Business jet manufacturer Bombardier wants to “refresh” its brand

Completely transformed from what it was four years ago, Bombardier now wants to “refresh” its image. The business jet manufacturer introduced a new logo to its employees on Wednesday, breathing new life into its brand. New logo with tapered silhouette.

The Bombardier brand was previously symbolless. She now has one. Its name is “Mach”, like the unit of measurement for the speed of sound. A reference to the Global 8000 aircraft that will be released next year, and whose speed exceeds the sound barrier.

“On our board, we have a former senior executive from Nike. When I showed him the logo, he said, ‘We had Swoosh“For you, what’s it called?” says Yves Laurier, vice president of communications, marketing and public affairs at Bombardier.

In an interview in duty Before the car is unveiled, the woman who led the plan to overhaul Bombardier's brand image explains the importance attached to it.

“We've had an amazing turnaround in the last four years, and when we looked at the polls, both in Quebec and in Canada, we saw that there was still a lot of confusion around the brand. A lot of people thought we were still making Ski-Doos,” she says.

However, Bombardier abandoned snowmobile production for a while. This former division was sold in 2003 to become a separate company: Bombardier Recreational Products.

Ultimately, it became very clear that the family heritage of our brand is part of our DNA. So, we crystallize it for our greatest happiness.

The name remains the same

Nearly two decades later, due to financial problems, Bombardier eliminated other divisions. In 2020, the company announced that it would permanently dispose of its commercial aircraft division – the famous C Series – by selling it to Airbus, and then selling its railway division to Alstom. Its third division, the business jet division, remained unchanged.

“We've never had a trust problem outside of Canada, but here, there have been so many changes in recent years that we told ourselves it's time to reaffirm who we are and what we do,” M sums up.^I Laurel.

To turn the page once and for all, the company thought of changing its name. “To be very transparent, all options were on the table,” the vice president admits. “But eventually, it became very clear that the family heritage of our brand is part of our DNA. So, to our great joy, we crystallized it,” she adds.

However, the printing of the name changes. The raw and symbolic letters of the company name give way to more refined letters, to evoke the luxury of the product range offered. The capital letter B, for its part, is highlighted to emphasize the family heritage of the founder, Joseph-Armand Bombardier.

The Quebec logo was mishandled

Mehran Al-Ibrahimi, professor in the Department of Management at UQAM, and director of the Civil Aviation Observatory, welcomes the maintenance of the company's name. “For a long time in Quebec, Bombardier has been a symbol of French Canadians' high-tech revenge. It's the emblem of a Quebec company that has shown signs of weakness in recent years.”

“People have developed a love-hate relationship with Bombardier. In 2017, people took to the streets to object to an increase in executive compensation, at a time when Bombardier was facing great difficulties,” the expert adds.

Today, Bombardier is beginning to regain favor with public opinion. Latest report reputation Survey firm Léger, which ranks companies according to their reputation among Quebecers, attests to this. Out of 377 companies, Bombardier was established in 223 companies^H rank last year, when I “frequented the last ranks [du palmarès] “Just a few years ago,” Léger notes.

The company has also recovered financially, confirms Mr. Ebrahimi, who highlights the company’s breakthrough in the defense sector, the increase in after-sales services abroad, as well as its innovations as part of the “Ecojet” program to reduce the carbon footprint. From its planes.

Hats for staff

The big transformation in recent years has been a challenge for employees, admits Yves Laurier, whose arrival at the company in May 2021 coincides with this period. However, since then, commitment has started to grow stronger, she says.

“Our employees have a great connection and great pride in working for Bombardier,” she says. The company's new slogan, “Heart and Experience Meet,” also pays tribute to the company's teams.

The company is scheduled to announce its financial results for the first quarter of the current fiscal year on Thursday and hold its general assembly for shareholders.

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