Challenge
How do we meet the need for more energy and less carbon? This is the world’s greatest balancing act and one that Schlumberger was determined to be recognized as leading.
Over the past 90+ years Schlumberger built one of the strongest brands in oil and gas services.
But the world has changed, and so too had Schlumberger. With big ambitions in new energy, digital and decarbonization, their brand was a reflection of their heritage, not their current capabilities or future ambitions.
In March 2021, Schlumberger's brand and marketing team worked closely with Brandpie on a complex brand transformation. To reposition the organization to play a leading role in the energy transition.
Their strategy was clear – to innovate and decarbonize oil & gas, drive digital adoption, and grow in new energy. Our job was to ensure we didn’t leave anyone behind in this process, internally or externally.
It was clear to us early on that Schlumberger are part of a handful of global companies that have the expertise, scale, and technology to make a significant difference in building a new decarbonized energy future – something we wanted to be part of.
Idea
Their purpose was strong, ‘together, we create amazing technology that unlocks access to energy for the benefit of all.’ Our challenge was to draw on these existing components and create one united story for Schlumberger that would set them on their path for the next 90+ years. We did this through:
• A new brand positioning: ‘Global technology company driving energy innovation for a balanced planet.’
• A new name: SLB
• A new brand identity – the symbol being created from the Net Zero carbon budget curve
• A new Masterbrand strategy and simplified portfolio
• A new brand identity system and digital experience
Results
Employees engaged in 'We are SLB' Yammer Community
Investors attended brand launch at NYSE
Customers and visitors experienced brand at ADIPEC
Impact
Far beyond a ‘brand story’ this is one of transforming a business through an underlying purpose. SLB’s global launch in October 2022 was celebrated by employees and customers from all over the world.
The internal response across the globe was profound – attracting an average of 45,000 employees in each of the three launch webcasts. SLB were congratulated by their competitors, customers, and with increased clarity in their corporate story, narrative, and structure, investor confidence rose following launch. From cakes to songs, to significant social engagement, it unleashed a new passion, energy, and pride in SLB people and those they work with.
A strategy for the challenge of our time
The new brand strategy positions SLB as a business leading the energy transition. It builds recognition that SLB goes beyond oil and gas services, and is a technology company. It clarifies their focus – to drive energy innovation. And it brings to market a powerful brand idea that speaks to the challenges of current and new customers alike, the need for a balanced energy transition and the desire to rebalance our relationship with the planet.
A new name
Alongside this strategy we recommended a change in name. Schlumberger was difficult to pronounce, inflexible, and not fit for the future. ‘SLB’ bridges the heritage and the future of the company – aligning the business with their .com, colloquial name, and stock exchange ticker symbol.
A purpose-driven symbol
We looked for a way to embody SLB’s purpose and symbolize their role in the energy transition. The carbon budget curve, setting out the journey to net-zero, provided that stimulus. As the world’s most important graph, it will act as a compass for SLB as they contribute to balancing the energy mix while balancing the climate. It also symbolically reinforces the urgency in the challenge and the need to accelerate progress, to go further than carbon neutrality to become carbon negative. It is now the symbol of SLB’s role in the world.
Brand architecture: SLB – a Masterbrand
In the absence of a clear brand strategy, SLB had been going to market through a plethora of disparate sub-brands, which diluted SLB's presence and hindered their ability to grow in new markets and industries.
To accelerate their business strategy and reinforce the new purpose and positioning, we advised on the implementation of a Masterbrand strategy. We created an architecture structure which organizes and unifies their portfolio around four Strategic Fields of Play that explain how SLB is driving energy innovation.
SLB Solutions were also introduced as a way to illustrate how SLB is delivering integrated solutions and shifting from a product-led organization, to one that puts customer challenges at the forefront and reemphasizes the notion of 'a balanced planet.’
SLB brand launch
We developed an entire brand world to bring SLB to life – through color, typography, photography, animation, film, and key art. Finally, this was all encapsulated into a new website – presenting slb.com in a reinvigorated, user-friendly, and cleaner way.
