ITN repositions as digital content provider with Dave

ITN is set to join the digital age this week, following a six-month repositioning and rebranding programme by branding consultancy Dave.

The global news organisation appointed Dave following a three-way pitch in December 2005 and initially briefed the group to develop a brand strategy for its ITN Archive and ITN Multimedia divisions. The project was then extended to include an overhaul of the company’s entire brand architecture, according to Dave senior consultant Sean McKnight.

‘The company is seeing strong growth in 3G mobile and on-line content, as well as content for broadband providers, podcasts and other branded products,’ says McKnight. ‘We helped them figure out how these could be incorporated into the organisation. ITN thinks of itself as a news organisation, but really it is a content business.’

Under the brand proposition Right Content Right Now, Dave has developed a colour-coded visual identity which links together the news, image content, multi-platform, factual and consulting divisions of ITN. Previously, these divisions were either disparate or without any visual identity, according to McKnight.

On-screen idents and stings, as well as the website www.itn.co.uk, were produced by ITN’s in-house design team under the Dave concept. The consultancy designed print materials, vehicle livery and internal communications.

The branding has been developed to communicate more effectively and directly to consumers, using multi-platform channels, says McKnight. ‘Although still primarily a business-to-business news organisation, ITN is getting more direct contact with the consumer than before and we had to reflect that. We considered how the brand will live in all applications.’

ITN provides news and factual programming for ITV and Channel 4, as well as content for all the UK mobile operators. It has also developed a product for Google called On This Day in History, featuring footage from the company’s 700 000-hour archive, which dates back to 1896.

As part of the repositioning, Dave also undertook an employee engagement programme to educate staff on ITN’s growth strategy and how its departments link together.

ITN

• Formed as Independent Television News by ITV companies in 1955, now owned by ITV (40 per cent), Daily Mail & General Trust (20 per cent), United Business Media (20 per cent) and Reuters (20 per cent)

• Produces content for ITV, Channel 4, almost 300 commercial radio stations, all UK mobile phone operators and Google

• Licenses material from 700 000-hour moving image archive

• Comprises five businesses: ITN News, ITN Source, ITN On, ITN Consulting and production businesses ITN Factual and Visual Voodoo