Bombardier

Their iconic Learjet invented the notion of business aviation, while its Global 7500 expanded how fast and how far the industry could go. Today, Bombardier is at the forefront of innovation in sustainability and emission reduction.

After this eight-decade journey of growth, 2020 marked the beginning of a new chapter—one that would focus the business and see it evolve from a manufacturing stalwart to an innovative, pureplay business aviation leader. It’s a shift that has served their business well. In fact, it quadrupled Bombardier’s profitability.

After masterfully focusing their business, leadership realized the Bombardier needed to evolve to reflect the breadth of how they serve customers: designing, building, and servicing the world’s most exceptional aircraft, for individuals, businesses, and governments around the world. To bring this to life, Bombardier needed to tell a unified story, bigger than the sum of its award-winning products. In short, Bombardier needed a new brand.

To capture Bombardier’s unique ethos, we needed to start with its people. With an internal culture marked by rigor, warmth, and contagious passion, Bombardier authentically shared DNA with the customers they served: the world’s most discerning and impactful leaders. 

That led us to a powerful brand idea — At Your Altitude —evocative of Bombardier’s connection and empathy for customers, partners and employees, and an unmatched ability to operate at their level. It’s reminiscent of the experience Bombardier creates for its customers—one where every moment is thoughtfully curated and second to none. 

For employees, it’s a rallying cry, reflecting the DNA of Bombardier’s people, who bring the best of themselves to work every day to deliver that elevated experience. We further encapsulated that idea in a new employee value proposition, weaving the deep passion and expertise of Bombardier’s employees into the fabric of the new brand.

We knew that for the new brand to succeed, it needed to be stewarded by a powerful brand expression system that positioned them as a focused aviation business. The evolved visual expression is built around the new logo: the Bombardier Mach. It features the silhouette of an aircraft breaking the sound barrier—an ode to the ambition and innovative spirit of its people—while the strokes of wind over an aircraft reference Bombardier’s heritage LearJet brand. 

Other brand elements, including more eye-level voice and messaging, connect to bring a curated focus on customers and define what an elevated experience can be. The surrounding system is fluid and organic, yet engineered, showcasing both the brand’s precision to craft and its commitment to creating a warm, welcoming experience for customers.

We expanded the visual expression to the livery: a striking engineered pattern of the Mach symbol creates a sense of precision and wind flow motion over the aircraft. A bold Mach symbol on the vertical stabilizer creates a clear statement and recognizability. Subtle details highlight the brand’s best-in-class engineering, like the black winglets with the Mach symbol. The pattern stretched from portside to starboard creates an immersive feeling.

And, since Bombardier’s existing brand equity was largely in its products, we crafted a brand architecture system that helps drive an emotional connection to the new Bombardier.

We translated the idea of at your altitude into an advertising campaign anchored in the line: Your reflection in the sky. The campaign pays homage to the fact that Bombardier’s aircraft are crafted in the image of those who need them. Whether it’s a business executive or a seasoned pilot, a Bombardier aircraft is a mirror to their quiet confidence and attention to detail. 

To drive excitement internally and empower employees to become advocates of the brand, we created engaging global training materials to help leaders and employees understand the new Bombardier, and what it means to foster a heart meets mastery culture. The new Bombardier was revealed to the world on April 24.