Billion dollar battle for DIY

Woolworths is taking on long-established home improvement giant Bunnings with the announcement of its new Masters brand.

Hulsbosch Communication by Design, the creator of the Qantas flying kangaroo and Woolworths' green apple rebrand, has developed the Masters name, brand identity and positioning. Principal Hans Hulsbosch believes understanding the business objectives is essential when choosing a brand name.

“For Masters we wanted something timeless that would be instantly memorable and recognisable. It stands for trust, skill, professionalism and exellence, that we hope will inspire customers to master whatever job they are doing at home,” he said.

The team worked closely with Woolworths for 18 months and, together with Leffler Simes Architects, also helped create the in-store and external branding environments.

Hulsbosch said comprehensive research was done on other identities in the hardware business, but many looked and felt very dated.
“We wanted an ‘M’ for Masters designed as a contemporary, gutsy, simple icon. I got the idea from a drill bit. The three identical shapes give a dynamic, simple look that can be implemented on just about anything, from an app on your phone to a 5 metre high piece of signage,” he said.

The joint venture, between Woolworths and the US chainstore Lowe's, has an aggressive growth strategy with Woolworths revealing plans to open 150 stores across the country over five years in a bid to share a stake of the $42 billion-dollar sector.