Findmypast Launches Brand Platform Developed by Above+Beyond

Findmypast, the UK-based genealogy service, has appointed Above+Beyond to handle its creative. 

Above+Beyond was appointed as creative AOR following a competitive pitch last year. The agency’s remit is to make Findmypast a household name through a brand refresh and launch of a new brand platform.

The new brand platform ‘Rooted in Culture’, demonstrates how Findmypast inspires users to look beyond just dates and names on their family tree and delve deeper into their past to gain a greater understanding of the lives their ancestors lived and how they were shaped by the world around them.

The platform is an expression of Findmypast’s unique position as a UK-based family history company. It is the culmination of significant investment in the digitisation and data extraction of millions of newspaper pages, ongoing acquisition of rich record sets, and major product innovation to surface contextual content and allows users to build up a more in-depth picture of their family history. 

The initial work showcases genuine real-life stories uncovered using the site – in the initial launch film “The Great Aunty Rat Catcher” we tell the story of Audrey Thompson, who became a champion rat catcher and made local and national news. This first campaign, using the new tagline: ‘Your Family History Understood’, is running across social, display, print and radio. With more to come in 2025.

Above+Beyond is also working with the brand to refresh their design and visual identity, modernising and elevating the rich imagery only available through Findmypast’s records. A careful approach is required for treating the historic images, developing them into something modern and distinct, whilst being respectful to their history. 

Joe Bruce, ECD at Above+Beyond, “It’s not very often you get to work with a brand that has such a clear USP, not to mention a bottomless collection of amazing stories, photographs and culturally rich material to play with. We are really excited to be working with the whole team at Findmypast, it’s a real privilege to be trusted by such a knowledgeable and passionate group of people.”

Helen Kaye, director of brand at Findmypast said, “This is an exciting next step in Findmypast’s evolution as we aim to help more people understand family history research. Thanks to our clever hint technology and extensive newspaper archive, Findmypast will help you delve deeper to gain that understanding of your family history and help you to understand why they lived the lives they did. We’re delighted to be working with Above+Beyond, the partnership and collaboration in delivering the new brand platform has been inspiring and they truly share our passion for helping people better understand their family history.”