StarHub slowly rolls out brand refresh starting with new digital-friendly shade of green

StarHub has moved away from its iconic green, blue and yellow logo after more than 20 years, to adopt a neon spring green shade. It has also embraced a new graphic branding element on its advertising and platforms which it calls "The Portal". According to StarHub, "The Portal" is a "bold and unique graphic device that comes straight from its logo", and is a new identity system that brands all of its content moving forward. It signals transformation and is a gateway to all things StarHub's customers love, the brand added. This way, consumers will know the brand asset belongs to StarHub, even if they cannot see the logo.

StarHub's new graphic device "The Portal" can be seen in some of StarHub's current marketing assets, where its irregular rectangle behind its iconic star is incorporated into its visuals. According to StarHub, it looks almost as if the visuals sit within the logo itself. Similarly, the speech bubbles in its visuals (pictured below) also adopts the slant in its logo. 

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Eva-Lotta Gothe, vice president, brand and marketing communications, StarHub, said this is part of the evolution of the StarHub brand to remain relevant to customers, and is in step with its company-wide digital transformation journey. More than just visual refresh, Gothe said the brand will be adopting a new brand personality that will focus on delivering world-class digital experiences to meet customers’ needs, drive change for the better, and use technology to make a positive impact on society.

Commenting on the refreshed logo, Gothe said the team has retained its distinct elements, namely its instantly-recognisable logo and the association with the iconic green, and redesigned them in ways that are more digital-friendly for customers. In addition, all changes are done to reflect StarHub's digital-first ambition visually, Gothe added. For instance, the star logo and the wordmark can now sit apart from each other for more adaptability, while the expanded palette of colours and layouts "places the spotlight on responsiveness". This allows for greater flexibility in usage across the various touchpoints in order to create better digital experiences for its customers.

While StarHub is still undergoing its brand refresh, some of the changes can already be seen through its website, which took on the new visual identity to boost usability and clarity for customers. Along with it, the brand has also refreshed the look and feel for its My StarHub app, advertising materials, and social content, among others. Gothe revealed that there is more to come, as StarHub continues to improve its customers’ experience. However, Gothe emphasised that the brand is not going through a rebranding exercise. "Our iconic StarHub logo remains relevant and recognisable to customers," she added. 

StarHub is not the first telco to undergo a brand refresh as part of its digital transformation journey. Earlier last year, M1 also unveiled a new brand logo and identity that is said to aid the telco into becoming a "truly digital and bespoke communication provider". Additionally, M1 touted a new brand promise to be "Made-to-Measure", and said it looks to reinforce its commitment to be a customer-centric company, delivering bespoke products that are tailored to meet the specific needs of its customers.

Separately, StarHub has recently called for a creative pitch for the Singapore market. Gothe confirmed the pitch to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE and said it was called to "identify the best creative agency partner" as StarHub's business transformation accelerates to meet the ever-changing market demands. Gothe also confirmed that a few agencies have been invited to participate, including incumbent BLKJ. However, BLKJ has declined to participate in the pitch. The pitch is still underway at the time of writing. 

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