1st Credit

1st Credit was an ethical debt purchase business. After successfully navigating a difficult period of robust transformation, they were flying. However, they needed a new identity and website to act as a signal of change, support the business strategy ('Rebuilding Value'), and represent that they were pioneers and setting industry standards through award-winning compliance.

Insight. Imagine. Impact.

Insight: We ran a brand discovery workshop with key stakeholders to understand how 1st Credit was perceived in the market – and how it wanted to be perceived. We took time to understand the customers: the banks and lenders 1st Credit bought debts from and those who owed debts. We also surveyed 1st Credit employees, ran a values personality exercise, and carried out a competitive audit.

Imagine: As 1st Credit worked in a sensitive area, we needed to give the name a human identity with a brand that represented firmness, fairness and friendliness when helping customers move forward positively and repair their credit history. The 1st Credit name couldn’t be based around anything broadcast or chest-beating. So we built a story entitled ‘From the beginning’ based on the human experience and an understanding of the financial positions people can find themselves in. It told people that 1st Credit was onside and offering help.

As part of this thinking, we moved the identity bravely away from Financial Services’ prevalent blue colour and gave the identity a warm red and black identity. The subtle idea was that 1st Credit was working to help customers out of the red and into the black. 

Copywriting was also critical, so we de-jargonised and rewrote the entire web content from a human perspective. We then rolled out the brand across all communications, including building and launching a new website.

Impact: Once the project was complete, 1st Credit had a brand identity that was human, friendly, accessible, warm and professional.

It was well-received and understood by sellers and vendors, employees, customers, third party investors, potential buyers and partners, and a corporate audience (analysts and the financial press).

Due to its success, 1st Credit was bought and is now part of the Intrum Group, Europe’s leading credit management services company.