writing wasn’t always hitting the mark. What was needed was a distinct writing style that could cut through with clarity – without dumbing down important information. But it needed personality too – a tone that could stand apart from the writing of the broader medical industry and reflect the human focus of the profession.

The prescription

We created a unique tone inspired by three personality traits: Considered, Connected and Confident. Together the traits capture the spirit of a great GP – someone who shows empathy and humility, who makes every word count, while being assuring and assured. The tone is authoritative, but accessible. Warm, but professional. With an intelligence that you’d expect from a peak medical body.

Epilogue

We created a practical set of guidelines and showed the RACGP’s people how to bring the voice to life through a series of training sessions. The voice has been applied to webpages, member renewal campaigns, eDMs, partnership presentations and more.

“The new RACGP brand voice has made our member communications more accessible and to the point. It’s instilled confidence in people who aren’t natural writers by enabling them to write like they speak, making the writing process easier and less intimidating.”

Kiwibank

Chequing out

For many Kiwis, receiving a cheque book was their first banking experience, but with the use of cheques declining at a rate of 20% year on year (for the last 5 years), the writing was on the wall. It was time to make a bold move. On February 28, 2020, Kiwibank announced they would be the first bank in New Zealand to ditch its cheque service.

Out with the old, in with the new

Getting rid of cheques wasn’t an easy decision to make, but ultimately Kiwibank were faced with investing in a shrinking service with outdated technology, or investing in their evolution towards being a sustainable, future ready bank.

Easing the transition

We were asked to help Kiwibank break the news to New Zealanders. We knew that for some, cheques were a way of life, and the transition away from them wouldn’t be an easy one. Alongside the team from Kiwibank and their partners at Stepping Up (a digital transformation agency) we wrote letters to everyone that’d be affected, created a brochure to help make the change as simple as possible, and ensured that resources and info was readily available on their website.

Epilogue

Kiwis love to pioneer new ways of doing things, even if being the first to do so causes a bit of a stir. And while there was some resistance at first (sorry nan), things went smoother than we could have ever imagined. Today, cheques are a thing of the past, and Kiwibank and their customers are moving forward together towards a more sustainable, digital future.

Australia Post

Taking Jetstar under our wing

Where to first?

Pretty far as it turns out

The in-flight announcements from cabin crew. Customer service agents helping people on Facebook. It even inspired the evolution of Jetstar Asia’s voice.

A distinctly Australian story

We had plenty to look forward to

Write on the bright side

Epilogue

A name that’s not an afterthought

Getting upstream of the issue

In their stride

Epilogue

A distinctly Australian story

We had plenty to look forward to

Write on the bright side

Epilogue

Taking Jetstar under our wing

Where to first?

Pretty far as it turns out

Epilogue

Taking Jetstar under our wing

Where to first?

Pretty far as it turns out

Epilogue

A rebel takes flight

We’re bringing boldness back

The rebel has returned

Epilogue

What’s in a name?

A peek behind closed doors

Landing the perfect name

Welcome to Virgin ‘Beyond’

Epilogue

A super star is branded

The pioneer emerges

Positively encouraging

The winds of change are here

A communication health check

The examination

The prescription

Epilogue

Chequing out

Out with the old, in with the new

Easing the transition

Epilogue

Taking Jetstar under our wing

Where to first?

Pretty far as it turns out

Epilogue

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