Special supplement: AkzoNobel unveils new brand strategy

AkzoNobel's CEO said its new corporate brand "symbolizes the company's fundamental transformation and determination to lead change."

"It embodies AkzoNobel's clear ambitions for the future and a passionate commitment to deliver Tomorrow's Answers Today," the company said.

In addition to subtle name change and a revitalized logo, a new brand architecture has also been introduced, along with updated company values and a new brand philosophy.

"This is the new AkzoNobel," says CEO Hans Wijers. "We are one company, with a powerful new global brand that will propel us into a new era of competitiveness and opportunity."

"Our new brand concept typifies our desire to create new ideas - to stay one step ahead and continually seek out new and better answers for our customers. It means we think about the future, but we act in the present."

Wijers said the notion of "Tomorrow's Answers Today" is central to the new brand. "It is the heartbeat of the transformed AkzoNobel. It drives our creativity, our product development and lies at the core of all our activities. It will focus our efforts on further strengthening our position as the world's largest paint and coatings producer and one of the leading global suppliers of specialty chemicals."

"What does that concept mean exactly? It means we believe that what is good for our customers today is not necessarily good enough for them tomorrow. So that constant search for answers is what drives us. It focuses the whole company and inspires us to achieve great things for all our stakeholders, and for ourselves."

The decision to retain AkzoNobel as the company name was a strategic move based on extensive research that indicated that the name commanded too much value, heritage and respect for it to be discarded. Therefore, ICI will be discontinued as a corporate name.

"The new brand is about creating brand equity, not destroying it," explains Wijers. "Our studies confirm that there is considerable value in the name of AkzoNobel. It is well respected throughout our industries and is synonymous with trust and quality, so there was no reason to change it. Our strategy now is to combine the strong AkzoNobel business-to-business reputation with the former ICI's excellent consumer brands reputation. This will create a powerful brand with significant global reach and incredible potential for growth.

"The logo, however, has changed. It was already a very strong and distinctive asset, but it has been made more relevant to the 21st century and now has a greater sense of power and energy. It is an embodiment of our 'Tomorrow's Answers Today' positioning."

The chairman added that the logo will now be used to endorse all the company's brands. The ICI logo, meanwhile, will continue to appear on products during the forthcoming migration period.

Also central to the positioning of the new AkzoNobel are its five new company values, "which provide the bedrock on which the new brand is built", the CEO said, outlining them:

"They are focusing on our customers' future first, embracing entrepreneurial thinking, developing the talents of our people, the courage and curiosity to question and integrity and responsibility in our actions".

"These company values determine how we operate and behave as individuals and as a business," said Wijers. "They will be integrated into all aspects of our operations to ensure that we continue to excel and deliver outstanding service and value to all our stakeholders. They will ensure that we remain a competitive and exciting company committed to delivering Tomorrow's Answers Today."

Unveiled at a special event at its headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the new AkzoNobel brand will be rolled out globally over the next 18 months. A worldwide corporate advertising campaign is also scheduled to start shortly.

AkzoNobel makes and supplies a wide range of paints, coatings and specialty chemicals.

"Thinking about the future, but acting at present, AkzoNobel is passionate about introducing new ideas and developing sustainable answers for its customers," Wijers said. "That's why its 60,000 employees based in more than 80 countries are committed to excellence and delivering Tomorrow's Answers Today."

(China Daily 06/12/2008 page24)