Kovo is a new mobile app specially designed for professionals in the world of horse racing and showing. It provides vets, trainers and owners a way to organize, store and access medical information about their four-legged investment. First-of-their-kind digital brands like Kovo enjoy a huge opportunity—a niche market with few tech competitors. But there was a significant challenge in that the market does not adopt new technology easily.

Launching a new brand, within a specific market—We are Kovo’s brand design partner—part of a multi-disciplinary launch team. It was the joint responsibility of Aegis and our marketing partner to bring the brand to market. Our responsibilities included: designing the brand name, creating the brand architecture, including a brand identity ecosystem; communicating the brand character and its benefits in a launch campaign; producing a series of videos; and creating an e-commerce website.

Creating a brand character—A brand’s mission, culture and values are what shape its character. Kovo finds itself in the world of the competition horse. So, while the horse is at the root of its value proposition, the brand’s character remains distinctly human. Its mission is to serve the community that surrounds a performance horse—the vets, trainers, farriers, owners, and any others.

For Kovo, this means its integrity and the trust consumers have in it is tied to its credibility within the equestrian professional community. Tonally, the brand mirrors the culture it serves—neighbourly, unpretentious and frank. These characteristics arise from the foundation of cultural values we found was important to our target: Integrity, accountability, diligence, discipline community.

Ensuring a good fit—In developing the Kovo brand, several key considerations guided our thinking. The name had to have a natural fit with the equine culture while, at the same time, feeling fresh and differentiated. (The name Kovo echoes European root words for horse.) Also, we wanted the brand to live in the delicate balance between exclusivity and unpretentiousness. And although it’s a digital brand, we knew it was important that Kovo’s character be more organic than technological. Finally, while equine healthcare professionals represent a key market, the tone of the brand had to be more weighted in equine athletics than medicine.

This story is not finished. The ongoing collaboration we have between our client and the marketing team continues to hone the vision we’ve brought to life. Through crisp, concise brand language we continue to solidify Kovo’s success in the market. ⬤