2. Table of Contents
Brand Basics
• Purpose
• How To Use the Guidelines
• How Not To Use the Guidelines
• The Value of a Brand
• Consistency and Flexibility
Brand Strategy
• Our Vision and Mission
• Target Audience
• Brand Positioning
• Support for Positioning
• Core Beliefs
Communicating our Brand
• Logo and Tagline
• Look and Feel
• Tone and Manner
• Color Palette
• Typography
• Imagery
• Copy Guidelines
Creative prototypes
• Copy
• Design and Layout
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 2
3. BRAND BASICS
Purpose of the guidelines
This document has been created to form the basis of the Splender identity, to
guide consistent usage of all identity elements and help build the Splender
brand.
Initially, the Guidelines will focus on development of the Splender.com web
site. Therefore special attention is paid to developing effectively branded
communications for this channel.
How to use this document
This document should be used to understand the background on Splender
and what has been created as identity elements. All elements within this
book should be applied consistently, according to these guidelines.
How not to use this document
We have purposely labeled this document as a Guideline; it is not meant to
be a set of unbreakable rules. The diverse, dynamic nature of marketing
communications will present situations that call for exercising creative
license. We should feel empowered to use that license when our professional
judgment tells us to.
The value of having a strong brand
Companies whose activities are grounded in well-defined principles also
possess strong integrity and character—which makes them respected,
trustworthy leaders. A company’s principle beliefs shape its brand and every
expression of it, from brochures and the web site to user interfaces and
customer service e-mails. In turn, the creation of a strong, appropriate, and
consistent brand builds business.
In other words, a well-conceived and well-managed brand is a corporate
asset, one that can help us arrive at the ambitious goal we’ve defined for our
business: to become an innovative new financial solution that will revolutionize
the way consumers borrow, spend, think and feel about money.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 3
4. The importance of consistency
Splender is in the initial “brand building” stage. To make it easier for
customers to know and like us, we need to strive for uniformity and
continuity. And a major way to do that is to create communications, and an
overall customer experience, that look, sound and feel like they come from
the same company
As we launch Splender, having a strong brand can be particularly valuable to
us, providing a set of fixed coordinates that can help ground us as we
establish our presence in the marketplace and in the minds of consumers.
The need for flexibility
Over time, as our company grows and adapts to market conditions, business
results and consumers input, our brand will need to evolve accordingly. For
this reason, these guidelines allow for the flexibility this evolutionary
process demands.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 4
5. Brand Strategy
Our Vision
The consumer finance market is poised for inevitable and dramatic changes,
driven by the convergence of powerful trends in technology, government
regulation and business, as well as consumer sentiments, needs and
lifestyles. These changes will result in new financial products and services
that are far more economical, simple, flexible, and convenient and consumer
friendly than those they replace.
Our Mission
Splender aims to usher in this new era of consumer finance by introducing a
innovative new model that will revolutionize the way consumers borrow,
spend,
think and feel about money.
Splender provides the first and only financial solution that offers low-cost,
convenient, access to cash for credit-worthy consumers, provides them with
previously unavailable financial leverage, and does so in a manner that
demonstrates our respect for their intelligence and our appreciation for their
patronage.
Our Target Audience
The research we conducted helped us develop a profile of our best prospects as
summarized below:
Demographics
• Approximately 50% Male and 50% Female
• Age range: 25 to 44.
