Interview: DesignRush talks to Mark Pollok about the rebranding story of the EU's largest HR service provider

DesignRush, a B2B platform that connects companies with digital marketing and technology agencies and counts over 50,000 followers on LinkedIn worldwide, invited Mark Pollok for an interview.

The interview started with the question: Why rebranding and why now?

The HR market has changed dramatically in recent years, says Mark Pollok - CEO of the Trenkwalder Group, one of the largest HR service providers in Europe.

According to Mark Pollok in an interview with DesignRush, the "HR evolution" has prompted the company to tackle rebranding as one of its top priorities by the end of 2023.

In this interview, he explains Trenkwalder's decision to develop a new brand strategy after 35 years in the industry and what it takes to get this project right when you're already recognised as one of the top players in the industry.

Starting point: brand analysis

Any long-lived company looking to rebrand should first conduct a comprehensive brand analysis, which can provide the necessary insights into the current perception of a brand.

"It was important to understand which brand values we wanted to retain and which were outdated so we could determine where we wanted to go," says Mark.

This led to the creation of a strategy document that contained the key brand values that Trenkwalder needed to build on:

1. Growth

2. innovation

3. Trust

The idea was that Trenkwalder should double down on its commitment to digitalisation and a holistic approach to solving challenges faced by clients in the HR industry, Mark continues.

Data and the colour red: making sense of insights from brand analysis

"We wanted to retain the identity of the brand - the red colour, which had already symbolised a quality feature for our service resulting from our market expertise."
The data from Trenkwalder's brand analysis showed that although the company has a high level of recognition among the new generation, its services are only partially known.

This meant that the company had untapped potential to reposition itself with the younger generation, particularly millennials and Gen Z.

When asked if his team took a data-driven approach to the rebrand, Mark says they were guided by a combination of data and creativity.

"We created a comprehensive target group analysis and derived customer journeys from it. This method helped us to better understand the needs of our target group and offer them the most suitable services," he explains, adding: "Rebranding is an emotional process in any organisation. Some employees want to hold on to their old image, while others see the change as an important step into the future - it took a lot of convincing."

Common pitfalls in the rebranding process

To avoid easily avoidable mistakes, Mark says that companies should clearly define the goals for rebranding, including the main reason for the change.

It is necessary to conduct market research in order to recognise and understand current trends.

Milestones in the rebranding process:

1. Internal coordination

2. Determining the timetable and communication

3. Appropriate budgeting and resource allocation
   

"The centrepiece of rebranding is always defining the brand values - that's what makes us unique," argues Mark.

Good things take time

The most important realisation from Trenkwalder's branding process is that "good things take time", says Mark, as you "only have one chance to succeed".

This is also confirmed by AJ Khon, one of the most renowned SEO experts in the USA, who was recently a guest on the DesignRush podcast.

The company has received very positive feedback from both customers and employees. Mark Pollok concludes: "We conducted an internal survey a few months before the launch and repeated it some time after the project was completed. It's a great way to gauge perception."

Read the article here How Did EU's Largest HR Service Provider Go Through Rebranding | DesignRush