Transforming corporate brand into a highly valued asset
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For many Middle East's business-to-business companies, a strategically defined brand is a critical asset that creates new levels of value and sets the foundation to meet increasing customer and stakeholder expectations.
But building and evolving a brand is about so much more than finalizing a logo and design principles. It is a journey that requires strong leadership to unite the whole organization in an authentic, harmonious and consistent orchestration of commitment and delivery.
At SABIC, our purpose is “Chemistry that Matters™.” It ensures authenticity in what we say and do as our business evolves and transforms. Our experience has shown that the B2B corporate brand journey can be greatly supported by considering and measuring the effectiveness of three key components — living, sharing, and delivering the brand. While the key metrics will differ for each company, it is critical to track the progression of the brand over time.
An effective brand provides a common ground for people to come together behind a single idea. It defines common denominators that enable internal unity yet allows flexibility for business delivery.
That can only happen if the brand truly encompasses the company purpose and culture which is owned, understood and lived internally by its leaders. Before endorsing and demonstrating the brand standards to others, they must be active in developing and implementing the brand — from visuals and design, to content and messaging, and managing the expected behaviors of all employees.
Strategic brand activations that distinguish our brand have helped us compete and secure growth with new and existing customers and markets
Richard Crookes
In external engagements, the brand story and its reason for existing must be shared consistently across all activations — including multichannel advertising campaigns, experiential marketing events, or trade shows.
At SABIC, our five-year global brand campaign was carefully designed and implemented in partnership with our diverse business teams to bring our sense of purpose around “Chemistry that Matters™” to life. Targeting strategic groups who have specific influence on our interests, we highlighted how we collaborate with others to produce unique solutions not only for our customers, to address some of the world’s most pressing issues.
Strategic brand activations that distinguish our brand have helped us compete and secure growth with new and existing customers and markets. They have also enabled us to become the most valuable brand in our industry in the Middle East, and the second most valuable chemicals brand globally, according to Brand Finance rankings.
Whatever tactics are chosen, it is critical to never lose sight of the fact that B2B brands are built around promises made and how well these are delivered for customers and stakeholders. Consistency and harmony between business delivery, experiences, and the activation strategy will amplify these experiences.
It is also vital the brand is delivered through a coherent customer experience and journey mapping that intimately speaks to the customer. Indeed, at SABIC our brand and purpose are designed to fundamentally reinforce our engagement with customers in a way that matters to them. After all, research shows that B2B customers see significant value in an improved experience and are prepared to pay more for it.
When all is said and done, our experiences have shown that a brand is strategically managed by a dedicated team but – due to its all-encompassing nature — is executed by the whole business. Ultimately, broad engagement across the whole company makes the difference.
• Richard Crookes is the executive director of Global Brand Management & Marketing Communications at SABIC.
