The Challenge

Hootsuite is the leading social media management dashboard with more than 16 million users in 200+ countries. Over the past decade, the industry they pioneered has become crowded while the category of social has evolved. Seeking to reestablish their position as a true industry leader, Hootsuite expanded their frame of reference to social marketing, commerce, and care. 

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The Solution

To signal this future-focused vision, Prophet redefined Hootsuite’s entire brand from strategy to verbal and visual—starting with a new purpose: “We believe in the power of social to uplift people and ignite brands and business.” Visually, the challenge was twofold. First, we needed to breathe life into their beloved logo and mascot, Owly, while simultaneously designing a fresh, relevant, and distinctive design system. 

Hootsuite’s new visual identity was designed to uplift, amplify and delight. We reimagined Owly as an active character, as Hootsuite’s new Chief Connection Officer. Owly’s head—optimized for the logo-mark—was expanded to a full body in a range of poses. For the first time, Owly could emote, react, and empathize. We paired Owly’s playful, flat illustration with a funky wordmark and a daring, nature-inspired color palette. We specifically crafted these core elements to feel human, tactile, and warm to buck the glossy, pastel artifice common across the industry. However, this is a modern, visionary brand, so we balanced this friendliness with a sharp, dynamic design system. Emphasizing rhythm, momentum, and transformation, the new system reflects the energy of the social landscape and the positive impact Hootsuite has on organizations, consumers, and society. 

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The Impact

Within 60 days of the brand relaunch, 36 pieces of global earned media coverage have resulted in a total reach of over 10 million unique monthly views. In the same period, the brand’s launch campaign reached 19M unique users, generated awareness with over 1.7M prospects (brand lift), influenced 528 conversations and delivered over 94M impressions.

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This award-winning work was recognized by Fast Company in its 2023 Innovation by Design Awards in the Best Branding and Enduring Impact categories and as a Silver winner in the 2022 North America Transform Awards for “Best use of copy style or tone of voice” and “Best brand evolution (business).”

 

10M+ Unique monthly views within 60 days of brand relaunch

1.7M+ Prospects (brand lift) within 60 days of brand relaunch

94M+ Impressions within 60 days of brand relaunch