Manpower unveils fresh brand identity and advertising push

This is the first time the firm, which is headquartered in Milwaukee and operates in 72 countries around the world including the UK, has undergone such an extensive rebranding since its launch in 1948.

This involves reducing the number of separate brands within Manpower from more than 200 to just five: Manpower; Manpower Professional; Elan; Jefferson Wells; and Right Management.

The revamped logo, which will be rolled out across all marketing, advertising and offices worldwide, consists of five oval shapes in different colours to represent the remaining brands.

The branding work has been handled by the London office of Wolff Olins, with advertising developed by WPP's Grey Worldwide in New York and media strategy and planning by sister agency MediaCom.

Grey won the global Manpower account, which is understood to be worth between £21m and £27m, while Red Cell continues to run the business in France.

A spokesman for Manpower was unable to give any details about the advertising push, other than it will be tailored to each country and involve print and outdoor.

Jeffrey Joerres, chairman and chief executive officer of Manpower, said: "In today's world of work, the dynamics are changing faster than ever before and we have been quietly re-engineering our company and our service offering in order to help our clients, employees and associates to understand and navigate the challenges of today's workplace.

"The new brand aligns the company we are today with the image we project in the marketplace."

Manpower has traditionally focused on the temporary employment market but over the last six years has broadened out into training, consulting and permanent placements. Revenue grew from $10.8bn in 2000 to $16bn in 2005.

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