Client’s business and market situation
FLSmidth is a leading supplier of complete facilities, equipment, spare parts, know-how, service and maintenance for: (1) cement plants worldwide and (2) the mining, processing and transport of a number of different ores and minerals. The company offers everything required to design, build and operate profi table facilities – from planning through project management and commissioning, including complete operations and maintenance (O&M) services.
Until recently, the cement side of the business was substantially larger than the minerals side, and the company was known as FLSmidth Minerals in one market and as FLSmidth Cement in the other. Consequently, FLSmidth’s reputation as a market leader was strong within the cement industry but less well established within the minerals segment. Additionally – on both the cement and minerals sides of the business – growth through subsidiary company and product acquisitions had gradually diluted the central brand.
FLSmidth management determined that aligning the brand across activities and throughout global markets would enable the company to signifi cantly increase its brand impact and business success.
Campaign objectives
CBC’s creative task was to refresh and refocus the FLSmidth corporate brand to emphasize market strengths common to both sides of the business. This would help accomplish the goal of increasing the minerals side of the business to be equivalent with cement and also establish the company as the leading player in both its major markets.
The primary objective of the new brand strategy was to concentrate attention on the core FLSmidth brand: One Company, One Logo, One Brand. This would unify several strong but previously separate brands under the single brand of a recognized market leader. A secondary – but also important – objective was to raise internal awareness of the unifi ed brand and create operating synergies throughout all departments of the company.
Campaign strategy
FLSmidth offers unsurpassed capability, experience, know-how and a complete product portfolio. It is a recognized technology and innovation leader – a global company with local presence in more than 40 countries. This makes FLSmidth uniquely able to provide its customers with a single source for all the products and services they need. As noted in the Summary section, CBC’s strategy was to capitalize on these strengths by placing FLSmidth as the one-stop choice for customers.
The campaign therefore focuses attention on images of large, complex equipment and projects, indicating the company’s ability to provide solutions to the biggest, toughest challenges. Ad headlines are similarly hard-hitting, pairing impressive one-of-a-kind accomplishments with the word “Delivered”. The entire thrust of the campaign is summarized in the brand promise and tagline: One Source.
CBC developed a new design guide with a bold new graphic look for all elements of the campaign. The objective was to give FLSmidth a unique and uniform apearance in all the markets it serves.
Media
The FLSmidth brand campaign spans both traditional and new media. Ads are running in cement and minerals trade publications worldwide. High-level capabilities brochures for both the cement and minerals sides of the business are complemented by product brochures and case studies. Highlights, the company news magazine for customers, has been completely redesigned. The FLSmidth website is being redesigned to refl ect the new consolidated company identity, provide improved customer access to sales and customer service contacts and deliver a wide range of product and service information. CBC also created an oversized internal “newspaper” to communicate the new brand strategy to employees and designed campaign news stories and updates for Insite, the company’s intranet.
Target audience
As the campaign deals with the core FLSmidth brand image, it is no exaggeration to say that the target audience encompasses the company’s 10,000 employees, customers, shareholders, potential employees and virtually everyone the company deals with.
Of particular importance are the highest level executive and fi nancial offi cers of global cement and minerals facilities. Close behind these in importance are senior engineers and production managers in specifi c plants.
Timescale
Phase 1 of the campaign, including a brand assessment and extensive interviews with senior management took place during approximately two months in the summer of 2009. Phase 2, concept development and approval, was completed by November 2009. Phase 3, internal introduction of the campaign throughout FLSmidth, was completed by March, in time for April insertion of the fi rst ads. Full roll-out in global markets will continue throughout the year, as will an ongoing internal awareness programme.
Results
At this early stage in the campaign, no numbers are available to quantify results. Both customer and internal awareness and evaluation surveys are planned for late in 2010.
Testimonial
“The brand consolidation and refocusing initiative is a pivotal element in FLSmidth’s growth strategy. CBC’s grasp of the issues involved and strongly executed creative campaign have made an invaluable contribution by helping us transform our global image within a very short span of time.”
Camilla Travis, strategic marketing manager, FLSmidth
