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Sensis reposition to focus on digital assets, introduces new logo known as Dash

Advertising Sensis Dash the Mouseand directories business Sensis has launched a new branding which it claims will highlight its “strong digital growth strategy” as it looks to move away from its print directories reputation and be primarily known for its digital asset, as it aims to be “the number one marketing services company in Australia.”

Sensis worked with brand consultancy agency Interbrand on the refreshed look, which attempts to place emphasis on the brand’s digital assets, including Yellow Pages, White Pages, TrueLocal and Whereis, as it claims to be the second largest digital media company in Australia.

“We have a significant print directory business and while that business is very important to us, what many people are not aware of is the majority of our revenue is generated in digital now,” said John Allan, CEO of Sensis. 

“When you put all of those digital assets together, by our calculations that puts us as the second largest digital media company in Australia, Google of course is the largest.”

He also said Sensis’s online revenues exceeded those of many of its rivals, adding: “Sensis is generating more online revenue than Fairfax, than News Corp, more than Realestate.com.au and more than Carsales.

“Clearly our digital business is a fast growing part of our company and now represents the majority of the revenues of the Sensis business. Not to ignore our very important print business, but the growth engine of the business is the digital part,” he added.

The new look introduced today sees the brand adopt a new logo known as “Dash the mouse”.

“The new brand features Dash, which is the name we’ve given the mouse,” Allen explained, “Dash is just one part of a character set, he’s the brand for Sensis, he’s a metaphor for being agile, nimble, resourceful. He has a whole bunch of friends and characters that go with him.”

Sensis charactersThe characters are used to highlight different aspects of the Sensis brand, with Shorty the giraffe used to represent growth, while Micky the robot represents technology.

“The brand identity leverages the equity of Sensis’ consumer brands and positions Sensis as the leader. The instantly recognisable character illustration brings a warmth and human touch to our brand while being flexible, helpful and, most importantly, encouraging,” said Allan.

Allan said the company’s understanding of the small and medium sized business market puts it in a position “to help Australian businesses with their marketing needs”.

“Businesses need a partner that is able to deliver engaged customers to them, across a number of digital platforms and channels. That’s what we intend to be. We want to be simple to deal with, faster and continue to meet the needs of our customers in the evolving digital media market. We are investing heavily in this area to deliver our customers greater services and value,” he said.

The repositioning comes as print business models face increasing challenges as businesses and consumers make the shift to digital and online.

“The print business is definitely changing, we call it a two-speed digital economy going on. In Sydney, about 70 per cent of Sydney-siders start their search online and about 30 per cent would use a traditional print method like a print directory. But if we move into regional Australia, it’s actually the inverse,” Allan said.

“About 70 per cent are starting with a print directory and 30 per cent online. They’ve got access to online but they’re still using print as their local search product because online in some of those markets is not meeting their search requirements, they’re looking for local businesses and services and online doesn’t quite meet that expectation.”

Launched internally this week, the new brand will be rolled out across Sensis’ products and services over the coming months.

Miranda Ward

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