THE BRAND STORY

Founded in 2015 by two humble industry superstar partners Nimesh and Nick; ‘Mantra’ has quickly become one of London’s leading financial brokers with expertise in debt finance; servicing the commercial, insurance, mortgages, and dental finance markets. Mantra’s goal has been to continue to grow their offering and refine their expertise, however after 5 years of success, multiple awards, and a much wider team and roster of services in different areas of the industry, it became apparent that communicating what they do to their audience was no easy task, especially without any clutter.

The financial industry is filled with messaging and terminology that those who are not educated in this field are made to feel as if they are hearing a different language. Mantra Capital (their previous name before meeting us), was no different - their wording only spoke to the elite financial professional or veteran investor and alienated young professionals and entrepreneurs as well as small businesses who were their actual target market. The visuals on their main website were very intimidating and confusing with their wording which did not invite interest unless you knew certain terminology or exactly what you were looking for.
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For such a young, entrepreneurial team; their messaging and identity was beginning to look as confusing and dated as their older competitors - this was no fault of their own, as they were busy focussing on what they do best; successfully helping their clients with their financial needs. Mantra are a team full of forward-thinkers, and after some self-reflection, lead them to the conclusion that not only was their brand becoming confusing, but they were missing out on opportunities through social media, and came to the decision that it was time to bring clarity to what they offer and break-out into the digital world that they had been unintentionally hiding from.
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It was no longer acceptable to them that their competitors were able to cater to a much wider audience successfully while they had a more superior offering that no one could compete with; which no one really knew about (unless you were an industry professional). It was time for them to grow, be seen by a wider audience, communicate clearly what they do, and have it backed by a brand that stood out from the crowd, represented by their values and attract clients and investors alike.

Mantra wanted to be the home for your multiple financial needs.

THE PROCESS

First things first - we needed to understand exactly who they were and what they were offering. Once we knew this, we could better prescribe a solution to their problem. Their initial focus was on their lack of social media presence and dated website, however after understanding fully just how unique their business offering was; we quickly realised that there was a much bigger issue to be solved here - their brand did not match who they now were.

Once in agreement, we began our process of brand strategy; through a bespoke questionnaire over of 40 questions tailored to understanding all details of their company and mission, business and purpose, target market, competition, market value, and brand expectations. This was followed by two 2-hour in-depth interviews with the partners with deeper psychological discussions on what the Mantra brand meant to them and why it should matter to others. Once all the answers were in, it was time to analyse the data and create a full brand strategy based on these findings. The strategy document we created brought clarity to the brand and showed exactly what the business was and where it was going. Now we were all on the same page, it was time to build on this with their new visual identity.

We analysed their existing brand logo along with their competition and aspired brands - through this discovery stage and the strategy, we understood that their ‘M’ logo has become a known entity to them in the commercial market where they are most successful in. We then made the decision to ensure the ‘M’ logo was still recognisable to their already established market.

In tangent with the discovery stage of their new brand visuals, we also worked on a new tagline and slogan for the brand that clearly communicated what they were all about; these options were carefully generated through key words and brand values found in their brand strategy, and tested out on the new visuals we were putting together to see what felt best when in situation.

THE RESULT

First, let’s talk about the name - they were known as ‘Mantra Capital’, having ‘Capital’ in the name sounded more of a lender than a broker; so, with their permission we simplified it, which allowed us to have shorter sub-brand names. They were now called ‘Mantra’.

Ensuring the identity was adaptable and relevant in all areas of their business (who were talking to completely different markets) was our key focus when developing the new logo. In order to achieve this, we separated out the brands who were targeting to more of a wider general market but required a premium service (their mortgages, insurance and dental finance services) and a more high-end market who expected a bespoke service (their group and commercial brands). This was represented with separate colour schemes and textures, with the wider market having a combination of a colour and white tone texture, and the high-end market brands using a copper steel and gold texture with black.

Focussing on the ‘M’ icon we perfected every detail by redrawing it to be symmetrical; using an isometric grid. With the new ‘M’ monogram we adapted its behaviour across multiple formats and created an identity system that used the diamond on the ‘M’, to represent the different services Mantra has to offer while tying back to the main logo; from a padlock that represented ‘Mantra Insurance’ to a building tower that represented ‘Mantra Mortgages’.

The typography also required a timeless feel that was still contemporary and could adapt across markets. We opted for a new typeface called ‘Söhne’ that had this quality and was useable across digital platforms; opting away from the previously stretched type that was not as digital-friendly.

Throughout all assets we used the angles and lines of the newly drawn isometric ‘M’ icon; from the diamond-ended pole flags to their social media templates.

Creating a tag line and slogan was important to ensure what they do and how is clearly communicated - ‘Your Financial Concierge.’ was born. This highlighted their second to none service experience along with their key topic of expertise; your finances. ‘…Tailor made.’ was the slogan that best communicated each sector while highlighting the bespoke service they offered to each market. Mantra as a brand now has a consistent style and messaging across all its platforms, inclusive of printed collateral. This has led to a growth in social media following and new client leads. The most impactful outcome of the new brand was the clarity that the group and all its subsidiaries now had - this led to an early acquisition of the company as a whole entity by Begbies Traynor Group in a multi-million-pound deal, whereby the brand was the fundamental asset of purchase.This highlight alone superseded their 5-year business goal of £25m.

THE IMPACT

Mantra has now successfully become the home for multiple financial services to all their existing clients; from their commercial business requirements to insurance needs, leading to a large acquisition and a new chapter for their brand and business as a whole.

200%

increase in audience engagement
over social media

£ multi-million acquisition

a deal that saw their business growth target being reached
2 years earlier than anticipated

30% Growth

across all services and increased retention from clients

BIG DREAMS REQUIRE BIG VISIONS - OUR SPECIALITY.

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A FINANCIAL BRAND THAT OPENS DOORS.

BIG DREAMS REQUIRE BIG VISIONS - OUR SPECIALITY.