The brand

AkzoNobel is a multibillion-dollar global paints, speciality chemical and coatings company, best known in the UK for its iconic Dulux and Polycell brands. Active in over 80 countries with 45,000+ employees.
 

The Challenge

Before coming to Creativebrief, AkzoNobel worked with 120 different agencies internationally, resulting in fragmented communications and inefficient operations. They were looking for consolidation, one agency network to improve inefficiencies and provide consistency in approach. 

The size and depth of the task meant only major holdings groups would be considered, but each had to demonstrate its ability to assist local AkzoNobel offices whilst driving an overarching brand narrative to improve corporate reputation and bolster the company’s sustainability efforts. Any new group would need solid PR expertise at a multinational level, coupled with a track record for branding, content creation, crisis management, and audience monitoring.

Operations in Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific were covered, with a multimillion-dollar spend attributed.
 

The Creativebrief process

With a brief of this size comes a vast array of information, AkzoNobel were weighed down by a wealth of pricing, strategies, channels, data and outputs – this is where Creativebrief joined. Our approach comprised of three different elements:

1. Distilling the proposed campaigns from each group across different markets.
2. Analysing proposed operational structures, looking at strengths and weaknesses of offices in each market, and providing documented analysis of each group that the client could review and share with the wider team. In these documents, we looked at disciplines, local talent, overall reputation and approach to knowledge sharing across the group.
3. Working closely with the AkzoNobel procurement team to help them understand and manage cost proposals from each group.

Using our impartial analysis the AkzoNobel leadership team were able to make better informed decisions and quickly moved to pitch stage.
 

The results

Appointed in May 2017, Publicis Groupe beat off strong competition from Omnicom, Havas and IPG. They were chosen because of their strong strategic thinking and ability to drive the companies brand narrative one step further in the equity driver areas that AkzoNobel had tasked them within the brief.
 

To find out more how Creativebrief better connects brands and agencies, please get in touch today on +44 (0)20 7478 8200 or email [email protected]