One of my favorite business videos is of Steve Jobs launching the ‘Think Different’ advertisement for Apple. In the video, Jobs speaks about what a brand represents, and truly captures the fact that brand is about much more than products or services; it’s about values. It’s about why you exist as an organization. It remains Apple’s tag line to this day.
The early days
IMS was our chosen trading name when the original business partnership was launched in 2003 – it stood for Integrated Media Solutions as explained in our founders story.
At the time, Integrated Media Solutions was a very appropriate description of what the company did. The primary business was the fitting out of multi tenant complexes with integrated technology including intercoms, door access, telephony, CCTV, and TV solutions. In a complex; a visitor could dial the relevant apartment from an outside gate, the intercom would ring in the apartment, the tenant could switch on the TV and see the camera pointing at that gate, the tenant could then answer the intercom, speak with the visitor, and allow access to the complex by pressing a button in the apartment. Quite an innovative and certainly an integrated solution which was popular in apartment complexes and student accommodation at the time.
Over time, the business evolved into broadband and connectivity services before progressing into Wi-Fi and guest technology. We had to take a step back and revisit Jobs’ ‘Think Different’ campaign – did Integrated Media Solutions truly represent us? With each passing year and each new technology iteration, the brand became more detached with what the business stood for in the present. Because of this and taking inspiration from Jobs, we decided to complete a rebrand this year.
The rebrand – from IMS to IMS connect
Given IMS had been in existence for over 20 years, we wanted to maintain that connection and familiarity. Our goal therefore was a ‘refresh’; building on the legacy, rather than creating something new. We wanted a modern slant on the name which reflects who we are now as a company and where we are headed. In the end, we settled on IMS connect. Why?
About 2 years ago, we conducted both a values discovery process and redrafted our purpose statement for the company through a collaborative process involving our whole team. During a ‘values discovery’ process with the team 2 years ago, we discovered how much our people truly value sustainability and some of the work we have been doing in this area. Our purpose statement was updated to ‘connecting people with leading technology while caring for society and the planet’. A powerful statement in my opinion, which demonstrates a commitment to a greater good in the work that we do.
IMS connect represents this purpose statement and the values that are evident within our team. We ‘connect’ guests and staff through leading hospitality Wi-Fi solutions. We ‘connect’ guests to their content through hotel smart TV experiences. We ‘connect’ people to their loved ones and their favorite content while they travel. IMS connect speaks to this and represents our values of innovation and being obsessive about the customer experience.
IMS connect also represents our new energy management offering which ‘connects’ our customers to a data informed pathway to net zero. This technology speaks to the core of who we are as an organization, and enables us to live our purpose statement. It excites and empowers our team to do more with technology. It allows us to make a positive impact for our customers and the planet in our everyday work.
Tag Line – Representing who we are
To capture all of this, we needed to create a relevant tag line. After careful consideration, we settled on ‘sustainable technology, memorable experiences’. In all areas of our business, we endeavor to deliver environmentally friendly technology solutions that are ethically sourced and support memorable experiences for our customers and their guests.
When Steve Jobs shared ‘Think Different’ in 1997, he wanted you to associate Apple with changing the world for the better. When you see the name IMS connect, my hope is that you think of sustainable technology and solutions that deliver memorable experiences for the user and better long-term outcomes for the planet.
To learn more about our brand refresh, check out our launch video and ‘journey to rebrand’ video.
