Bell Puts Humanity First with Bold Brand Platform Refresh

The text to your mom and dad. The family gathering captured over a Ring camera. The forgiveness message sent to a loved one. These are the small moments that bring us closer together. For 145 years, Bell has played a fundamental role in facilitating these essential human connections, reaffirming its dedication to helping individuals and businesses forge meaningful relationships with each other, their communities, and the wider world.

“Bell is built on a long history of commitment to empowering stronger human connections,” said Devorah Lithwick, senior vice president and chief brand officer of Bell. “This foundational idea is at the core of ‘Connection Is Everything.’ Emphasising that shared humanity as the focus of our refreshed brand platform honours our legacy, embodies who we are today, and looks toward the future with a distinctly personal perspective.”

The refreshed platform’s 360º launch campaign, developed by Zulu Alpha Kilo (Z.A.K.), lives across OOH, social, and film. The film spots, shot in a loose, spontaneous style by acclaimed director Vincent Haycock, display Bell telecommunications offerings through the lens of humanity and authenticity. The effect of the choice to use Bell products as creative storytelling devices—products that facilitate both meaningful and everyday connections in our daily lives—across multiple unique scenarios gives the work a modern POV rooted in culture rather than advertising.

Spanning across 12 short films highlighting small moments in life—from starting a new business to putting the kids to sleep, from asking a loved one for forgiveness to welcoming your angsty teen home—the work locks up with a branding device showing two characters shaping the final two characters to complete the word Bell. The visual summary links the Bell brand to each moment of connection. In addition to the short films, the expansive ‘Connection Is Everything’ campaign introduces a modernised visual system as part of the brand’s first new platform since 2008.

“Bell’s previous brand platform lasted for 17 years when we introduced our first design language for Bell into the world,” said Stephanie Yung, chief design officer at Z.A.K. “We wanted to take their strong brand equity forward and modernise it. The new look and feel is simple, but confidently so—and a position that only a leader brand could take.”

Simplifying the iconic Bell letterforms with a focus on the ‘SymBell’ as a central graphic element, the refreshed look retains the brand’s iconic equity while moving it forward to emphasise a feeling of warmth, approachability, and confidence. The resulting modular design is not only fresh, but adaptable, ensuring flexibility and scalability across all digital and physical touchpoints.

“As much as technology is at the core of this idea, the lens is refreshingly human-first, and this drove every creative decision,” said Jenny Glover, chief creative officer at Z.A.K. “What we do with technology, what it makes possible, and how it connects us every day is what Bell has always been about.”