Marking Global Success, Transform Magazine Awards Konica Minolta for Its Workplace Hub Brand and Communication Strategy

As Konica Minolta’s Digital Transformation Strategy Evolves with the Release of New Details Around the Innovative Workplace Hub Platform, the Brand Receives More Recognition for Its Distinctive Look and Feel for the Future.

With Konica Minolta, Inc. on a transformative journey to become a leading IT services and IoT provider, the technology giant has boldly chosen to create a brand and communications strategy that reflects its strong desire to put innovation for SMBs first. Created for the disruptive product category Workplace Hub (invented by Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Dennis Curry), and aimed at simplifying IT for its customers, the branding and associated communications won accolades at the Transform Magazine Awards for “hitting the sweet spot in terms of balancing heritage with forward momentum”.

The news of these latest awards follows Konica Minolta’s release of new Workplace Hub product details last week. As part of the same release, the company also highlighted its recent multi-national research¹ findings, which revealed that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are settling for IT that under-delivers. Specifically 95% say they are satisfied with their current IT solutions. However, at least a third of respondents reported that technical issues can lead to increased costs, lower productivity and diminished quality of work – all impacting business’ success. To help SMBs overcome such challenges, Konica Minolta is actively disrupting its own organisation to be better aligned to building technologies set to revolutionise the workplace.

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In addition to aggressively investing in R&D and opening its own labs to support co-innovation with customers, Konica Minolta has been undertaking extensive work looking at brand extension and communication. In recognition of this, the Workplace Hub brand alongside its brand agency, Frank, Bright and Abel (FB&A), have newly received the following accolades:

From Transform Magazine, North America:

• Gold Prize – ‘Best strategic / creative development of a new brand’
• Gold Prize – ‘Best development of a new brand within an existing brand portfolio’
• Bronze Prize – ‘Best use of copy style / tone of voice’
• Bronze Prize – ‘Best visual identity from the technology, media and telecommunications sector’

This continues the Workplace Hub brand’s success over the last 12 months, adding to its existing awards received in Europe and Asia.

From Transform Magazine, Europe:

• Bronze Prize – ‘Best use of copy style / tone of voice’
• Highly commended – ‘Best development of a new brand within an existing brand portfolio’

From Transform Magazine, Asia:

• Gold Prize – ‘Best development of a new brand within an existing brand portfolio’
• Gold Prize – ‘Best visual identity in the technology, media, and telecommunications sector’
• Bronze Prize – ‘Best use of copy style / tone of voice’
• Highly commended – ‘Best use of a visual property’

From The Drum UK Event Awards:

• ‘B2B experiential brand campaign / event of the year’

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“The journey to create the IT brand for Workplace Hub demonstrates Konica Minolta’s commitment to its digital transformation. We recognised that we needed a new brand identity that works within the existing, well established and much loved corporate brand. The new brand helps signal to our customers that Workplace Hub is indeed something very new from Konica Minolta and to the industry, to help propel our business within the IT space,” said Stacey Sujeebun, Global Marketing Communications Lead for the Digital Workplace Business Unit. “The journey we are on as we move towards being an IoT company is challenging but tremendously exciting. To continue to receive awards in recognition of our brand and communication strategy is a huge honour for the whole team.” 

The brand development of Workplace Hub began in 2015, involving extensive customer research and stakeholder engagement globally. Together with FB&A, Konica Minolta had to create a distinctive look and feel for Workplace Hub, acting as its own brand, but upholding the incumbent parent brand portfolio. The Workplace Hub identity has been created with a focus on rich imagery, simple and human tone of voice, and credible positioning within the IT sector.

Norihisa Takayama, General Manager of the Digital Workplace Business Unit, Konica Minolta added, “At the heart of Konica Minolta is a brand that has transformation, innovation and customer centricity at its core. This really is true of all parts of the business, whether it be within R&D or Marketing Communications. And so to be recognised around the world demonstrates the global expertise of Konica Minolta. Workplace Hub marks a significant milestone in Konica Minolta’s 145 year old innovation journey.”

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