Background

Domtar, a leading US producer of pulp and paper, purchased the rights to the Xerox paper category within the US and Canada.  With a traditionally B22 business model focused on manufacturing private brands, they faced the challenge of how to integrate a highly recognized brand into their own business operations.

 

Opportunity

Although Xerox was a well-regarded and well-recognized global brand with strong consumer recognition, the brand had such an entrenched legacy in equipment that it had very little brand awareness or relevance within the paper category.

 

The extremely broad product offering was difficult to navigate, and packaging across the line was inconsistent and need of a refresh.  Both packaging and marketing frequently used language that frequently had only industry insider appeal.

 

What we did

After laying a new strategic foundation the line was reorganized into three new product families, each one falling under a new umbrella positioning for the Xerox Paper & Specialty Media line.  From there, new visual and verbal identities for the brand were established.

 

The packaging look and design was modernized to better reflect the professional nature of the brand, and a new communication approach was implemented to drive both simplicity and clarity.

 

Verbal Identity elements were developed so that the naming, messaging and tonality of this category brand, not only fit within the Xerox corporate guidelines, but also reflected some of Domtar’s strengths as a manufacturer and supplier.

 

Results

All of the changes have been well received by customers and end users alike, and have gone a long way to transforming the line into a more approachable, relevant, and broadly appealing brand within the paper category.

 

Domtar gained significant new product placement within the office supply retail and drug channels, and has had renewed interest from both business as well as commercial printing customers.

 

Project Elements:

• Brand strategy
• Brand architecture
• Naming
• Creative resourcing and direction
• Packaging
• Communication strategy
• Launch & activation
• Retail pitch/sell-in
• Development of growth strategies
• Brand guidelines
• Brand videos
• Print Ads

 

 

Visual elements we could use on page

 

 

 

Old Packaging visuals

 

New Packaging Visuals

 

 

or group shot:

 

 

 

Video Visuals

 

Screen shots – below from Videos – should we include links to the Domtar website with the videos?  Or can we embed in ours?  Maybe we don’t want to direct them off our site?

 

If we want to use – I can get better screen shots if we need them & provide the links to Domtar’s site, once live…

What we did:

• Brand strategy
• Brand architecture
• Naming
• Creative resourcing and direction
• Packaging
• Communication strategy
• Launch & activation
• Retail pitch/sell-in
• Development of growth strategies
• Brand guidelines
• Brand videos
• Print Ads

Background:

Brica, a manufacturer of juvenile travel gear and accessories, had just re-branded their product line. The former name, Safe Fit, was changed to Brica. The brand’s new visual assets, including a consumer friendly logo, and a new packaging design were completed.

Opportunity:

Brand Verbalist was engaged to help further develop Brica’s new brand’s identity, specifically to position the brand for success, as well as to establish a Verbal Identity and create brand messaging.

What we did:

We worked with the Brica team to expand the organization’s focus from a strictly customer-centric model to a more balanced and consumer-centric approach. After refining their target consumer, we created a new brand positioning that was less limiting, which paved the way for the brand to stretch into new product categories and to better meet the needs of the consumer.

In order to drive more consistent brand messaging at shelf, on the web and in PR, we developed the brand’s personality, crafted the brand story and solidified a communication strategy.

In time, Brica experienced such success in the marketplace that they were later acquired by another great juvenile products brand, Munchkin.

What we did:

• Competitive Audit
• Brand strategy
• Brand positioning
• Brand personality
• Consumer target refinement
• Verbal Identity
• Messaging Strategy
• Brand Story

Background:

Jan Pak, a leading Janitorial & Sanitation had recently been acquired. They initially had been looking for some refreshed web and marketing tools, but realized that they also needed some additional foundational work.

Opportunity:

Although the company was very successful, they recognized the need to provide the entire organization, as well as their new ownership, a focused viewpoint about who the company was and what value it provided to its customers.

