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.

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

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.

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

Prospa

From disruptor to innovative leader

Prospa is Australia’s largest online small business lender. After a decade as a challenger to the banks in the lending space, they were gearing up to expand their product offering. In late 2022 they added a smart business transaction account with overdraft to their line-up of fast-approval loans and line of credit. It marked a shift away from a conversions-focused culture to one based on ongoing customer relationships. To reflect this change, they needed a new look and feel. And a voice to match.

Shifting from a pure sales focus

Cash flow is the biggest single pain point for most small businesses. In a sector that spans big banks to payday lenders, Prospa wanted to be there for the long haul, not the quick sell. The way they spoke to customers would have a big part to play, so they asked for our help. The task was pretty clear. Smooth sales talk and tactics had to go. It was now about building trust with transparency and direct, helpful communications. We just needed to work out how to do it.

Being straight up, keeping it human

We kicked off with a discovery phase that included an existing comms review, workshops and lots of colloboration. The voice we developed, Straight-Up Human, became Prospa’s new brand voice, and we delivered a practical guideline segmented by audience. To ensure the new voice was properly embedded, we got to work training Prospa’s team and getting on the tools ourselves. We rewrote key brand communications including their primary web pages, along with a product naming strategy, messaging matrix and 50 customer eDM templates.

A voice to match a grown-up brand

Throughout the transition, Prospa’s whole team began thinking in terms of customer relationships, not just conversions. Language was critical to this change, and we helped Prospa’s team articulate the cultural shift internally. In the lead up to launch, we worked with writers across the business, and in external agencies, in a series of weekly creative reviews to ensure all new work was in the new voice. So by the time the updated brand launched, Prospa sounded every bit like the small business finance innovator it had become.

“A huge thank you to you and your team – Simon, Nick and the two K’s! We loved working with you all and are incredibly proud of where we’ve landed. Thank you so much for coming on this journey with us, making it so easy to work with you and producing a great result!”

Andrea Darling
Head of Brand Program

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

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.

Network 10

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.

Qantas

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.

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Clients

Agency Partners

  • Hundredweight
  • Pinnacle Collective
  • Simm Design

The Arts

  • Chunky Move
  • Gondwana Choir
  • Staging Connections
  • Studio Ongorato
  • Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Automotive

  • Bridgestone
  • Carsales Group
  • Drive
  • Genesis
  • Hyundai
  • Wotherspoon

Education

  • Barker College
  • Federation University
  • Five Senses Education
  • Frensham Schools
  • iCollege
  • Navitas/ACAP
  • Monash University
  • The University of Leicester
  • The University of Queensland
  • University of Melbourne
  • University of New South Wales
  • University of Sunshine Coast
  • University of Tasmania
  • University of Wollongong

Energy, Agriculture & Infrastructure

  • AGL
  • Arcline by RACV
  • Chorus
  • Costa
  • James Hardie
  • NUFARM
  • Origin Energy
  • Plant & Food Research
  • Stanwell
  • South 32
  • South East Water
  • Transgrid
  • Transurban
  • United Malt
  • Wannon Water

Media, Entertainment & Publishing

  • Anaxi
  • Aristocrat
  • Foxtel
  • Lotterywest
  • Network Ten
  • Newgate Communications

Social & Environmental

  • Bushfire Building Council Australia
  • Containers for Change
  • Koala Life

Financial Services

  • Angle Auto Finance
  • AM Investments
  • AMP
  • Aussie Home Loans
  • Bridges
  • Chartered Accountants Australia & NZ
  • CPA Australia
  • Equifax
  • Independent Reserve
  • Insignia
  • lOOF
  • ISPT
  • JBWere
  • Kiwibank
  • Latitude Financial
  • Kiwiwealth
  • KPMG
  • MLC
  • Morrison & Co
  • NAB
  • One Two Finance
  • Pepperstone
  • QSuper
  • Rest Super
  • Set4 Life
  • Suncorp
  • UBank
  • Valiant Finance
  • Vanguard
  • Westpac NZ

Government & Enterprise

  • Australia Post
  • Barangaroo
  • Campbelltown City Council
  • Geoscape
  • Gympie Regional Council
  • Launch Vic
  • NSW Government
  • Public Works Advisory
  • PWA/RPU
  • Resilience NSW
  • TAC
  • Vic Health
  • Walsh Bay Arts Precinct

Insurance & Healthcare

  • AAMI
  • Apia
  • AustralianSuper
  • Australian Unity
  • Bingle
  • BUPA
  • Estia Health
  • Everyday Independence
  • GIO
  • iCare
  • Illawarra Retirement Trust
  • MIPS
  • MLC Life Insurance
  • NRMA
  • Peoplecare
  • RACV
  • Uniting Care Queensland
  • VMIA

Medical & Health Services

  • Annalise.ai
  • AstraZeneca
  • Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
  • Beyond Blue
  • Everlight Radiology
  • Harrison.ai
  • Life Without Barriers
  • Reach Out
  • Stride (Aftercare)
  • Townsville Hospital Foundation
  • Wesley Medical Research

Professional Services

  • Allens
  • Business Events Sydney
  • Business Australia
  • Clayton Utz
  • Liberty Specialty Markets
  • Australian Institute of Landscape Architects
  • Engineers Australia
  • Planning Institute of Australia

Property

  • Avid Property
  • CBRE
  • EQT
  • Harrison Grierson
  • Hassell
  • Levande
  • PEXA
  • Ray White
  • Sekisui House
  • Stockland
  • Urbis

Retail & Consumer Products

  • Coles Group
  • Hello Fresh
  • Kelato Animal Health
  • Kennedy Laid-Law
  • MARCS
  • Officeworks
  • Philips
  • Rufus & Coco
  • Target

Technology & Telecommunications

  • hipages
  • Intelematics
  • Nova Systems
  • Optus
  • Telstra
  • Veritec
  • Vodafone

Travel & Transport

  • Hoot Holidays
  • Jetstar
  • Qantas
  • Virgin Australia

Things we do

  • Brand voice (personality) traits
  • Brand VoiceMap
  • Brand voice rules
  • Brand voice workshops
  • Brand voice guidelines
  • Brand narrative
  • Brand messaging
  • Vision statements
  • Brand strategy
  • Creative copywriting
  • Scriptwriting
  • eDM and DMs
  • Website and social media content
  • Spoken word and contact centre scripting
  • Chatbots and AI scripting
  • Branded collateral
  • Internal communications
  • White papers and annual reviews
  • Rebranding and renaming
  • Internal brand architecture naming
  • New business naming
  • Naming facilitation workshops
  • Stakeholder management and engagement
  • Brand voice training
  • Tailored writing workshops
  • Writing exercise
  • Writing examples
  • Writing tips & tricks