AkzoNobel launches new brand strategy
Article Type: Industrial news From: Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Volume 55, Issue 5
AkzoNobel has launched its new corporate brand symbolizing the company’s commitment to deliver “Tomorrow’s Answers Today.” The new brand includes a subtle name change and a revitalized logo. New brand architecture has also been introduced, along with updated company values and a new brand philosophy. Together, it creates a distinctive global brand and supports AkzoNobel’s highly focused strategic vision.
“This is the new AkzoNobel. We are one company, with a powerful new global brand, which will propel us into a new era of competitiveness and opportunity,” said CEO Hans Wijers. “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 added that the introduction 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 being the world’s largest paints and coatings producer and one of the leading global suppliers of specialty chemicals.”
The decision to retain AkzoNobel as the company name was based on extensive research. “The new brand is about creating brand equity, not destroying it,” explained Wijers. “Our studies confirmed 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 for the 21st century and now has a greater sense of power and energy. It is an embodiment of our Tomorrow’s Answers Today positioning.” Wijers added that the logo will now be used to endorse all the company’s brands. And although the ICI name will no longer be used, the ICI logo will continue to appear on relevant products during the migration period.
The new AkzoNobel brand will be rolled out globally during the next 18 months. A worldwide corporate advertising campaign is also scheduled.
For further information please contact: www.akzonobel.com
