Identity unveils new strategic direction for the ‘Golden Age of Experience’

Identity has revealed its new strategic direction and brand identity, completing its transformation into a single, unified global experience agency following its integration with Smyle.

Six months in the making, the relaunch signals what the company calls the start of the “golden age of experience” - a period defined by rapid technological change, shifting client needs and heightened audience expectations.

Under the banner Experience Changes Everything, the new Identity combines scale, creativity and strategic depth across a network of offices in London, New York, Dublin, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Belfast and Manchester. The agency brings together more than 250 specialists across strategy, creative, delivery and measurement, serving clients ranging from government and sport to technology and culture.

“Clients need partners who can anticipate, not just react; who can deliver clarity through experience,” said Michael Gietzen, group CEO of Identity. “Identity and Smyle came together with purpose - to build an agency ready for the next decade of change. ‘Experience Changes Everything’ is more than a belief; it’s our commitment to how we work, think and lead. The new brand is our signal of intent - proof of the scale, creativity and clarity that will define our path to Destination 2030.”

Unified capability, creative ambition

The agency’s transformation forms part of its long-term strategic roadmap, Destination 2030, which focuses on global growth, technological innovation and sustainable operations. The move also cements Identity’s ability to deliver both large-scale international experiences and highly targeted brand activations, connecting insight, design, innovation and production under one roof.

The refreshed brand identity centres on a new tribar logo, the mathematical symbol for “identity”, representing equality, partnership and ambition. Its bold new colour palette - black with neon green, electric blue and subtle red - reflects what the company describes as “fearless creativity and forward-thinking clarity”.

Gietzen, Gardner, Colborne and Boyle Photo Credit: image supplied

“Design is strategy made visible,” said Emma Gardner, executive design director. “Every element of the new brand has purpose behind it. The tribar captures equality and connection - ideas that define how we work internally and with clients.”

Dan Colborne, executive creative director, added: “This is about more than design; it’s about creative impact. Whether it’s a live environment or a piece of digital storytelling, our goal is the same: to create moments that change how people feel and behave.”

Jonathan Boyne, strategy director, said the new model was a response to the industry’s changing economics: “We're in an exponential age where client budgets are pressured while costs rise, yet expectations keep climbing. Experiences must work harder, live longer, and deliver measurable impact. Our unified agency model allows clients to harness the full power of creativity, technology, and behavioural insight in one place.”

As the agency enters this new phase, Identity’s specialist group brands - NJ Live, The Sports Presentation Company, Dreamlike Studio, Powered By Humans and Beyond Business Travel - will continue to operate under their own names while drawing on the group’s shared expertise and infrastructure.

Read more about Michael Gietzen's vision for the golden age of experience in his interview with M&IT