Objective

Once a renowned arbiter of content and research for professionals, Thomson Reuters underwent a critical business transformation to become an AI and technology company. However, there were three key business challenges that Thomson Reuters was facing, which informed our corporate identity transformation strategy:

1. Professionals struggled to navigate their portfolio: Their portfolio had grown both organically and by acquisition, and the proliferation of brands has created complexities that impacted their ability to cross-sell and up-sell within and across segments, and operational inefficiencies.
2. Professionals did not understand the value that Thomson Reuters had to offer them: Awareness, familiarity, and brand distinction are directly correlated to purchase intent. Because of relatively low familiarity and understanding of what they did as a business plus low brand distinction, Thomson Reuters was failing to maximize purchase intent.  
3. Professionals missed their business transformation: Without understanding the change they had undergone to evolve to become a technology company, professionals' perceptions of the business were outdated (seeing them as an old school research company), which impacted their purchase intent. 

Strategy

We identified a four-phase strategy to transform Thomson Reuters’ brand, informed by extensive quantitative and qualitative research. First, we streamlined a complex brand portfolio to improve navigation and clearly communicate the company’s purpose. Next, we redefined its positioning to align with its evolution into a technology leader. Then, we redesigned the corporate identity to visually and verbally signal this transformation. Finally, we developed a brand campaign to introduce the brand to the world and increase familiarity and understanding. This comprehensive approach ensured Thomson Reuters’ brand reflects its innovation, expertise, and leadership in an era of rapid technological change.

Extensive research uncovered a critical insight: professionals in legal, tax, accounting, risk, and fraud are expected to lead through unprecedented change, yet even they risk being overwhelmed—especially in the AI era.

This inspired Thomson Reuters’ bold new brand promise and ‘Big Idea’: Clarify the Complex. It’s a commitment to helping professionals navigate constant change with confidence, providing the insights and technology they need to act decisively.

With this shift, Thomson Reuters moved beyond its outdated perception as the answer company. Now, the brand tells a more powerful story—one that highlights how cutting-edge AI and technology enhance its trusted content and industry-leading research, reinforcing its role as an essential partner for professionals shaping today and the future.

For the first time in over 16 years, Thomson Reuters reimagined its brand—not just with a new look, but with a bold transformation that reflects its investment in AI and technology. This wasn’t a simple refresh; it was a full-scale reinvention designed to match the company’s ambitions and reinforce its role as a leader shaping the future.

• A new visual and verbal identity was crafted, purpose-built for the professionals shaping the world.
• This identity became the foundation for a powerful brand campaign spanning connected TV, podcasts, social, video, digital media, websites, and public relations—using compelling storytelling and striking design to position Thomson Reuters as a technology leader.
• The campaign led to a landing page articulating the company’s new promise and direction, surpassing visit targets by 45%.
• Nearly every customer touchpoint was transformed—from the logo on their new headquarters to their White House Correspondents’ Dinner sponsorship materials, website, and social presence—ensuring the brand’s new promise is ever-present for customers and employees alike.

The result: a once fragmented brand ecosystem is now a unified platform, clearly and consistently telling the story of Thomson Reuters’ promise to Clarify the Complex.

Results

“2024 marked important progress at Thomson Reuters,” as Thomson Reuters CEO Steve Hasker and President noted in the company’s fourth-quarter and full year 2024 results. Thomson Reuters’ re-entrance to the world as an AI and technology company in 2024 smashed expectations, supporting their company’s total annual revenue of $7.26 billion dollars that year. This was an increase of 7% relative to the previous year.

As Thomson Reuters’ CMO, Dave Carrell, noted on a podcast recently, the last time Thomson Reuters rebranded was in 2008—and “both rebrands arrived during times of disruption.” Can a rebrand help? The numbers speak for themselves, as cited in internal, confidential market research and analytics. 

1. Unaided awareness bounced back and is now at a survey high for their annual brand monitor. Unaided brand awareness among the professionals they serve rose by 40%, from 15% unaided awareness in 2023 to 21% unaided awareness in 2024. Consideration of Thomson Reuters also grew in 2024 and was significantly higher than previous years at 88%. 
2. Investor Day (launch day) garnered 46 total media mentions with 100% positive/neutral sentiment; trade press announcements gave the brand momentum, with an exclusive in Adweek.
3. Within the first two days of launching the new brand, tr.com saw a 25% increase in traffic from the same period last year.

This comprehensive repositioning effort, encapsulated by the new promise to Clarify the Complex, not only modernized the company's visual and verbal identity but also reinforced its commitment to empowering professionals with cutting-edge tools and insights. In fact, Clarify the Complex has become a north star for every decision the company makes, notably the $650 million acquisition of legal AI startup Casetext, expansion of Westlaw Precision with AI-driven legal search functionalities, partnerships with companies like Microsoft Copilot, and divestitures in non-core businesses to be able to focus on AI more. 

Since launching one year ago, this effort has already contributed to positive outcomes, with a 7% increase in total company and organic revenues for the year (up to $7.26 billion dollars), and a 10% rise in fourth-quarter revenues. These financial gains underscore the rebrand's effectiveness, specifically the reimagined corporate identity within the B2B world, enhancing Thomson Reuters' market perception in a way that directly influences business outcomes and growth.

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