Careem, the ride-hailing platform turned “everything app,” is undergoing its most significant rebranding in its ten-year history. Tom Sword, Global Head of Brand and Creative at Careem, and his newly formed in-house agency team have been working on the rebranding for the last 12 months almost entirely in-house at the Careem Creative Studio. “It works for us and allows us to operate at real speed and understand the business. It bridges the gap in execution and creates a community and culture fostered in-house,” said Sword.
The brand’s signature green hue and wink will remain, but with a more extensive reach to communicate its expanding list of services, including Go, Eat, Get, and Pay categories. The decision to build in-house creative and design capabilities was groundbreaking, according to Sword. “Our first response was to build our own creative muscle. It was a unique trajectory building the creative team that now has such close proximity to the business.”
The rebranding effort was driven by the evolution of Careem as it has moved from a ride-hailing platform to an “everything app.” “We need a brand that supports our new architecture. We want to be able to help customers navigate across our full portfolio of services under the categories of Go, Eat, Get, and Pay. We think of the product as the brand and vice versa. The brand is now set up for storytelling,” Sword added.
Despite the tech industry’s recent turmoil and widespread job losses due to economic headwinds, Careem’s objectives have remained the same. The rebranding initiative has been designed to support the growing list of services on the app, including cleaning, laundry, ticketing events, and dining out, among many others.
“This is the proudest I have been when I think about this incredible team of 20 people that I consider to be the best creative talent in the region,” said Sword. The new branding is being rolled out this week on the app, followed by delivery riders’ off-line world, known as captains, with their uniforms and boxes.
Careem has operations in more than 80 cities, covering ten countries across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia regions. The rebranding is a significant step forward for Careem as it continues to evolve its services and offerings.
