The urban agency "Zvidsy" focused on the spatial development of Ukrainian cities until 2022. With the onset of the full-scale invasion, the team launched the "Restart" project, aimed at developing and enhancing spatial solutions for cities, communities, and territories.

The full-scale nature of the invasion changed the context: the needs of communities and the focus segments of the target audience shifted. This change led to the creation of "Restart" as a separate brand. However, its emergence alone did not solve the issue of effectively positioning the brand in the new context and integrating it into the existing brand architecture.

To create a unified brand system that combines "Zvidsy" and "Restart." To define the positioning and develop a brand concept through which the positioning can be effectively communicated to the target audience.

To root the brand in the new context, we explored this new environment from three different angles.

Market: we examined the competitive landscape broadly, including both direct competitors—spatial solutions agencies—and indirect competitors—individual, sometimes one-off, projects by architects aimed at community development. Predominantly, they all communicate general-category values about how spatial solutions can broadly improve life.

Target Audience: we considered the target audience segments, taking into account differences driven by the new context

Local Clients — representatives of communities and international organizations in Ukraine. They initiate agency participation in projects or influence each other's choices. Most of them are quite "procedural" and rational in their decision-making, but some genuinely desire change in their projects and communities, making them open to fresh and innovative solutions.

Foreign Clients — representatives of urban initiatives, international donors, and programs. Most have a "procedural" mindset but are not as engaged with the Ukrainian context, making them more emotionally distant compared to local clients.

Perception

In conversations with clients and market representatives, we discovered that everyone knows the founder of the brands, Oleksandr Shevchenko, but few are familiar with "Restart" and "Zvidsy"—the founder's personal brand is stronger than either of them.

Clients turn to Oleksandr for his strategic expertise, deep understanding of the local context, and European background, which allows him to introduce Western practices and a future-oriented approach to proposed solutions.

"Zvidsy" was effectively on hold, while "Restart" was fresh, relevant, and easily understood by Western audiences due to its name. Considering this, the low awareness of both brands, and the lack of strong competition in the communication field, we reframed the task. Instead of creating a brand hierarchy, we decided to merge both brands into a single "Restart."

As part of developing the "Restart" brand, we created a tactical plan to balance Oleksandr's personal brand with the agency's brand. We described a three-phase process to reduce his personal brand's prominence in the public sphere while simultaneously increasing the presence of the team members' brands and the agency itself to build awareness of the agency rather than solely the founder's personal brand.

The idea of rebuilding the present is not new to the category. In conversations with the target audience, we heard that for them, "Restart" is "like a bridge between the old, current approach and innovations—the future." Thus, they are actually buying not just a project but their personal contribution to this bright future. So, we combined these two values: our commitment to rebuilding and their investment in the future into the positioning “Rebuilding the future.”

In Ukrainian, this translates to “перебудовуємо майбутнє.” Lexically, this phrase is not smooth and somewhat awkward, but it perfectly conveys the core value and context in which "Restart" operates and seeks to improve. This imperfection adds a certain charm and relevance to the brand concept.

Currently, we communicate that a few years ago, the urban agency "Zvidsy" was launched to transform the peaceful and established space in Ukraine. In March 2022, "Restart" was created in response to the new challenges facing Ukraine and its future. Therefore, the expertise from "Zvidsy" and "Restart" were combined to effectively transform both the spaces of today and create the future.

Strategic director — Maksym Iliukhin

Strategist — Vlad Shpyl

Project Manager — Darina Panisheva

CEO — Oleksandr Shevchenko

Operations manager — Marharyta Borysova