• Household Income: $75k plus
• Heavy credit card ownership: 4+ cards
• Higher credit limits: $15k on any one card
Psychographics
• Understand and utilize the benefits of using borrowing to pay for purchases and
other expenses
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 5
6. • Are increasingly unhappy with the business practices of credit card banks, but
are pessimistic they can find a better solution
• Are comfortable using the internet for information gathering and shopping
• Possess a growing sense of empowerment as it relates to their shopping,
borrowing and overall financial affairs
Need fulfillment
• Convenient, low cost borrowing – We offer rates from 1 - 2% below the market
and a quick, simple online application process that offers immediate notification
of approval
• Greater payment flexibility – Proceeds of the loan are deposited as cash in the
account of choice. Borrowers have easy access to funds and can use them
however they wish
• Debt reduction – Our unique rewards system helps borrowers pay back their
loan
• Simplicity and predictability – Our loan rates are fixed, there are no hidden
fees, and the monthly payment are scheduled and predictable
• A refreshing alternative – To consumers who are increasingly angry at the
deceptive, predatory practices of credit card banks, our innovative, superior
product and trustworthy, consumer-friendly brand image will provide the
“better mousetrap” they have been looking for.
Our Positioning
Splender will be positioned as the smart, consumer friendly alternative to
credit cards and other “traditional” sources of borrowing.
A key component of our positioning is the promise of allowing consumers to
“turn the tables” in the borrowing game. In contrast to the status quo,
where banks essentially impose rates and terms, we enable consumers to
gain the upper hand by leveraging their spending power to obtain lower rates
and more consumer-friendly terms.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 6
7. Support Points for our Positioning
When communicating with consumers about the benefits of Splender, the
following support points should be conveyed.
• Lower Rates – consistently 1 to 2 points below the competition over
the life of the loan
• Simpler Process – streamlined online loan application and instant
approval notification
• Clearer Terms – no deceptive small print, sudden rate increases or
excessive fees, just a fixed rate and a predictable payment schedule
• Exclusive Savings – a state of the art shopping portal offering
“Members only” savings on a big purchases like electronics, travel as
well as everyday shopping needs
• Superior Rewards – while credit card rewards are earned by
increasing a consumer’s debt, Splender rewards help eliminate debt
• Better Business Model – our business model and corporate values
will enable the company to prosper while also providing an
economical, flexible and superior borrowing solution for consumers
• Community Spirit - the website will embrace “Web 2.0” principles,
including member generated content, two way dialogue, and
consumer empowerment, to foster loyalty and interaction with the
website.
Our Core Beliefs
The following core beliefs form the basis for how we want to communicate
with customers:
•Consumers already have the leverage, we’re just helping them use it better:
We’re living in the age of the empowered consumer. Splender acknowledges
that reality by enabling consumers to leverage their spending power by
connecting borrowing to shopping. That let’s them receive lower rates up
front. Over time, they can earn points that lower the rate even more and pay
off the loan.
•Transparency is our mutual friend: People are tired of complex, deceptive
applications, terms and offers from credit card companies and banks. We’re
not like those old fashioned lenders and we certainly have nothing to hide.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 7
8. So we go out of our way to make sure consumers know exactly what they’re
getting into when doing business with us.
•Go for the win/win: Splender is a for-profit business, not a charity or a
consumer advocate. However, we’ve created a new lending model that
enables us to succeed while also helping our customers. Unlike most lenders,
we don’t rely on interest payments and fee income. That’s because we also
make money from the shopping and advertising on our site. So we can
afford to roll out the red carpet and offer consumers below market rates on
loans.
•Embrace the spirit of community: As visitors click around our site and get
to know our company, we want them to see that we’re not just another
company hoping to “take the money and run”. Splender aims to be a hub of
empowerment, learning, honesty, cooperation and trust in the personal
finance space. We’re reaching out to people who want the same things we
do.
We believe this approach powerfully conveys our core features and benefits.
It is well suited to the mindset of our target audience. And, it claims a
distinctive position in the marketplace, one that clearly distinguishes us from
other lenders and one that only Splender can claim.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 8
9. COMMUNICATING OUR BRAND
Tagline: Our loans. Your terms
Look and Feel
Simplicity, transparency, empowerment and customer-friendliness are
the cornerstones of our overall brand. Our communications should be warm,
open, clean, and easy to use, so as to reflect these core attributes.
Whenever possible, we should let the consumer “see for themselves”, by
providing helpful charts, calculators and other tools to understand our
product features and benefits.