What we did:

Working with one of their existing agency partners, we performed several brainstorming and workshop exercises to hone in on their value proposition. The challenge was not only properly positioning the company’s brand externally within the market, but also as it compared to the other brand offerings within the parent company’s broader holdings.

Because Jan Pak’s parent company already had many other Jan-San companies under its management, we completed a deep dive brand portfolio assessment and provided a business recommendation that would help crystallize Jan Pak’s role and place within the broader company holdings, as well as to drive leverage and operational efficiencies for their parent company.

What we did:

• Competitive Audit
• Workshop & Brainstorming Sessions
• Brand Positioning
• Deep Dive Portfolio Assessment
• Portfolio Realignment Recommendation

Background:

The Champion of outdoor cooking, Char-Broil® is America’s oldest and largest grill brand. With a portfolio of many quality brands, they distribute through big box national retailers, specialty retailers as well as online.

Opportunity:

This American outdoor cooking company had expansion plans to broaden their US presence, and were poised to enter both the Canadian and European marketplace. Char-Broil® was looking to their agency partners to arm them for success overseas.

What we did:

Working closely with the VP of marketing, our team studied and assessed both the national, as well as global markets. By segmenting the varied consumer behaviors and needs, differing distribution models and pricing strategies by market, as well assessing the existing Char-Broil® portfolio of brands, we were able to devise a successful framework their global brand strategy and launch.

For the US market, we developed new growth initiatives and merchandising solutions to drive business at key customers such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and Wal-Mart. We also worked to drive internal divisional alignment for brand strategies by channel.

What we did:

• Studied consumer behaviors in foreign markets
• Global Brand Strategy
• Global Naming
• Communication & messaging platform
• Domestic marketing plans, business recommendations
• Growth initiatives & merchandising solutions

Background:

Domtar®, a pulp and paper manufacturer, is the largest producer of copier and printer paper in North America. The company’s business papers division has a long history of forming successful partnerships with some of America and Canada’s largest office suppliers, retailers, paper merchants and printers.

Opportunity:

Domtar business papers division has always been committed to manufacturing high quality printing papers under their customers own Private Brands. However, due to changing market dynamics, including increased penetration by foreign suppliers, the company decided to expand their product portfolio by also offering their customers a trusted national brand.

After acquiring the rights to the paper & specialty media categories of the Xerox brand within the US and Canada, the company sought assistance with re-launching the brand within the paper category.

What we did:

Consulting, Coaching & Creative Resourcing: Acting as the brand strategy partner and marketing consultant for the group, we not only provided services; we also provided strategic guidance and education branding and marketing concepts. We also sourced and lead creative and agency generated work, including packaging design and brand videos.

Xerox Paper & Specialty Media: Click here to see complete case study (link to the Xerox Paper & Specialty Media case study)

Brand Portfolio: After performing an in depth brand portfolio assessment and conducting several pieces of research, we identified some additional opportunities for growth, including recommendations for the development of a new brand platform, and several proposed refreshes to their existing owned brands.

New Brand Development: By leveraging some of the company’s core equities, as well as seizing on a market opportunity, we created a whole new brand offering. Working from the ground up, we identified the customer target, conducted research, and developed the strategic framework and positioning for the new brand. We also established the verbal and visual identity for the brand, including naming, conducting an agency search and packaging development.

Positioning: We also worked to effectively position and differentiate business papers from their competitive set.

What we did:

• Consulting, Coaching & Education
• Marketing consulting & marketing plan
• Identified growth opportunities
• Positioning both brands & organization
• Brand revitalization/brand re-launch
• Packaging & Logo
• Naming
• New brand development

Background:

Kobalt Tools, a proprietary brand of a major home improvement retailer, over several years, steadily gained market share.  As the brand grew in sophistication, and increased its marketing efforts, it began to be perceived in the market as a leading consumer desired tool brand, vs. a “private label alternative” to the national brands.

Opportunity:

Within several of Kobalt’s product categories, other retailer private brands were also offered, creating the potential for brand confusion, both internally and for consumers.

