Auto racing’s seen an explosion of flimsy “fashion wheel” brands that pretend to be high-performance. Apex is different—engineering elite racing wheels at an unmatched price point. But when we met them, customers were completely unaware of the difference. So, working closely with their CEO, Eddy Pintacsi, we developed a new category vision and brand that befit the immense value they bring to their customers on the track.

We started our category design work by naming the unique problem that Apex solves, calling it The Great Knowledge Void. A state of play where any wheel brand can make performance claims—true or not—just to make a buck. And the worst part? Real drivers, pushing their limits and taking countless risks at every turn, have no way of knowing which wheels they can really trust—and which they can’t. We went on to tell a story of how Apex is fixing this problem with their core ethos: “Real performance.” A pledge to show customers the truth—or die trying. End of story.

The new Apex identity is loud and urgent. To stop people from buying bogus wheels. The arching curves and high-contrast colors catch the eyes on the track—where it matters. And we worked with Apex to weave the same sense of urgency into how they talk about their testing standards. So that the entire industry would get with the program.

Altogether, the rebrand, POV, and messaging proves that Apex stands alone in its category. We call this a “Category of One” brand. Because when you risk everything on the track, there’s only one thing you can trust—Real Performance.

Business problem

Apex was delivering superior value to customers—elite racing wheels at an unmatched price point. But other brands were claiming to offer the same thing, at the same price, when they were really just flimsy fashion wheels pretending to be high-performance. And the worst part? Customers were completely unaware of the difference. We called this problem The Great Knowledge Void. A state of play where any wheel brand can make performance claims—true or not—just to make a buck.

Solution:

Working closely with Apex’s CEO, Eddy Pintacsi, we developed a new category vision and brand, positioning them as the category leader they are, and injecting some much-needed truth into the wheel industry.

At the core of this new category vision is a single, powerful story of how Apex is fixing the problem, The Great Knowledge Void, with their guiding ethos: “Real performance.” A pledge to show customers the truth—that only Apex engineers elite racing wheels at an unmatched price point. And it is the hill Apex is willing to die on.

The new brand and identity we created for Apex is loud and urgent. To stop people from buying bogus wheels. The arching curves and high-contrast colors catch the eyes on the track—where it matters. And we worked with Apex to weave the same sense of urgency into how they talk about their testing standards. So that the entire industry would get with the program.

Altogether, the rebrand, POV, and messaging proves that Apex stands alone in its category. We call this a “Category of One” brand. Because when you risk everything on the track, there’s only one thing you can trust—Real Performance.

End results:
The rebrand, launched in online ads and social in September, drove a 93% increase in Black Friday sales, over the previous year.