Dominus’ Marketing Director Amber Hawkes and Nick Street, Creative Director at We Are Fred®, discuss how Dominus’ latest brand was born.
It has been a busy period for Dominus, the launch of the parent brand early February followed by Dominus Real Estate today, can you explain the background?
A: When I joined Dominus in September 2022, there was a desire for the business to ensure that we have strong brand foundations that match the future ambitions of the business. Quickly getting under the skin of the business, it was clear that there was a need for a masterbrand platform with the opportunity for subsidiary brands to evolve over time.
N: Rather than just looking at the external brands, we looked deeper into the company structure and architecture of the business to explore the best way of delivering the family ethos, sector expertise, and market position. This ensured that additional new brands would have the strength to fly solo in various sectors whilst also working into the masterbrand.
A: A key factor of the brief to We Are Fred was future-proofing, we needed to ensure the entrepreneurial heart of the business was retained and no future opportunity was hindered by the brand structure.
N: Absolutely, it was clear that the leadership at Dominus understood they needed a new platform to supercharge growth.
A: Dominus Real Estate is our new brand that is focused on our work pan-development sectors in the UK. We are known for our hotel delivery, we are fast growing in the PBSA sector, and have residential and mixed-use schemes on the horizon. We developed Dominus Real Estate as a platform to engage our sector audiences ensuring that everyone we speak with, throughout the lifecycle of a development, has the same brand experience.
What was the process you went through to reach the masterbrand strategy?
A: Dominus, previously known as Dominvs Group, has a significant track record in the real estate space, especially within the hotel space. It was great for me to be asked to craft a fresh, strong narrative for the business that would drive the brand strategy, creating a consistent proactive approach to brand awareness. I saw a real opportunity in unifying our brand message and underpinning our new brand with so many stories that are as of yet untold.
N: Collaboration was key, we ensured that all internal stakeholders were involved from day one and we conducted a series of individual interviews plus workshops with the whole team to shape and form the heart of the brand. Jay Ahluwalia was key to ensuring the brief to us was spot on. This, coupled with our sector knowledge and a deep understanding of the business' ambitions, meant that we absolutely nailed the positioning first time and the story at the heart of the brand.
A: What we are now building is a brand that is people/human-centric, appeals to all, and is understood by all – it doesn’t matter what your job title is, you’re still a person. Storytelling is key, we have a rich story that underpins the brand, people are key to our success, we want an inclusive brand, focused on people – one that any of our audiences can engage with and feel proud to work alongside, be that communities and charities, developers, planners, investors.
N: Then, everything springboarded from this early approval on our masterbrand. Trust was established. We had dissected the business narrative and brought all existing brands together under one roof, this structure allows future brands to evolve at pace. Dominus as a foundation for growth. Not limiting and offering opportunity.
It's been a month since the Dominus masterbrand was launched, how has it been?
A: We have had a phenomenal response to the brand, we knew we were moving the dial and we were making a fairly big change internally, replacing the V with a U and removing the word ‘group’ had legacy. However, because of the journey we brought people on, it was always welcomed. I was incredibly proud to witness the excitement of our team members at launch and could see how energized they were from the process. What we weren’t prepared for was the overwhelming feedback from our external stakeholders, our partners, communities around our developments. Clearly, they now understand us so much better.
N: We have had feedback from all levels across the business, but the key thing has been that all Dominus team members are proud to say where they work and who they work with.
Talk us through the Dominus Real Estate brand development.
N: Market differentiation – we take the Dominus family values but all focused on the sector. The strapline and the star creative is what sets us apart. Identifying space and unlocking potential. Real estate covers everything from student, retirement, JVs, everything. The star ensures we have a sector-specific standing.
A: People often think the term 'real estate' is an American term, however, it was first coined in 1666 after the Great Fire of London. We believe it really encompasses everything we design, deliver, and develop and provides a great platform for us to grow from.
N: Yes, visually we have a strong star based on the ideology of the north star. It’s a powerful symbol of navigation and a sign of growth and progress. The star is an evolution of the macron that sits above the master brand.
A: We opted for electric blue – to ensure we stand out in a noisy market place. The original Dominvs Group logo was in line with others in the sector, and we feel the electric blue plays well into the vibrancy of our development offering.
N: Contemporary and dynamic is the look and feel. The electric blue gives market stand out, but allows it to sit with the parent brand. Tonal range was considered, but also with the crop of the star we can explore and create dynamic and strong layouts that grab attention, physically or digitally. Branded sites will have impact across UK cities.
A: Our ambition is that the Dominus Real Estate star become an iconic symbol of quality real estate. My personal aim, over time, is for people to see the macron or the star and say ‘that’s Dominus’.
What has been your highlight/proudest moment?
A: What we have already achieved on the brand is good, but what is to come in the future is going to be great. The team is really excited!
N: I don’t think it has happened yet – we haven’t had a chance to take stock as we have been working hard developing Dominus Real Estate. However, as a team, we have created a brand platform that is thoughtful, strategic, and aesthetic – now the time comes for us to really show what these brands can do.
Thank you.
A: You’re welcome. It’s been nice to reflect on how far we have come in such a short space of time. We spend a lot of time looking to the future and don’t always have time to pause and look back.
