When they first came to us, Whirlpower were predominantly an OEM manufacturer of handtools, and more specifically screwdrivers for the European, Middle Eastern and Asian markets.
The main challenge of this project was to transform Whirlpower from a traditional manufacturing SME from Taiping, Taichung into an international and instantly recognisable brand of semi-professional screwdrivers.
Throughout the course of this complete branding project, Subkarma has been regularly refining the image and strategy for Whirlpower by running yearly audits with all their international agents. Gathering regular feedback from experts, on a yearly basis, in the market has proven invaluable for Subkarma since it has helped us determine and fine-tune Whirlpower’s brand and design direction from year on year.
Whirlpower’s single most successful undertaking has been the ownership and communication of its new brand color; a blue-green which has remained consistent and very prominent in all of Whirlpower’s image.
In addition to a very clear and “European” color system, Subkarma has been consistently updating Whirlpower’s marketing materials, from brand image to catalogue and packaging. Using imagery and a design style that edges away from traditional hand tool manufacturers’ style, Subkarma has given the brand a distinct look and feel which appears international, professional and very powerful.
In order to support Whirlpower’s small company image with focus on quality image, Subkarma designed and created a short brand video aimed at reinforcing their brand position at the numerous trade-fairs that the client attends every year. Keeping the video short, with an equal mix of product and company culture focus, Whirlpower was able to strengthen their brand image further amongst overseas buyers.
As Whirlpower’s close brand and design partner, Subkarma has focussed on communicating and executing the brand with particular focus on the largest hardware event in Europe, namely the Koln Hardware show, held every 2 years in Germany. By extending the brand image to their booth, displays and booth activities, Subkarma has made Whirlpower a major player in its field on the international scene.
One area that Subkarma has recently been focussing on with Whirlpower has been entering the rapidly growing automotive market. A relatively new market for our client, Subkarma recommended that Whirlpower shift some of their attention to this industry, and we subsequently assisted in created new imagery tailored to that market. This also included recommending that Whirlpower brand becomes associated with automotive events and players.
After more than a decade working with Whirlpower, Subkarma has managed to shift the company’s focus from OEM/ODM to branding. Through applying consistent imagery and by staying in close contact with worldwide agents and market trends, Whirlpower has becoming a reputable and well-recognised brand in its industry. We are proud to be associated with this case and look forward to bigger and better things in the future, together.
SUBKARMA has been a pleasure to work with. Their comprehensive and creative thinking is not only limited to design work. The various of surprising ideas from the observation of the market, human nature, and the brand management angle is always inspiring...
The design and techniques of SUBKARMA are always evolving with the times, which can help us in the traditional manufacturing industry to inject more new elements, and enable our brand to have a new extension and gain high attention in the market.
The SUBKARMA team is very detail-oriented in the execution of our work, they will carefully handle some details that are usually overlooked. As a result, the works presented every time exceed expectations.
The cooperation with SUBKARMA has allowed WHIRLPOWER’s brand image to escape the framework of local production, and the style and texture are as good as those well-known European and American brands. It has not only become the focus of Taiwanese industry, but also successfully attracted the attention of many international buyers. Every presentation of the new brand image and new theme of WHIRLPOWER is reflashing, creating new topics and improving the brand status at the same time.