Hartbeat Brand Launch
Brand Strategy + Positioning | Campaign Strategy | Launch Strategy | Social Strategy | Communications Strategy | Executive Communications | Agency Management | RFP Management
brand: Hartbeat
introduction meets reintroduction
From their inceptions, Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud Network—the two entertainment companies founded by comedian Kevin Hart—operated as separate entities. Hartbeat grew out of the evolution of a decade’s work building the two high-growth media companies, and their coming together to create one entertainment enterprise designed to become one of the industry’s most prolific entertainment brands. It was the the introduction of a new entertainment enterprise born out of two legacy brands combining into one.
the challenge:
develop + launch a new entertainment brand that seamlessly integrates + honors each existing business.
phase one. bridging the brands
Prior to merging, Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud operated as stand alone brands, which ultimately resulted in market confusion, overlapping offerings, and internal messaging misalignment. Bringing the brands together began with an audit of both brands and partnering with executive leadership to define the vision for a unified brand. From there we built a brand bible with a new mission, vision, and value statement as well conducted a workshop with the executive team to develop the brand positioning for Hartbeat.
phase two. development
To develop the end-to-end brand architecture we engaged in an RFP process, seeking an agency to help create a new visual identity for Hartbeat. Pentagram was a selective to take on the design project, which included the brand look + feel, logo development, cross-platform design system, and website design.
introducing hartbeat.
The design for the new brand, needed to capture the spirit of both Hartbeat Productions and Laugh Out Loud, and also be able to seamlessly represent the dissolve LOL sub-brands. Because the name “Hartbeat” already existed in the market through Hartbeat Productions, the design also had to feel differentiated as a new and exciting brand honoring the foundation of both the original companies.
phase three. launching hartbeat.
To bring Hartbeat to market, we developed and executed a cohesive, cross-channel launch strategy that spanned across digital, media, social, and communications. The campaign kicked-off with the announce of the merged company with the $100 million equity investment and launch of the Media, Studio, and Brands division. The roll-out continued over the next few months with events with Netflix and the debut of the new website.
