Fenon Events, considered Uganda’s leader in events management, is undergoing a rebrand.
The company which opened in 2003 as an audio production house would later stretch its tentacles into events management producing some of the biggest concerts Uganda has witnessed.
Few months ago, Fenon launched a new logo, a departure from the signature red and white logo – with the wording ‘Fenon’ in a Rage Italic font – that we have been accustomed to for many years.
In the new logo, the word Fenon adopts a new font akin to Trebuchet MS which is simpler on the eye. In addition, the brand name runs with a tagline ‘Premium Events Production’. The color has also changed to black and white.
The first time Fenon made the logo public was at Blankets and Wine four months ago.
An insider at Fenon confirmed to Plugged; “We are transitioning into a new brand.”
“There was no official transition to say we are going to change our brand to this. It’s just a thing of a diverse look to the Fenon brand in addition to what we originally had,” the source added.
They went on to clarify that it Fenon will not completely phase out the red logo. Where the red applies, it will work. The new logo only applies to the events aspect of Fenon.
Fenon’s website still maintains the previous logo and so does the different social media accounts. It remains to be seen whether the company will eventually phase out the initial logo or perhaps restrict it to the audio production business.
When a company that has existed for two decades adopts a new face, it begs the question… Why now? What informs the decision to rebrand?
Rebranding comes in many facets. It can be a change in an organization’s name, logo, design or even tagline. It is a way of creating a different identity for the brand.
Examples of organizations that have rebranded in the recent past include FUFA (changed a logo), Equity Bank (logo), MTN (logo), AIG (name), PwC (name), Toyota (name and logo), TOTAL (name and logo) and Roke Telkom (logo) among others.
In some cases, the change is just in the tagline as way of the organization communicating its new brand promise. Stanbic Bank for example ditched its tagline ‘Inspired Motivated Involved’ to Moving Forward’. Standard Chartered Bank changed its slogan from ‘The Right Partner’ to Here for Good’.
Rebranding might also follow new management or a merger/acquisition. The most recent example of this being the popular social media platform Twitter which upon its acquisition by Elon Musk rebranded to X. Other such examples are Kobil (to Rubis) and Orient Bank (to i&M Bank).
Globally, brands are increasingly adopting a minimalist approach when it comes to branding, changing their previously complicated logos to flat and simplified designs. Many have done away with cozy fonts for plainer ones. The English Premier League logo was transformed into a more minimal lion’s head. Same for Google, Mastercard and AirBnB.
One of the objectives behind rebranding could be to reflect new goals, products, offers or values.A good way to show that a business is evolving, whether by offering more services, setting new goals, or new products would be through a rebrand.
Sometimes, rebranding may be a way for a business to remain relevant to their target audience. When companies sense they are beginning to lose their clientele to competition, a rebrand might be an effective way to demonstrate that they are still relevant or better still, they have evolved to cater to new needs.
This at a time when Fenon’s long reign as a monopoly in the events space seems to be coming to an end.
The 360-event management company has for more than a decade been a trailblazer in events management, driven by Steve Jean’s (founder and creative director) exceptional innovation and creativity. Fenon is a high achiever of top-of-mind awareness when it comes to event production – stage, light and sound – having produced some of the biggest concerts, corporate events as well as smaller functions like weddings excellently.
But in recent years, the brand has had to face mounting competition from players like ATS, Talent Africa and Swangz Avenue who have eaten into its market share.
Some of the key events Fenon has produced this year alone, include Boyz II Men, Diamond Platnumz and Blankets and Wine. The others being Miss Uganda 2023 as well as Jose Chameleone’s and Mesarch Semakula’s concerts.
The most daunting of them was however Gwanga Mujje (Chameleone’s concert in February) which left Fenon dented financially following damaged equipment. A storm with heavy winds threw down the stage forcing organizers to postpone the event.
Yet the concert was supposed to be an opportunity to reaffirm Fenon’s place in events management following ATS’s (an events management company run by Steve Jean’s prodigy) spectacular stage which became the highlight of Spice Diana’s concert the previous month.
As Fenon turns the corner to embark on its third decade journey, it is possible that at the heart of the rebrand is the need to reposition itself as a formidable force against its competition.
No business is void of competitors and standing out may be a bit of a challenge. Rebranding can be the most effective way to set what a company offers and its approach apart. Rebranding shows the customer that your services are unique. And this could be what the new logo tagline that projects Fenon as the provider of “premium” events production seeks to achieve.
