The Click's Bobby Burrage on his 2023 Jarrolds rebrand

Through his Norwich-based agency, The Click, Mr Burrage said he is, to his knowledge, the only UK company outside London that focuses solely on branding, with most others placing an emphasis on marketing.

Bobby Burrage, founder of The Click marketing agency in Norwich (Image: The Click)

Although it may be tempting to dismiss branding as a buzzy product of an increasingly self-aware business landscape, Mr Burrage says it remains one of the most important determinants of success. 

He said: “The branding is the bit that sits at the top of the Christmas tree - the star - and that informs everything else the organisation does. How it talks, how it looks, how it acts.

“There’s an assumption that it's just a visual thing, a logo for example.

“But really it's verbal and visual. The magic happens when you get both of those right - when they inform each other.

“That’s when you end up with something that stands the test of time, that inspires loyalty and excitement.”

There’s a strong history of branding here in East Anglia - in fact, Mr Burrage credits Norfolk favourite Colman's Mustard with creating the first brand as we know it in the UK. 

Norfolk favourite Colman's Mustard is credited with creating the first modern day brand as we know it in the UK. (Image: News Quest)

He said: “Before Colman's, companies were just using plain packaging. 

“They were one of the first in the country to put their name, graphics, colours on their products, which were then shipped across the UK.”

Later, companies like Norwich’s Start-Rite Shoes with its famous twins, and pub chain Greene King, which started in Bury St Edmunds, would cement the region’s reputation for creating celebrated brands.

Their longevity, Mr Burrage said, is key to understanding why branding is so important. 

The Click created the branding for Norfolk bakery Bread Source (Image: The Click)

He said: “I’m quite used to hearing the argument from marketeers that results need to be measurable, and if they’re not then we shouldn’t be doing it.

“But there is also a really clear argument that you can't always measure, precisely, month to month or even quarter to quarter the success of a really strong brand.

“Building a compelling brand that people want to engage with and love and buy from is a long term strategy.

“If you need a quick win then it's probably a marketing campaign you’re after.

“If you’re looking to build something for the future that will grow the business organically longer term, that's where you should be looking at the brand.” 

PUTTING THE 'S' IN JARROLDS

When it comes to standing the test of time, few brands have done so as successfully as East Anglian department store Jarrolds - now officially with an ‘s’ - which has been in the region for more than 200 years. 

Last year, after nearly a century under the same logo, the company tasked Mr Burrage and the team at The Click with revamping its image for the modern consumer. 

The Click marketing agency was behind Jarrolds' 2023 rebrand (Image: The Click)

Mr Burrage said: “The biggest thing with a heritage brand like Jarrolds is that you’re not creating something from scratch.

“You have to be respectful of what already exists, but not to the detriment of moving forward.”

He said the question of whether to ditch the company’s famous lion logo was hotly debated, however, they “quickly realised the huge amount of brand equity the lion contributed”.

The new Jarrolds lion, designed by The Click branding agency in Norwich (Image: The Click)

Instead, they redrew it from scratch, incorporating the 'J' into the design, creating an emblem which Mr Burrage said “performs more effectively at varying scale across all channels and applications”.

The team took a similar approach to colour selection, applying “a gentle and sympathetic modernisation” to the existing blue and purple scheme.

Two new shades - Jarrolds Purple and Verdigris Blue, inspired by the bronze lion statues discoloured by atmospheric oxidation - were chosen, with the caveat that they would only be used separately, to achieve “optimum legibility and provide more flexibility in application”.

The new colour scheme created for Jarrolds by The Click marketing agency in Norwich (Image: The Click)

This focus on flexibility continued through the entire process, with Mr Burrage keen to give the company options on how to use the brand assets across a range of platforms - from shopping bags to clothes tags to the napkins used at the instore restaurants.

He said: “Jarrolds already benefited from a high level of brand awareness well before we were appointed, although this new identity scheme offers far greater freedom in terms of application, expression and visual recognition. 

“This means there are numerous typographic treatments and templates available within the brand guidelines and toolkit – all of which retain cohesion and consistency across brand-led posters, printed collateral and point of sale.”