Sentry are a well-established farming and rural advisory business. They had successfully traded for nearly 50 years, but at the start of 2023 they identified the need to review how they were perceived.

Alongside its farming operations, their offering was developing to include an ever-greater focus on strategic consultancy and advisory services, such as SFI commitments, business diversification, funding applications, regenerative agricultural practices and sustainability initiatives.

As a result, they needed to position themselves as a brand that could compete with other established and often much better known national rural advisory brands. And they needed the tools to provide greater control and consistency in the brand’s day to day use.

We took Sentry through a four-phase development programme which started with a fundamental brand review – from vision, mission and values through to positioning and proposition. Identifying, resetting and agreeing these brand foundations set the scene for the creative brief.

Whilst the name ‘Sentry’ had good recall and awareness in its traditional operational areas, it was relatively unknown in the sectors business ambition was targeting. Rethinking the identity and futureproofing the brand story to support the ambitions for long-term business growth were vitally important. So, the brief was simple – the brand had to reinvent without destroying its heritage.

We delivered a 7 month creative programme that included a major shift in visual identity, a simple description of what Sentry both promised and offered and an elevated tone of voice that retained the friendly, dependable down-to-earth style Sentry were famous for.