UBS A "BIG WINNER" IN GLOBAL RANKING OF 100 MOST VALUABLE BRANDS

UBS's impressive 16% increase in brand value in one year moved the company to the 44th spot on BusinessWeek/Interbrand's list of the world's most valuable brands (unveiled today) and earned it accolades as one of the "big winners" for 2005. By continuing its ascent among the world's most valuable brands, UBS, a global financial services firm, demonstrates that new powerful brands are no longer solely the domain of FMCG companies.

UBS appeared for the first time on the much-touted list last year, on the heels of an ambitious, long-term rebranding initiative, consolidating its three separate regional brands under the single, global UBS brand. Prophet, a global consulting firm specializing in the integration of brand, marketing and business strategy, helped UBS develop its single brand strategy, a move that has helped UBS develop a powerful brand that mirrors its business success.

UBS and Prophet collaborated on a plan to swiftly develop a unified brand image, communicate the shift from many brands to a single brand, and prepare the organization to deliver on its brand promise: "the relentless pursuit of client success."

The first step in this highly successful effort involved establishing a consistent look and feel through an efficient rollout of the logo and corporate imagery. Next, UBS focused on the consistent communication of its brand promise. Not only is this the key message in its award-winning "You & Us" campaign, it is also communicated through client success stories in the latest annual report and serves as a rallying cry in internal communications.

However, UBS knew that the promises it makes in its marketing messages had to hold true once clients entered the doors of a branch. Hence, UBS embarked on a journey to redefine the customer experience. They established tools, processes, and training courses to ensure that every employee, whether in the US or in Zurich, could bring the UBS brand promise to life in a consistent and compelling way.

The move to a single brand has proven very successful for UBS as reflected in sizeable gains in share price, numerous acknowledgements from the business/marketing community, and ultimately through the actions of its competitors. Its rival Credit Suisse is dropping "First Boston" from its name and other competitors are expected to follow suit.

UBS is a leading financial firm, combining financial strength with a reputation for innovation and a global culture that embraces change. UBS is one of the world's largest wealth managers, a premier investment banking and securities firm, and one of the largest global asset managers. In Switzerland, UBS is a market leader in retail and commercial banking. Headquartered in Zurich and Basel, UBS employs around 67,000 people, and has operations in over 50 countries and in all major financial centres.

Prophet is a leading consultancy that helps clients achieve competitive advantage by creating and implementing integrated business, brand, and marketing strategies. Prophet works with companies from strategy to execution to develop, operationalize, grow, and protect one of their most valuable assets: their brand. Prophet has offices in Chicago, Hamburg, Houston, London, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, and Zurich.

7/22/05

Contact:
Tim Prizeman
Kelso Consulting
020 7388 8886
timp@kelsopr.com