Mintat rebrands Iranian oil group

Minale Tattersfield is presenting first concepts next month to Iran-based automotive oil company Caspian, following its appointment in June to redesign the company’s identity and develop a series of sub-brands.

The project’s details are still to be defined, but it is likely to be worth close to £100 000 in fees to the consultancy.

It is the first time in 25 years that the logo has been refreshed, says Minale Tattersfield chairman Alex Maranzano. The identity has high visibility in the country, and is used across shop fronts as well as on automotive products.

The new-look logo will be applied first to the motor oil product range, which is set to launch early next year.

Caspian also plans to expand into men’s toiletries. The company already produces consumer household goods such as air fresheners and home adhesives, but Maranzano says the move into personal products will be more difficult to brand.

‘We have concerns that the brand, with its automotive associations, won’t be relevant to products such as shaving gel,’ he says.

The group was appointed without a pitch on the strength of previous work in the 1980s for BP on oil packaging, says Maranzano.

Minale Tattersfield ‘had to think twice’ about taking on this project due to the international situation in Iraq, he adds.