Mills & Boon unveils new brand image

Mills & Boon, the last word in romantic fiction for the past 70 years, has undergone a complete redesign to bring the brand up to date and attract a new generation of readers.

Mills & Boon, the last word in romantic fiction for the past 70 years, has undergone a complete redesign to bring the brand up to date and attract a new generation of readers.

The rose of romance remains in the Mills & Boon logo, but gone are the wistful artist’s cover illustrations in favour of modern photography.

Publisher Harlequin believed the brand had lost some of its relevance to women. It found that readers were secretive and embarrassed by the brand’s image, which deterred some people from buying the books, even though the editorial had moved on.

Brand identity consultancy Reach has spent a year working on the Mills & Boon revamp and the first new-look covers roll out this week.

Thirty Mills & Boon books spanning five series are published a month. Reach has differentiated the series, which include such categories as tender fiction and historical fiction, with colour-codes. This allows readers to easily identify a particular type of story.

Reach is to carry out a similar task for Mills & Boon’s sister brands in Italy and Poland.

A TV ad campaign to promote the relaunch breaks next week. Advertising was created by London agency Davies Little Cowley Fiddes.