Acquisition change management
Communicating a company rebrand internally
Zettle by PayPal
Background
As a subsidiary of PayPal, iZettle became iZettle, a PayPal service in 2019 – and came full circle as Zettle by PayPal in 2021. Along with this name change, we introduced a communication platform called ‘Made for More’. Used as a strapline (Zettle by PayPal – Made for More), these three little words are designed to convey that as part of the PayPal family, Zettle helps its users do more than they ever thought possible. We express this concept in the form of a ‘ticker’ – an animated statement that showcases what Zettle is made for (and how independent businesses benefit):
The challenge
Many of Zettle’s employees had joined a homegrown (Swedish), disruptive scaleup. While being acquired by PayPal was an exciting prospect that would give iZettle ‘superpowers’, it was an adjustment on several levels – and on the back of an internal understanding that the company was preparing to IPO. The idea of becoming part of a much larger, multinational company was daunting – and carried a sense of quiet apprehension about how such a significant change would impact the iZettle/Zettle culture. “Zettle by PayPal” would need to mirror the positives customers would see for employees.
The approach
How might we encourage the iZettle team to open up to new circumstances while being able to feel that their culture was being welcomed into a new environment? Based on positive responses to the existing iZettle/Zettle brand, we came up with a ‘swag’ gift to reflect the concept of Zettle by PayPal being made for more. The end result was a high quality branded sweater with interchangeable patches commemorating how we – the Zettle team – were made for more too. While customers would now benefit from Zettle by PayPal being made for more sales, time, results, customers and dreams, we celebrated being made for more laughs, stories, smiles, good vibes and evolution.
Credits
Concept and creative copy: Amy Braunerhielm Ma
Concept and art direction: Satasha Wong
In-house client: Amanda Drotz and Karolina Arvidsson
Concept and creative copy: Amy Braunerhielm Ma
Concept and art direction: Satasha Wong
In-house client: Amanda Drotz and Karolina Arvidsson