TIME dotCom refreshes brand to show 'irreverent and cheeky' side

TIME dotCom has refreshed its branding, unveiling a new logo, all-new visual elements as well as a fully revamped brand identity. The telco collaborated with renowned local artists such as Chern (also known as Cloakwork), Shu Yee and Izzati Suza to create a set of visuals to showcase TIME’s new look.

The brand was co-created with Australian independent brand design agency For The People and French typographer Mathieu Regeur. It also partnered with motion design studio Never Sit Still for its brand launch video. In addition to breathing new life into the brand, the exercise is also part of a strategic push to further differentiate the brand.

Andrew Yeoh, head of marketing at TIME, explained that the company's vision was always to build a world-class Malaysian brand. The telco teased the brand refresh by posting pink images on its social media channels. The move comes slightly more than a year after Yeoh joined the team from Ikano Centres.

According to the brand guidelines, the new logo (pictured above right) has friendly characters and details that reference a clock face and synergies with its brand typeface. To ensure legibility and consistency, TIME uses defined colourways with its monogram and wordmarks. The telco explained that its brandmarks should always be clearly distinguished from their backgrounds.

While pink versions of the logo are available, in most instances, the black or white treatment is preferred. For maximum contrast and impact, its wordmark works best in black or white, depending on the background. The white logo is only used on black where it may be needed to create contrast over photography. 

When asked what prompted the brand refresh, Yeoh told A+M: "This was not a brand refresh, but rather a brand revitalisation. We needed to revitalise our brand to not only stay current but renew our promise to consumers to provide them with the best Internet experience, bar none."

Moving forward, all campaigns will take on the new corporate identity and always showcase local Malaysian artwork at the heart of it. Yeoh added:

Our entire verbal identity and way of communicating to our customers has also been revamped, to communicate our challenger brand position as well as irreverent and cheeky personality in a rather vanilla category.

Alongside the brand refresh is the launch of its new 2Gbps home Internet plan which is accompanied by a Kabel Besar 2Gbps campaign developed by Fishermen Integrated. "The revamped brand identity and 2Gbps campaign aims to further cement TIME’s bold, fun and challenger persona, and we’re looking forward to engaging Malaysians with it," he added. The telco is also working with Entropia for media duties and Kingdom Digital Group's subsidiary, Rockstar Digital, for social media duties.

Aside from topline and bottom line financial KPIs and brand health metrics, Yeoh said TIME aims to drive key consumer metrics such as NPS, CSAT and churn. "Being customer-centric and sensitive and empathetic to their needs is what will bring us success, regardless of how snazzy our new brand looks. In 2023, we hope to build the brand and show up for customers, and to continue on our journey to be Malaysia’s Most Helpful Brand," he added.

The telco launched its first Kabel Besar campaign last November to disrupt the industry by focusing on entertainment first expressed through iconic and current pop culture characters. It featured Jalaluddin bin Hassan, host from the Malaysian version of "Who wants to be a millionaire"; Paduka Mustapha Kamal who is known for his characters in Malaysian dramas; and Malaysian comedian Joanne Kam. Yeoh previously said that by injecting irreverent fun and a maverick brand personality, TIME was able to differentiate itself from its competitors.

It even engaged Malaysia's favourite aunt, Auntie Siow, earlier this year to make a case for its Kabel Besar through a cantopop video.

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