Wolff Olins brand for research group

International market research company Taylor Nelson Sofres is renaming itself TNS this week, with branding by Wolff Olins, to bring together its operations in 53 countries under a single brand banner.

The company competes against the likes of AC Nielsen, GfK, Research International and Ipsos to provide market information and intelligence to brand owners around the world.

Several brands previously supported by Taylor Nelson Sofres will be dropped in the shake-up. TNS chief executive Mike Kirkham is keen to capitalise on the company’s investment in its global network and specialist services.

Wolff Olins account director Tom Banks says, ‘TNS is about reading between the lines [and] looking behind the numbers and beyond the trends.’

The aim of the revamp is to emphasise that TNS offers ‘insight and advice’ to clients as well as data – based around a positioning as ‘the sixth sense of business’, developed by Wolff Olins.

TNS approached Wolff Olins last summer without a pitch to help define what its brand stood for after a period of acquisition, Banks explains. In addition to designing a marque, ‘brand book’ and basic visual elements, the consultancy has simplified the TNS brand architecture and created a new tone of voice.

Wolff Olins designer Owen Hughes says the logo is ‘simple and bold’, with a ‘three-dimensional feel [that] suggests a sense of depth’. He adds, ‘[It] supports the brand concept of looking beyond the obvious and getting beneath the surface of its clients’ businesses.’

Meanwhile, The Workroom, under managing director Martin Devlin, has worked on implementing the designs, as well as creating a guidelines document to be used by local TNS marketing teams.