I am excited to announce an update from Cognito: the launch of our new brand.

We’ve invested in our brand this year to reflect both our value proposition and our ambition to be the global communications agency of choice for brands and talent working in finance, technology and the climate transition. It’s an external reflection of some of the important developments we have made and will continue to make to grow and deepen our expertise and capabilities.

Most recently we opened an office in Sydney to boost our reach across APAC and launched a dedicated Sustainability Practice to advise clients communicating on the climate transition, something which is at the core of our new brand positioning. We’re also rolling out a new training program and number of internal initiatives to ensure we deliver the same standards of excellence and expertise across every team and office.

The story behind the rebrand

I started Cognito in the aftermath of the dotcom boom in 2000 with the goal of helping financial services clients navigate and grow in a complex, disrupted, and competitive environment. Fast forward to today, and the environment is only more complex, more disrupted, and more competitive – these challenges aren’t going away. The last few weeks have seen a major pullback in the tech and crypto sectors, adding to pressure from inflation, Brexit and the lasting impact of the pandemic.

Many firms find it tough to know what, how, when, or even if to communicate, to make sure they achieve cut through.

It’s easy to feel unsure: to risk saying the wrong thing, miss moments that matter to your audiences, or get lost in the noise. Firms need help, and that’s why Cognito is here.

That is the motivation behind our rebrand: it’s about resetting and refocusing on our commitment to help clients defend, protect, and grow through turbulent periods. It’s about being confident, clear, and compelling. It’s looking forward to new channels, stories, and opportunities. It’s communicating “what’s next“?

The new brand

There are nods to our 20-year history and experience: the color palette begins with our traditional orange, now emboldened as blood orange. The inspiration for our logo mark came from our drive to be different (homage to our belief that ‘finance is different’) and bring new ideas and ways of working to our clients.

It’s also confident and memorable; aligning with where we want to go and grow as an agency. It balances strong personality with professionalism; reflecting our unique approach to solving business challenges for our clients always underpinned by deep expertise in financial markets, technology, and the climate transition.

So, what’s next?

Over the coming weeks you’ll start to see our brand reflected in how we show up in the market. As with every brand identity: it’s an ongoing evolution, so I welcome your questions and feedback as we move ahead.

We also hope you’ll see an evolution in how we show up with you, in our work and relationships every day. Entrepreneurial, ambitious, hard-working, experts – these were the principles on which I founded Cognito. Today we’re instilling those principles in our culture as we grow and defining that Cognito Way of working in our values and approach. This means starting with the challenge, not the solution; always putting clients first, asking the right questions; and thinking across channels.

We’re doing this through a new training and development program, client servicing standards, and global knowledge-sharing across our teams to improve the quality and – we hope – the impact of the work you get from us every day.

My final message to you, our clients, partners, and industry friends, is one of confidence. In an increasingly complex world, you are doing innovative and transformative work – and we want to be there with you as you’re doing it.

Tom Coombes is the CEO and founder of Cognito