Wolff Olins creates a renewed, defiantly optimistic brand identity for LG

Everyone's down in the dumps right now. But wallowing in misery doesn't do anyone any good, as we explored in our recent article, How to get your mojo back in the world of 2023. So we were intrigued to see that LG Electronics' latest campaign takes a defiantly optimistic tack.

Titled 'Life's Good', the campaign features digital out-of-home (OOH) advertisements at renowned landmarks across the globe, including sites in Dubai, London, New York, Vietnam and Seoul.

Given the rising uncertainty and instability worldwide, the campaign aims to motivate customers, spread a positive influence and reinforce the brand's unwavering belief that 'Life is Good'.

Core values

To convey this message in a dynamic and youthful manner, LG partnered with global brand consultancy Wolff Olins to re-establish its visual identity.

After a rigorous process to redefine its values and philosophy, LG identified three core values: 'Uncompromising Customer Experience', 'Human-centered Innovation' and 'Warmth to Power a Smile'.

This brand reinvention introduces a younger and more dynamic visual identity that resonates more deeply with consumers across all generations and backgrounds. The transformation is part of its plans to become a global iconic brand, recognising the need to go beyond products and services and effectively communicate its brand values to customers.

On 22 August, this global brand refresh went live with an anamorphic 3D billboard in Times Square, New York, along with a series of digital billboards and projections around major renowned landmarks globally. These included the Landmark 81 skyscraper in Vietnam, London's Piccadilly Circus, the Óvalo Gutiérrez in Peru, the KP Tower in India, and select spaces in South Korea.

The campaign also extended to London's beloved red double-decker buses, which featured LG's 'Life's Good' slogan, visually revamped as part of an innovative brand reinvention strategy. Additionally, the launch featured social content on 159 social channels in 80 countries.

Fun characters

The 3D billboard and social channels featured newly created LG characters, Joy and Ryder, who were developed by Wolff Olins and South Korean up-and-coming illustrator Jungmin, and brought to life by animation studio Animade.

These characters are a nod to LG's heritage as a Korean business and feature intricate details in their clothing and accessories that give the brand an optimistic and youthful spirit. The characters are being used as social stickers, along with bespoke finger-heart and hand-heart gestures, nodding Korean culture and symbolising warmth and optimism to the world.

Logo and colour palette

The new brand is being applied across all physical and digital customer touchpoints. In digital spaces, the LG logo will come to life in motion; the brand symbol, composed of the letters 'L' and 'G,' can perform eight unique motions, including nodding, spinning and winking.

With these new motion-powered capabilities, the brand symbol can greet customers with a friendly smile or bop and background music. This connects with LG's legacy while creating a playful and engaging connection with today's consumers, enhancing digital interactions.

Moreover, to highlight the brand's bold and youthful nature, LG has introduced a vibrant new shade of red that will be used across all platforms, including physical and digital. The new, energetic "active red," which is teamed with LG's traditional "heritage red" and a deep black, is designed to represent a passion for innovation and delivering customer value.

Typography and video

LG's 'Life's Good' has been revamped, with custom typography inspired by various LG products to make it stand out more. Also, the addition of a full stop conveys LG's confidence and sincerity in its mission to make people's lives better through innovation.

The slogan is not just about hope and positivity; it represents LG's commitment to making life better and more valuable and serves as a declaration of what life should strive to be. LG's products and services are designed to align with this aspiration, even in challenging times.

LG and Wolff Olins also created a promotional video showcasing this renewed brand identity. This content, set to feature on the company's global website, tells the brand's story and brings to life its new design philosophy, which is all about 'Emotionally Intelligent Design'.

Indeed, the new face of LG has been designed to be more dynamic and youthful to enable it to speak to a new generation of consumers. As LG explains, it wants to be the brand to "bring a smile back to the world of technology" and aims to "put some personality into technology".

Corporate vision

The global activation follows recent announcements from CEO William Cho, who outlined LG's vision to transform from its current position as a top global home appliance brand to a "smart life solutions company" capable of connecting and expanding customers' diverse experiences while driving global annual revenues of KRW 100 trillion by 2030.

"The people at LG are amazing innovators," says Tom Carey, senior creative director at Wolff Olins. "So it's been awesome to work with them as they transform for the next generation. We've rejuvenated the brand, bringing it to life with a smile and a wink.

"We've helped set it up to speak to multiple audiences, from fashionistas to gamers to global tech partners. And we've worked on every side of the experience, helping to stand out in-store, online, social media, advertising, and every side of daily life.

VP of LG Electronics Global Marketing Center, Hyoeun Kim, adds: "Wolff Olins has helped us to transform LG, expanding how we're seen as a business and rejuvenating our brand experience. They've seamlessly connected strategy and creativity to deliver a dynamic and highly flexible brand. Wolff Olins' experience working across multiple industries and the end-to-end brand experience has been invaluable. Together, we've delivered a new brand that works for our many business units and the world."