Challenge
Waterford has long been considered the definitive luxury brand in the crystal glass category. However, changing tastes and competitor intrusion threatened to make Waterford appear less contemporary and less relevant to today’s luxury consumer, eclipsing Waterford’s undoubted reputation for supreme quality and artistry. INSIGHT Waterford’s preciousness was causing it to be used only for extra special occasions and confined to the cupboard. Based on the brand idea ‘crafted since 1783 for this very moment’, Identica sought to dramatize Waterford’s enduring ability to transform everyday moments into something truly special. Our aim was to remind people about the pleasure to be found in using Waterford every day.
Solution
What makes Waterford truly luxurious is its cut – creating the elevated visual and tactile experience that makes it such an intense pleasure to use. To celebrate the cut, we not only redrew their wordmark inspired by the beautiful shapes of glass cutting, but we turned this into an ownable asset for the brand to be used at superscale across all relevant touchpoints. We created a new colour inspired by the brand’s origins in Waterford Ireland, with a deep, rich, green, contrasting with a bright molten orange highlight which pays homage to the elemental starting point of all crystal pieces – the forge. We created a new photographic style which allows the product to be shown in authentic settings, surrounded by everyday but unexpected items, such as using a vase to hold pencils, or a crystal cut bowl for Liquorice Allsorts. We developed this new style to create a step change from the more traditional lifestyle images that exist in the category and to demonstrate that this really is a brand for you to interact with every day. We also created a new suite of imagery and films to celebrate the craftsmanship and expertise in creating the products, showcasing the time, care and skill behind every product. We also re-crafted the brand’s famous seahorse to be a modern shorthand for the brand and a mark of its authenticity and long heritage. We developed the identity system to be monolithic across the ranges to amplify the brand rather, lessening the need for sub-brand properties. WHAT WE DID Strategy, Packaging, Identity, Guidelines, Photography and Film Art Direction, Production.
Want fresh marketing stories in your inbox?
Get the weekly email that makes you a marketing genius.
Stay informed and inspired, for free.