GLP Capital Partners
An exciting new brand leads to an extraordinary transaction
GLP, a global leader in commercial real estate and sustainable energy, knew it had a valuable holding in its capital markets business ($114B AUM). And it believed it could best unlock the business’s value by spinning it off and positioning it as a major player in the alternative assets sector.
First and foremost, that required the creation of a new brand – one that could appeal to institutional investors concerned about ethics and sustainability, compete against industry giants, and leverage ties to GLP while forging an independent identity. We were called in to get the new GLP Capital Partners off the ground successfully.
What we did: Stakeholder Interviews, Brand Platform, Message Architecture, Brand Architecture Strategy, Brand Identity, Business Applications, Global Websites, Brand Awareness Roadmap, Social Media Platforms, Internal and External Communications, Iconography System, Brand Guidelines
Understanding the company’s DNA
In our discovery process, we were struck by company leaders’ passion and values, their belief in growing by balancing dual perspectives and achieving mutual success. Translating that into a brand they could get behind, we created a compelling new platform: Respect drives results.
It told the story of a different kind of investment company, driven by integrity, gratitude and purpose. From this foundation, we created a complete message architecture to infuse communications with this new perspective.
Capturing the brand’s visual essence
The next challenge? Establishing a visual identity for the brand. Our work needed to maintain synergies with GLP. At the same time, it had to evoke both the gravitas of a fund manager and the humanity unique to the company.
The result was a distinct identity that neatly conveyed the company’s core values while providing the flexibility they needed across all their communications.
Introducing GLP Capital Partners to the world
With the brand platform and identity set, we turned to developing websites in English and Chinese for launch, with a full global version in six languages to follow. Staying in close step with our entrepreneurial client, we created the site quickly and nimbly, addressing numerous shifts on the fly.
In both messaging and visual presentation, the new site expressed the company’s character with boldness and transparency, setting it apart from others in the market.
Equipping the brand for the future
Beyond the site, we also created a wide range of corporate communications, an iconography system, company-wide brand guidelines and a brand awareness roadmap for the future.
With the new brand successfully capturing the attention of other major players in the alternative assets space, GLP soon had an eager buyer and an eye-popping offer of $3.7 billion for its capital markets business.
Results
$3.7 billion acquisition
of GLP Capital Partners’ assets outside China by Ares