Strategy Business, Brand
Talking about why everyone matters and what it means to be a world leader in liquid logistics
When a bag is more than a bag
Tell us about Braid
Braid Logistics is a global logistics company founded over 60 years ago in the UK. Today, Braid is at the forefront of what they do, which is liquid logistics.
What exactly is liquid logistics?
Let’s start with a fun fact. Did you know everyday liquids like mineral water, wine, and olive oil aren’t bottled where they’re made?
They’re moved in bulk from Point A to Point B in shipping containers called flexitanks. These are special, semi-elastic containers designed especially for liquids.
Now, not all liquid logistics companies do this—Braid makes their own flexitanks, making substantial investments into R&D and material science to ensure they don’t leak or break and to protect the liquids they contain from contamination.
If Braid is at the forefront of this industry, why did they need help?
Well, you and I both know that a good product is just the beginning. There’s beating out lower-priced, aggressive competition, bigger companies packaging inferior tanks in turnkey freight and logistics solutions, etc. On and on.
Another challenge we found was while Braid sales and third-party agents around the world knew Braid was the best, they could not explain why they were the best.
From the perspective of a potential client, if you claim quality but cannot substantiate it, they may ask for a price cut or more value if you want their business.
We saw a lot of this happening, and sales often gave in to get the project.
While Braid sales and third-party agents around the world knew Braid was the best, they could not explain why they were the best.
That’s pretty hard-core. What was your strategy for overcoming these issues?
Braid needed a new branding framework that would, one, highlight their strengths as a leader of industry and, two, set it apart as an innovator of a superior product.
Our objective was a strategic shift in perception that would “make the unseen seen”—educating stakeholders and the market on the value of leading-edge yet abstract scientific concepts.
It meant more than a new look and feel—it meant getting a global audience excited about the complex world of cutting-edge polymer science. And to do that, we needed a story.
“
”
Braid needed a new branding framework that would, one, highlight their strengths as a leader of industry and, two, set it apart as an innovator of a superior product.
And what is the Braid story?
We worked closely with Braid leadership on this. After months of in-depth interviews and plant visits, a critical insight surfaced: from daily operations and product development to testing and after-sales care, Braid works the way they do because lives depend on it.
We created a new brand essence based on this: BECAUSE EVERYONE MATTERS.
The new branding framework unpacked this statement as Exactness, Rigour, and Integrity, a series of qualities highlighting Braid’s science-led approach that defined all branding and communications moving forward.
Then, for their proprietary tanks, we recommended something that would make explaining what makes Braid so great easier.
Did you achieve your objectives?
The re-branding launched in China by introducing new products and technology. It was received quite well by internal and external stakeholders, particularly this short documentary video we co-produced.
In it, Braid’s chief material scientist makes their R&D process public for the first time. He could now “present” at every presentation and pitch worldwide.
Shortly after, German freight forwarder Hillebrand acquired Braid to expand its business in non-hazardous bulk liquids. Helping Braid move from being hard to explain to a buy-over for their exact strengths—that’s a win in my book.
What was that?
We gave the product a name: Hexopure—a name that communicates strength and purity for the proprietary technology behind the flexitank’s superior performance.
Like Teflon or Intel Inside.
Yes, an ingredient branding approach.
After this, we created a range of cargo-specific flexitanks for Braid’s four most in-demand product categories: water, wine, consumables, and industrial chemicals.
Each one makes the invisible visible, communicating best-in-class performance and engineering to meet the specific demands of each liquid.
How did the new work roll out?
With the new positioning, branded technology, and ingredient brands, next steps included educating and arming a massive sales force with the right tools and knowledge.
Communications strategy needed to be simple enough to go global yet substantial enough to be credible and convincing. We developed a comprehensive communications system with a new brandmark, product icons, marketing collateral, a brand experience showroom, and video.
Creatives anchored the Braid story on the banner statement “Safe with Science”, evoking the assurance of a global, science-led brand.