Brand Modernization Underscores Impact of Data on Growing Business Relationships
Dun & Bradstreet unveiled a new brand purpose, values, tagline and logo as part of a major brand modernization effort. The company’s new creative expression and tenets are rooted in a data inspired, relationship-driven approach, bolstered by the new tagline: “Growing relationships through data.” The work was created in collaboration with award-winning agency Droga5.
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of a yearlong activation of Dun & Bradstreet’s new growth strategy, which has included both internal and external investments across the business, and a revitalization of the company’s global culture. Dun & Bradstreet has made a number of strategic acquisitions to expand capabilities, and formed alliances and partnerships to more simply and efficiently deliver key data, insights and analytics to customers.
CEO Bob Carrigan joined Dun & Bradstreet in October 2013 with a vision to build long-term sustainable growth and modernize all aspects of the company. Carrigan, with support from the executive leadership team, is leading that vision with a far-reaching brand modernization that will be implemented within Dun & Bradstreet’s products and solutions, content delivery, go-to-market strategy, internal employee programs and all external positioning beginning today.
Dun & Bradstreet’s history played a major part in the brand modernization effort. It began with an exploratory trip to Harvard University’s Baker Library which houses the R.G. Dun & Co. and Dun & Bradstreet Collections, dating back to 1841. It is within these archives of Dun & Bradstreet’s earliest credit ledgers and records of commerce that the company rediscovered its roots and found inspiration in its rich legacy of building trust. Pairing that with a future-focused view of the evolving industry landscape, the company set out to revitalize its purpose with a creative expression that underscores how Dun & Bradstreet uses its vast data resources to grow valuable business relationships.
Quick Facts
• About ninety percent of the Fortune 500 work with Dun & Bradstreet.
• New tagline is “Growing relationships through data.”
• Brand purpose is “Dun & Bradstreet grows the most valuable relationships in business by uncovering truth and meaning from data.”
• Brand values are “data-inspired,” “relentlessly curious,”and “inherently generous.”
Data-Inspired: We are passionate about the power of data. It is at the heart of everything we do.
Relentlessly Curious: We embrace the changes in the world around us. We know they bring new problems to solve, new things to learn and new ways to grow.
Inherently Generous: We succeed by helping others succeed. We openly share our time and talent, and we confidently welcome the help of others.
• Droga5 led the branding initiative for Dun and Bradstreet, Droga5’s first B2B client.
• New logo is an ampersand comprised of a lower-case ‘d’ and upper-case ‘B’, and represents the two-party nature of relationships.
Supporting Quotes
Bob Carrigan, chief executive officer & president, Dun & Bradstreet
“Our mission is to transform Dun & Bradstreet into a modern enterprise B2B data company and deliver sustainable growth and value for our shareholders. Our customers continue to be our driving focus, and we’re making these changes to ensure they have seamless access to actionable business intelligence when, where and how they need it.”
“Data is the key driver of innovation in today’s business environment, and we have continued to invest in this differentiating asset. But decisions, inventions and investments are made by humans, and we help customers make sense of the massive amounts of data they have to connect them with the people, ideas and opportunities that matter.”
“We have great momentum as we bring our strategy to life. Every step we have taken, and will take as we continue to move forward, will help fuel our vision of sustainable growth.”
“Dun & Bradstreet has set its sights on transforming industries that are becoming increasingly complex due to the deluge of data. We’re gleaning real, actionable insights for our customers, and modernizing to not only deliver what they need today, but anticipate what they’ll need tomorrow.”
Rishi Dave, chief marketing officer, Dun & Bradstreet
“Throughout the brand process, we’ve been led by a higher purpose, which is to simplify the customer experience in an industry that is becoming increasingly complex due to the deluge of data. Achieving that end has been our true north star, and will continue to guide our business decisions.”
“It’s been an incredible honor and a rewarding journey to modernize an iconic, well-loved 173-year old brand like Dun & Bradstreet; it’s a CMO’s dream!”
“Despite our long history, we’re not encumbered by the old way of doing things. We are reintroducing our company through this modernization to make what we do relevant for today’s customers, and help our customers and industry influencers understand who we are and where we are going, in the simplest of terms.”
“Dun & Bradstreet is building a modern marketing function that is effective in today’s data-driven world – not just changing colors and adding a Twitter handle. We are reinventing our business to ensure we are leveraging technology and analytics to deliver the most important insights to customers.”
John Reid-Dodick, chief people officer, Dun & Bradstreet
“Our brand matters internally as well as externally. We want Dun & Bradstreet to be a place where people feel like the work they do is meaningful, impactful and appreciated and that they’re part of a culture that inspires them to do their best work and be their best person.”
“If brand purpose is the ‘why’ and strategy is the ‘what,’ then values shape the ‘how.’ Our modernized principles support our growth strategy and brand by acting as points of orientation guiding the many day-to-day decisions people make at work.”
“Dun & Bradstreet is a surprisingly cool place to work, and the brand modernization helps bring that to life for our people. It reinforces our focus on the importance of relationships and personal connections.”
“Modernizing our brand means connecting our past with our future, our company with customers, and our people with each other around the globe.”
