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Stripes & Aircrafts – In conversation with Remo Masala

Branding

Table of Contents

It was an absolute privilege to engage in a conversation with Remo Masala, delving into the fascinating story of how he orchestrated a transformation in Condor Airlines‘ branding, leaving an indelible mark on the world of holidaymakers and travellers.

1. Remo,Condor is vacation and vacation is striped. Actually a simple equation – was that the basis of the idea for the striped look?

Revising the brand image of Condor with its long tradition was a sensitive interaction right from the start, based on respect for the origin and the requirements for the future. Our basic consideration was: How can the Condor be given the greatest possible visual differentiation and independence? The result was the summer stripes, which at the same time represent a reference to vacation.

2. It was therefore necessary to develop traditions further. Condor is a strong brand, why is a rebranding the right thing to do right now?

Condor has demonstrated impressive brand discipline over the years since its creation: Otl Aicher, probably the most famous German graphic designer and brand maker of the 1960s, developed the figurative mark and the lettering – since then Condor has been yellow and had the condor in a circle as its signet. This tradition was then broken by belonging to corporations at the end of the 90s. Sometimes Thomas Cook stood on the planes, then Condor powered by Thomas Cook and in the following years a colorful mix of appearances emerged. With 80 percent of the aircraft currently due for a new paint job – after all, they have to be painted about every seven years – the time was now more ripe than ever to decide on the future of the brand.

3. Condor is known for their passion: We love what we do! That's why our claim for years was "We love flies!". In the future we will have a new claim. Why is he better suited to us?

A new brand identity is also a further development and the beginning of a new chapter. It is true that Condor stands for passion everywhere and precisely this passion is their inner compass. The new claim goes deeper and expresses even better who Condor is and how much tradition and quality it has. Because Condor is and remains Condor – Germany’s most popular holiday airline.

4. A striped livery on an aeroplane was a bold move; what compelled you to rebrand a brand like "Condor" with a history spanning more than 60 years?

As a creative agency, we are happy about every client who wants simple and perfect solutions for complex issues. It wasn’t just about stripes, it was about the repositioning of a brand and the understanding of the employees for this transformation. Stripes are one thing you see. Our interior design of the cabin is another important change. But the service of the staff and the culture of the company, these are the real changes that the customer feels and that make the whole thing perfect.

5. What's your take on future-proof rebranding, and how can one achieve it?

There is no security in change. The best and most expensive market surveys would never have produced the change Condor has made. Many marketing staff trust too much in the opinion of surveys. This safeguards them and the expected change is mostly mediocre.
For me, market surveys are an additional element but not the driver of innovation. Innovation arises on other levels and the art of rebranding is to sense the change that is taking place.
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