A new logo for Renault

Five questions for Guillaume Boisseau, Groupe Renault brands director

What is a brand identity, and what are its implications?

Our brand identity covers the way Renault communicates, in words, pictures, sounds and  movements, for example. We've updated all these aspects to give ourselves a stronger identity, consistent with the renewal of our product range. The new brand identity will be rolled out across all our communications materials: logo, advertising, sales brochures, websites, uniforms, and the interior layout of Renault Stores.

How is the new brand identity expressed?

Specifically, the diamond logo has been reworked. It's bigger and gives a better impression of quality. We've freed it from the yellow box, which lends greater impact. And the name RENAULT is also bigger, which improves legibility, an especially important factor on new markets. By brightening up our communications, we're livening up customer interest! Very important, we've also taken up a new brand tagline: “Renault, Passion for Life”.

What's the reasoning behind the new tagline?

Renault cars have always been made for living life to the full. Indeed, that was the spirit behind the famous ‘voitures à vivre’ tagline of thirty years ago. Our latest models —Clio, Captur, New Espace, Kadjar, and Renault Sandero and Duster outside Europe— boast a new design, brimming over with life and passion. These are the two notions we've taken up in the “Passion for Life” tagline, which brings a bright, modern take on Renault's historic virtues. The new tagline will be in English worldwide, consistent with Renault's international ambitions, though we will be translating it in France, our birthplace and historic market: “Renault – La vie, avec passion”.

How will you be rolling out the new Brand identity?

The new brand identity was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, and will be visible to the public at large from mid-April. The new logo and tagline will first be appearing in our digital media (websites and social media) and advertising material. Rollout across all our communications materials should be completed by the end of the year.

How did you come up with the “right” tagline?

We do call in brand management consulting firms on this kind of question, but the most valuable source is the input we invite from Group Renault employees. From this input we drew up a shortlist of possible taglines. We then tested these out on our customers, to evaluate appreciation, memorability and capacity to distinguish Renault from its rivals.

The “right” tagline has to be one that is both true to Renault's genetic make-up and capable of expressing the direction the brand is taking today. The tagline we decided on in the end was indeed one of those put forward by Renault employees. That's great!