Rover selects BGA for identity

Basten Greenhill Andrews has been appointed by Rover Group as its lead corporate identity consultancy.

The consultancy has been given the task of developing a consistent worldwide corporate identity programme for the car firm.

The project will include Rover Group and the Rover, Land Rover, Mini and MG sub-brands.

“Each has a unique position in the marketplace, and some of them are absolutely iconic,” says BGA joint-founder Tim Greenhill. The project will seek to present a consistent identity for the Rover brands, now owned by German group BMW, around the world.

The consultancy beat rivals including Enterprise IG and Interbrand Newell and Sorrell to the job, confirms Lindsay Jenkins, Rover Group manager of corporate identity and licensing. Nine groups were approached as part of the tender process.

BGA replaces Edward Briscoe Design, the previous lead identity group. “For business reasons we decided to move away from Edward Briscoe,” says Jenkins.

BGA will work with BMW’s corporate identity department, and its long-standing branding agency, Swiss group Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux, to ensure an overall fit with the rest of the group. But the BMW identity will not be used to endorse Rover in any way, says Greenhill.

Rover Group plans a long-term relationship with the consultancy, says Jenkins. The first year of the project will concentrate on improving internal communications standards.

See News Analysis, page 8