What we did:

By developing a full brand identity for Kobalt, including visual and verbal components, we were able to establish the brand’s purpose, look and feel within the marketplace, as well its positioning within the retailer’s brand portfolio.

Through the creation of a well-crafted messaging platform and copy strategy, we were able to create a more cohesive and consistent brand within all of the brand communications.

After conducting a full brand audit, we outlined a clear brand strategy for all three of the store’s owned brands that lived within Kobalt’s product categories.  With the private brands more well defined, buyers are now able to make better distinctions between the brands, and better decisions as they relate to their product assortments.

Kobalt has gone on to become a major player and successful competitor in the marketplace, but it’s success has also demonstrated to a retail buying organization that strong and consistently treated brand can greatly increase the bottom line.

What we did:

• Brand positioning within market
• Defined relative positioning within private brand portfolio
• Brand character, tone of voice
• Brand story
• Messaging platform & brand copywriting
• Develop and refine visual assets
• Visual Board
• Development of brand guidelines

Background:

Lowe’s Home Improvement, a Fortune 50 company and a major home improvement retailer, has always stocked a wide variety of national brands, which it sold alongside many of their own proprietary brands.

Opportunity:

Reassess the existing offering of private brands to understand how to fully leverage their usage and potential.

What we did*:

After in depth study of their current store-owned brands as well as the national brands offered, an action plan was developed for the entire brand portfolio.

Proprietary brands were either re-launched, consolidated or eliminated, based on how well they met various business objectives, sales goals, as well as how well they fulfilled customer needs.  For those brands that were retained, its purpose and fit within the overall brand portfolio was defined and a full strategic brand framework was developed, including both visual and verbal brand identity elements.

Most brands received a redesigned logo or packaging, a complete messaging platform was crafted, and all new brand guidelines were put in place.  We assisted with integrating brands back into the organization and their product categories, as well as developed action plans and marketing efforts to launch and support the redesigned brands in store.

Lowe’s owned brands are now better able meet customer needs and have helped to better differentiate the retailer from its competitors.

 

* This work was completed by Brand Verbalist staff while working for a prior agency

What we did:

• Competitive Assessment
• Brand Portfolio Assessment
• Strategy Development
• Licensing Opportunity Assessment
• Re-Defined and Re-Launched Brands
• Brand Consolidation & Elimination
• Brand Stories, Brand Character
• Tone of Voice Development
• Brand Story
• Messaging Platform & Brand Copywriting
• Logo & Packaging Development
• Visual Boards
• Development of Brand Guidelines

Background

Klein Tools brand is the #1 preferred hand tool in the electrical industry, as well as one of the leading brands used in the maintenance, construction, and industrial trades. As a privately held and family run firm with a long heritage, the company prides itself on producing the highest quality tools, and on its commitment to American manufacturing.

Opportunity

The 150-year old brand already enjoyed a high level of brand awareness and a healthy market share within its target market. However, as the company prepared for global expansion and began entering new distribution channels, they recognized the need to build a brand identity and to drive brand consistency.

What we did

After completing a competitive audit and a business opportunity assessment, we worked to develop a strong brand identity that was a fit with not only the legacy and heritage aspects of a family run company, but also fit the high quality nature of their products and company’s commitment to innovation.

With the brand identity firmly in place, we used it as a framework to refine their visual identity and logo, as well as created some new brand visuals. After assessing the company’s current communications, we worked to hone in on the most effective communication pillars and then created a messaging and copywriting platform for both internal and external use. Lastly, we created a set of brand guidelines to help drive brand consistency throughout their business expansion efforts.

Later, after the company had acquired another brand from Europe, Brand Verbalist also helped the firm by providing a brand architecture recommendation for how to best integrate the new brand into the Klein family.

 

What we did:

• Competitive audit & opportunity assessment
• Developed communication strategy & key messaging platform
• Led refinement of the brands visual assets
• Visual Board
• Development of brand guidelines
• Brand Architecture