ADC Awards
ADC Annual Awards is the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world, with an incredible legacy of over 100 years. These awards celebrate the very best in advertising, digital media, graphic and publication design, packaging and product design, motion, experiential and spatial design, photography, illustration and fashion design – all with a focus on artistry and craftsmanship.
Learn more about ADC105
Category
Branding
Annual ID
ADC104_BCD050M
Background
Precise Mortgages is a market leader in the UK specialist lending market. Their area of specialism is adverse credit meaning they give credit to people who may have had repayment issues in the past and therefore have a low credit score. They sell a range of long-term mortgages suited to the buy to let and residential market, and short-term lending products such as bridging.
In the UK, the specialist mortgage lending process is time-consuming, overly complicated and unclear. We worked with Precise Mortgages to reflect their new approach for brokers and borrowers, a straightforward and streamlined service, featuring new simplified products.
In the UK, the specialist mortgage lending process is time-consuming, overly complicated and unclear. We worked with Precise Mortgages to reflect their new approach for brokers and borrowers, a straightforward and streamlined service, featuring new simplified products.
Creative Idea
Our creative idea ‘Boldly Vanilla’ celebrates Precise’s new brutal simplicity and concise approach. Every brand identity element has been carefully considered to cut through the loud, vibrant colour palettes and noisy graphics of competitors in the sector, ensuring Precise confidently stands out.
Insights & Strategy
Precise Mortgages’ external brand strategy and visual identity weren’t doing justice to the modernisation and simplification going on at HQ. Business development managers (BDMs) were struggling to articulate their competitive difference, new arrivals to the sector were threatening to steal loyal brokers, and perceptions of the brand were tied to characters no longer in the business.
The brand needed to reconnect with brokers. Following extensive broker & stakeholder interviews, the issue was clear; brokers didn’t know if their cases would be accepted or not.
And a ‘no’ didn’t always mean ‘no’ – sometimes a phone call to an underwriter would push a case through, but it wasn’t guaranteed. This left brokers vulnerable to unknowns, and open to criticism from their clients.
A new direction
Time-poor brokers need speed, simplicity, reliability and transparency. Saying you’ll do something and delivering. Clear-cut criteria for a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ to a case, so brokers can offer the same service to their clients.
The first step: a new name
Precise Mortgages becomes Precise. Clear, punchy and simple.
‘Precisely the right lending products at precisely the right time’ is the brand promise we designed for Precise. From its products to its comms, the new Precise would offer ‘everything you need and nothing that you don’t’. Every aspect of the brand was updated; the brokers’ website was rebuilt, with new tools for quick answers and automated submissions. Our creative idea ‘Boldly Vanilla’ inspired a new visual identity that included a unique cut of the Motorway font, designed to be read at 70mph. And our hero colour, vanilla, stands proudly within a sea of neon financial services brands.
The brand needed to reconnect with brokers. Following extensive broker & stakeholder interviews, the issue was clear; brokers didn’t know if their cases would be accepted or not.
And a ‘no’ didn’t always mean ‘no’ – sometimes a phone call to an underwriter would push a case through, but it wasn’t guaranteed. This left brokers vulnerable to unknowns, and open to criticism from their clients.
A new direction
Time-poor brokers need speed, simplicity, reliability and transparency. Saying you’ll do something and delivering. Clear-cut criteria for a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ to a case, so brokers can offer the same service to their clients.
The first step: a new name
Precise Mortgages becomes Precise. Clear, punchy and simple.
‘Precisely the right lending products at precisely the right time’ is the brand promise we designed for Precise. From its products to its comms, the new Precise would offer ‘everything you need and nothing that you don’t’. Every aspect of the brand was updated; the brokers’ website was rebuilt, with new tools for quick answers and automated submissions. Our creative idea ‘Boldly Vanilla’ inspired a new visual identity that included a unique cut of the Motorway font, designed to be read at 70mph. And our hero colour, vanilla, stands proudly within a sea of neon financial services brands.
Execution
We created a brand identity to reflect Precise’s simplified lending process and products. Our creative idea ‘Boldly Vanilla’ brings personality to being straightforward. Every design decision is about simplicity. The logo is just the name. Set in the headline typeface, a bespoke cut of Motorway – it’s designed to be read at speed, perfect for time-poor brokers! The imagery is everyday objects “cut out” to cut through.
We developed a direct and attitudinal tone of voice in the messaging which reinforces the brand’s passion for simplicity. Our messaging principles are simple (as you’d expect): make the point in as few words as possible, but do so with a touch of wit; we are aiming to bring clarity and a wry smile!
And of course, our colour is Vanilla, a bold choice within a sector of loud colour palettes.
We developed a direct and attitudinal tone of voice in the messaging which reinforces the brand’s passion for simplicity. Our messaging principles are simple (as you’d expect): make the point in as few words as possible, but do so with a touch of wit; we are aiming to bring clarity and a wry smile!
And of course, our colour is Vanilla, a bold choice within a sector of loud colour palettes.
Results
Results provided in July 2024 following the launch:
– Prompted marketing recall increased by +8.57% and ad recall increased by 20%, when comparing results from our brand equity dip from Dec 23 to Apr 24.
– Average email open rate and CTR improved when comparing 2024 sends using old branding with new branding.
Old brand emails 2024 – Open rate 20.95%
New brand emails 2024 – Open rate 21.80%
Old brand emails 2024 – CTOR 3.15%
New brand emails 2024 – CTOR 3.68%
– The launch video achieved 110k views at a rate of 52% (ave. is 22%).
– Prompted marketing recall increased by +8.57% and ad recall increased by 20%, when comparing results from our brand equity dip from Dec 23 to Apr 24.
– Average email open rate and CTR improved when comparing 2024 sends using old branding with new branding.
Old brand emails 2024 – Open rate 20.95%
New brand emails 2024 – Open rate 21.80%
Old brand emails 2024 – CTOR 3.15%
New brand emails 2024 – CTOR 3.68%
– The launch video achieved 110k views at a rate of 52% (ave. is 22%).
2025 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit Honor
Credits
Design Firm
Design Bridge and Partners / London
Type Foundry
K-Type / Manchester
Music / Sound Production Company
Sheet Music Boss / London
Copywriter
Lizzie O'Hara Boyce
Strategist
Teresa Leeming
Strategy Director
Ben Thrasher
Design Director + Copywriter
Miho Aishima
Designer + Copywriter
Joe Atkin
Executive Creative Director + Copywriter
Stuart Radford
Client Director
James Saunders
Creative Partner
Adrian Burton
Senior Account Manager
Kat Forrester
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