A truly trust first
brand strategy.
Context
A clean slate.
During the summer of 2017, AkzoNobel decided to sell its Specialty Chemicals division. At that moment, the details of the affair were still unclear: would the division be integrated into another company or would it become a standalone company? As a result, there was no corporate owner, no brand DNA and no overarching business strategy—almost nothing to work with. Still, I was tasked to design a brand and content strategy.
Approach
Trust is bigger then brand
Together with the leadership team at AkzoNobel and talents from digital agency Valtech and design agency VBAT, we worked full force with brand trust as the glue that would bring everything together. Working with my framework for creating brand trust ensured a people-centric approach that can bypass the need for a brand identity, especially in the early stages. Even with so many uncertainties, having a proved and scientifically backed method provided confidence moving forward. The trust strategy quickly became central company-wide.
Done deal
The deal was made, and AkzoNobel sold its chemicals division to the Carlyle Group and GIC, two private equity entities. It completed the sale for an enterprise value of €10.1 billion. Based on our trust-based strategy, a visual brand identity, campaign narratives, a new corporate website based and ideas for brand innovation followed naturally and in quick succession. Our preparation proved to be a tremendous head start.
A selection of the trust tactics in play
Heritage
People trust things that have a history. That’s true for people but also brands. The underlying thought is that longevity proves the power to survive.
So having a proven track record is essential, especially when dealing with chemicals. That’s why Jan Nourij and Gerrit van der Lande - two AkzoNobel pioneers that revolutionized the industry in the early 19th century - served as the main inspiration for the brand name: Nouryon. Hence, the official launch video was based on explaining that Nouryon is a new company with a 400-year headstart.
Consistency
People prefer to move towards a goal in a consistent manner. However, the rapid explosion of digital marketing technology, has led many brands to present digital experiences in a variety of digital environments with different designs and locations. As was the case for Nouryon. This inconsistency leads to emotions of confusion and frustration. Acknowledging trust is earned through consistency, Nouryon fused over 200+ product websites into the new brand platform and invested in extending the digital experience with a self-service e-commerce module. Offering clients a truly seamless experiences that transcends competitors.
“In a high-pressure, unusually challenging context, Stefan shaped our human-centric and trust-based strategy and solid product vision, fundamental in our strategy. With a clear and goal-focused mindset, he was instrumental in reaching our ambitious goals while working without a brand identity and doing it on record for 3 months. In this highly demanding, multi-stakeholder setting, Stefan thrived and delivered with candour. I would highly recommend Stefan's work.”
— Anna Nicklin, Global Digital Communications Manager (source)
Results
Rated Top 3 Best
B2B Brand Platforms
“Considering the work was (partly) done without a corporate owner and a brand, this is a powerful result. The very challenging project obviously benefitted from a lot of energy that went into it.”
— Dutch Interactive Awards Jury (PDF)
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