Heart Rebrands As It Sets Sights On Capital
Chrysalis Radio’s flagship London station Heart 106.2 has unveiled a new logo and brand identity as part of a wide-ranging effort to knock rival Capital 95.8 off the top spot in London.
The new logo, created by BB/Saunders, aims to build closer brand awareness with listeners after focus group research revealed the old identity failed to effectively convey the content, mood or personality of Heart.
The wide-ranging redesign will see the station’s three year-old strapline ‘The right song right now’ scrapped, along with its distinctive red and white logo, which has been used since it launched back in 1995 after securing its London licence.
The new branding will be backed by an extensive £3 million cross-media marketing campaign created by advertising agency Clemmow Hornby Inge. The move follows Chrysalis Radio’s recent decision to boost adspend at its flagship Heart station by 20%.
Tina Finch, head of marketing for Heart explained the need for the station’s rebranding, saying: “Research showed that people either didn’t like the existing logo or were completely indifferent to it. It didn’t really tell them anything about the station except its frequency. We realised that we needed a new look and a rebrand as something that would tell people more about the station and what to expect when they listen to it.”
She added: “We have spent several months looking at different directions we can go with the logo, and the one we’ve got now is to make us a bit younger, a bit funkier with more vibrancy and more energy. It also takes on ownership of the heart icon, simply because we are Heart.”
The move sees Heart intensify its efforts to dethrone Capital as the top station in London, a goal which seems achievable, as the latest RAJAR data for the three months to June 2004 shows the two stations are now a mere 200,000 listeners apart.
The arrival of Johnny Vaughan to replace veteran breakfast show presenter, Chris Tarrant, has so far failed to bolster Capital’s London lead. The station saw its weekly reach decline by almost 20% year on year in the second quarter, as listeners went elsewhere for their early morning fix.
Capital will not place too much emphasis on the initial figures, which also include Tarrant’s last two weeks at the microphone. Vaughan will take time to bed in to the breakfast slot and the real test will come in a few months time when the effect of the advertising campaign wears off (see RAJAR Results Q2 2004: Vaughan Fails To Boost Capital).
Chrysalis: 020 7221 2213 www.chrysalis.com
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