thebestof Just Gets Better With Launch Of New Brand

The brand review has also highlighted the key elements of thebestof’s proposition that are integral to its current and future success as a great marketing solution for local firms, namely its support of local business through networking, recommendation and building awareness and trust in the local community.

Announcing the new image and a host of other initiatives, Nigel Botterill, CEO of thebestof explained the planning that went into creating the brand. “In developing our new brand and proposition we went out and sought opinion,” he says. “We spoke with franchisees, with customers, with site visitors and with a number of brand specialists, including our chosen consultancy partner, The House.”

Nigel says that this feedback helped shape the direction for thebestof, which is reflected in the new brand. “Part of being a champion for your town is to provide people with a voice,” he says. “It’s a chance for local people to be heard and to say what they love about their town.”

The development has been welcomed by thebestof’s franchisees, who own and run the national network’s 360 regional websites, as they understand the power of the brand, and see this change as a huge step in the right direction in strengthening their own rapport with local businesses and residents, as the new brand echoes their efforts in promoting local business.

The new logo is based on a speech bubble to suggest the feedback and points of view of the local community whose opinions are key to the success of local business. The shape of the logo also reflects the increasing interactive nature of the website in line with the social networking revolution and success of websites such as ‘myspace,’ ‘facebook,’ and ‘bebo.’

The new lowercase font of the logo and the brand’s colour palette of light blue, dark blue, white and black does not represent a huge shift in direction but gives it a strong uncomplicated, contemporary feel that fits with thebestof’s new proposition on a national and local level and its status as an award winning nationwide company.

Thebestof has worked closely with brand agency The House to develop the new look. In turn the agency has got a real feel for the business by not only speaking with the management team, but also by spending time with a group of site owners to get their take on the business.

Nigel adds: “With our review section on the website launched only last week, where users of the thebestof site can now review their local businesses, as well as the new brand being launched, all this highlights our ambitions in making thebestof the local destination website in every town in the UK.”