Tone and Manner
Copy should convey our positioning as a smarter, faster, more innovative
and useful alternative, but not with an arrogant or self-serving tone. Instead,
we should embrace the following attributes:
• Empathetic,
• Well-informed
• Trustworthy
• Passionate
• Down to earth
• Responsive
Copywriting Guidelines
Make the copy easy to scan. People often prefer to scan and go back to get detail
later. To facilitate scanning, we should break up text with highlighting, bold type
and crossheads, which enable readers to get the gist of our message in a few
seconds.
Don’t make them hunt for the details. Whenever possible, we want to back up
statements about our product benefits with concrete supporting facts and figures.
We want to do so in the main body text, not buried in the tiny legal copy.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 9
10. Consumers will appreciate our simplicity and transparency, and they will prefer
that approach to the sneaky, misleading terms and claims presented by credit cards
and other lenders.
Write with urgency and conviction. If we want customers to become excited about
our product, we should come across that way ourselves. And why shouldn’t we be
enthusiastic– Splender truly is a better solution for consumers.
Have a conversation with the reader. We need to demonstrate an understanding of
the reader’s thoughts and needs, and an eagerness to address them. We should talk
to them like a peer, not a prospect. Whenever possible, we should solicit their
feedback. When we get it, we should make every effort to acknowledge their
input.
Make our points quickly but confidently. The average visitor to a website will stay
no longer than a few minutes, clicking through no more than three links before
moving on. To capture the visitor’s attention we should make our point quickly or
not at all. Be direct, confident and brief: use simple language and don't use any
more words than necessary.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 10
11. Creative Prototypes - Copy
The examples provided below provide an example of how the Brand
Guidelines might be applied to various sections of copy on the web site.
Web Site Home Page Copy
{Headline} Welcome to Splender – where smarter consumers get better
loans.
{Bodycopy} People are fed up with old-fashioned banks and credit card
companies. The high interest. Expensive fees. Tricky terms. The “take it or
leave it” attitude. You deserve something better. Much, much better. Now
you’ve found it.
{Crosshead} We make loans that pay YOU back.
Introducing Splender. We created a new kind of lending that lets you
leverage your spending power to get a great low rate. How low – all the
way down to 0% (See the example at left.) To learn more, visit “Why it’s
Better”.
* Cash Loans - from $500 to $25,000
* Lower rates – from {8.5%} down to 0%
* Rewards Program – earn points that pay off your loan
* Simple application – get approval in minutes
* No red tape. No hidden fees. No tricky terms.
Blog Entry Copy
Free Toasters Redux
For years, bankers half-joked that three numbers could sum up the keys to
success in their business: 2+4=3. Translation? Bring deposits in at 2 percent.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 11
12. Lend money out at 4 percent. And you can be out on the golf course by 3
p.m. (I swear I’m not making this up.)
But what about the customers in that little equation? Bankers figured all they
had to do was offer a shiny toaster with every new passbook saving account
(paying out that paltry 2%!) and the customer was happy. The bankers?
They made huge profits, and had ample time to work on their short game.
Fortunately for those of us who are trying to save, or borrow, or invest, the
world of financial services has changed for the better since the “old days”.
But maybe not as much as the industry would like you to think.
Look at the credit card segment. They make huge profits. (Annual income is
about $30 billion) And that wealth is becoming increasingly concentrated
among 5 big, powerful credit card companies.
How are today’s customers doing? Let’s see. According to recent figures
from Motley Fool Credit Center, the average American carries $8,562 in
credit card debt, which grows every month with the help of an average
interest rate of around 18.9%. Not surprisingly, 1.3 million cardholders had
declared bankruptcy the previous year.
How do people like you and I get lured into this kind of mess? Not by a
toaster. But by a bright and shiny 0% teaser rate.
So, really, how much better off are we today? At least with the toaster, you
could make yourself a nice Eggo waffle or something before heading off to
debtor’s prison.
BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES 12
