CVC is a leading global alternative investment manager focused on private equity, secondaries and credit with a global network of 25 local offices and €186 billion of assets under management.

The challenge

CVC had undertaken research amongst LPs, from which the strong opinion was CVC played an active and long-term role in growing and building businesses, so delivering strong returns. To express a strong fiduciary responsibility to investors also needing a demonstrable ESG philosophy, CVC wanted to highlight their portfolio companies bring positive impact to the environment, local economies, and people within local communities.

CVC’s brief to Fin was to develop a brand positioning which highlighted CVC’s focus on value creation but balanced with their commitment to ESG and sustainability. We needed to ensure the positioning was authentic to how CVC combines investment with an ESG responsibility; genuine to negate accusations of hollow greenwash; and future-proof to ensure their story meets their needs for today and tomorrow.

Then, within a Phase 2, Fin was to create a visual theme, which reflected the final positioning narrative, across a library of imagery for use within CVC’s communications.

Our solution – brand positioning

We began with a discovery phase of how CVC incorporates value and ESG into the evaluation of a possible investment. This involved a review of all relevant materials created by CVC articulating their investment philosophy and their ESG philosophy. We facilitated internal senior stakeholder interviews, to understand the balance between both environmental and financial across CVC’s approach to long-term value creation.

A review of CVC competitors was also undertaken to identify how each positioned their ESG proposition.

We identified a range of key strengths and attributes underpinning CVC’s philosophy, around which we began to build the narrative. Also, we suggested to blend in CVC’s brand values into the narrative to ensure an internal cultural resonance to the positioning.

We proposed that in order to meet all CVC’s needs in articulating its value creation and ESG philosophy we needed to develop three forms of the narrative: 1) a short-form version with a strapline and the individual key strengths of CVC supported by a short narrative; 2) a longer-form version with strapline and an extended narrative on key strengths; 3) to take the long-form narrative of version 2 and add CVC’s proof-points to all statements to demonstrate they ‘walk the talk’.

Fin developed CVC’s Core Value Proposition of ‘Creating sustainable value’. This captured CVC’s focus on building businesses for a better future, both to create sustainable businesses and a positive return on exit. Also incorporating, without being too overt, recognition that CVC ensure their portfolio companies are sound investments in their environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

Acting as the foundation of this statement, we created a number of core attributes through which ‘Creating sustainable value’ is delivered: Committed to creating lasting value; Truly global, always local; Building the foundations for sustainable value; Entrepreneurialism drives our approach; Better outcomes from more diverse teams; Building the successful businesses of tomorrow.

Our solution – exploration of a visual approach

The Core Value Proposition of ‘Creating sustainable value’ gave Fin’s design team the brief to explore a visual representation to CVC’s proposition.

Our visual concepts needed to show a positive outcome in growth with inclusion of sustainability.

Within our creative Sprint 1 we explored a wide range of visual themes, styles, graphic devices, and content to share and debate with CVC.

Within Sprint 2, we selected two of the concepts from Sprint 1 to develop and refine, applying this to various collateral and communication channels. Featuring a layered image of the background photograph depicting the potential output from a portfolio company’s activity or sustainability programme. Then overlaid with a simple graphic representing positive growth and value. Each option was also explored as a moving image to support web, campaign, and social media application.

The success

Our solution crystallised CVC’s duality of strengthening the foundations of every business they invest in, enabling them to grow more sustainably, creating long-term value on CVC’s exit. And that environmental and social performance are embedded in every aspect of CVC’s approach to long-term value creation, to deliver lasting and positive impact.

Explore CVC further at https://www.cvc.com