Office Depot Regional News

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New Viking brand looks to the future 
 
  • After 21 years, Viking Direct rebrands to Viking with a new brand logo and values
  • Part of a strategic move to strengthen the Viking brand in the UK and Republic of Ireland
  • New brand values:- human, empathetic, can-do and inspiring
  • It will connect the brand with a more diverse audience

May 2011 – Viking Direct, the direct-mail and e-commerce office supplies and schools channel of Office Depot; a leading global provider of office products and solutions in the UK and Ireland, is marking 21 years of business by launching a new brand logo and values.
From Tuesday 10th May the business will rebrand to be known as ‘Viking’, and will stop using the word ‘Direct’, in a strategic move motivated by changes the company is seeing in the office supplies marketplace. Over the weekend of May 7th and 8th, updated and refreshed websites went live for the UK and Ireland markets, providing a fresh new online interface for its existing and prospective customers.

The new brand is distinctive and aims to appeal to Viking’s existing customer base which primarily consists of small and medium-sized businesses and schools. The other main objective of the Viking brand is to attract a new customer demographic.   

John O’Keeffe, Commercial Director at Office Depot UK and Ireland, said; “The business has evolved hugely over the 21 years since its conception and our new brand ‘Viking’ reflects where we want to be in the future.”
“We know it is time to diversify the brand and make it more accessible. We believe our new logo has a modern, lifestyle feel that will resonate with a wider range of consumers and business people alike.”
John adds; “The new Viking brand is inspiring and full of ideas and aims to talk to customers in a more engaging way. The majority of our existing customers are small and medium-sized businesses who appreciate the service, product range and choice of interface we offer. This will not change, just improve, and the new brand will also reach out to new customers, such as people setting up businesses or offices at home, people deciding to move into a new office for the first time and even students who are just starting out.”

The Viking rebrand is supported by an extensive multimedia campaign which includes national TV and radio advertising, along with a London underground poster campaign and fully revamped catalogues. 

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