Why is the organisation changing its name to Marwell Wildlife?

Marwell Zoological Park was owned by the Marwell Preservation Trust Limited, a charity dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources. But the charity had another side - that of an international conservation organisation working predominantly in Africa.

This duality created a gap between how we’re perceived and what we actually deliver. So following several months of consultation with both our staff and external stakeholders examining what and who we are and how we can better realise our aspirations for the future, we have developed a new brand which better reflects the breadth of our work, and has a strong, coherent and recognisable look which will engage with our diverse audience.

That new brand is Marwell Wildlife.

What are the benefits to changing your name?

We are confident that through uniting both parts of our charity under one name we will be able to: 

• More accurately describe the breadth and depth of what we do. As well as the animal kingdom our work encompasses the conservation of biological and other natural resources.

• Better promote who we are. We employ many people overseas who are also part of the Marwell team, beyond the staff we employ at our park in Hampshire, UK.

• Develop new income streams and reduce our reliance on gate admissions, which are weather dependent. A more strategic approach to fundraising under the new brand will bring us in line with other international conservation charities.

• Showcase the challenges that affect our planet’s biodiversity and focus our charitable work in support of these issues.

What are the changes and when will they take place?

Wherever the names Marwell Zoological Park, or Marwell Preservation Trust currently appear they will be replaced with Marwell Wildlife from 1 April 2009. If you have any Direct Debits with us, we'll automatically update the payee name to Marwell Wildlife, and if we make payments to you, you'll see the name Marwell Wildlife on your bank statements or cheques.

Do I need to do anything?

No, as a guest at the park you don’t need to do a thing. It's purely a change of name.

Will Marwell have a new logo?

You'll be seeing more of the Marwell Wildlife brand over the coming months, as we apply our new creative style and brand identity to both our internal and external communications. From 1 April 2009, we'll be using the Marwell Wildlife logo on all our letters, financial documents and leaflets, and throughout our park on signs and vehicles.  

Have you done any research among customers and staff before deciding to do this?

We have involved all permanent members of staff, trustees and volunteers in the definition and articulation of our brand, in the context of what we want to be known for, how we want to work with each other and the outside world, and how we should structure and organise ourselves to achieve these goals.

Why spend this money in the current climate?

Becoming one brand means we'll get maximum value out of our marketing budget and means we can share our learning and expertise across all our markets.

What is the cost of the re-brand to the environment?

Our plan is to keep the environmental impact of the rebrand as low as possible by phasing the launch of new materials to coincide with running down stock of existing materials. All our printed materials are produced on 100% recycled paper as part of our environmental policy.

How will I be kept up to date about the progress you're making towards rebranding?

Look out for information about the rebrand on our website, in the park and through our publications, Marwell News and Marwell News In Brief. If you’d like regular updates on this and our other activities then please register here.

Is anything changing in the park?

We’ll be updating our entrance and directional signage to reflect the new brand identity, and you’ll also see a difference in our park map and the signage around the new African Valley. We plan to review signage on an ongoing basis as we develop or refurbish each animal enclosure, such that new imagery is both in keeping with the brand, and articulates our brand promise and aims as a charity. 

Are the tourist signs being changed?

We aim to update the brown tourist signs to Marwell Wildlife before the end of July 2010

Do you have a brand promise?

The new brand is built around our brand promise. This connects the whole organisation – from our conservation work to our catering, the experience of our guests to the care of our wildlife.

Our brand promise is Connecting people with nature, and this desire is at the heart of everything we do, both here in Hampshire and overseas.

What does the new logo mean/convey

Our brand promise is the reference point for our brand mark – illustrating the connections between people and wildlife.

The hand symbolizes our commitment to caring and protecting wildlife, both nationally and internationally. The 18 variations represent a broad cross-section of wildlife and convey the breadth and depth of our work in conservation and biodiversity management.

When do you expect the rebrand project to be complete

We anticipate completing the rebrand project by July next year.

 

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