Below: Before and After Images in Slide Show, Video, Summary, Credits
Disruptive innovation is table stakes. Ashland offers true partnership, a promise that they are always solving to improve their customers’ products and applications.
Ashland grew from a small refinery to a leading global specialty chemical company. The tremendous growth brought complexity that reached beyond products, services, geographical markets. Numerous acquisitions, divestitures, changes in leadership, and societal forces challenged the Ashland culture. The company had more value than stakeholders understood. Separating from Valvoline, provided the unique opportunity to articulate the company’s purpose in a relevant and compelling way by creating a higher value for the enterprise.
The brand strategy is based on a deep study of who Ashland really is, and what it can do like no other company.
At its heart is the “compelling truth” that organization is proud of:
They are passionate, tenacious, solvers who thrive on developing practical, innovative and elegant solutions to complex problems in applied chemistry, always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, and advancing the competitiveness of customers across diverse industries.
Every touchpoint speaks to the promise of always solving™ : the energetic brand prints, color, brand mark, voice – Ashland is always solving for “the next.” Color distinguishes the brand. Modern and fresh, it connotes the trend toward more sustainable ingredients.
Ashland proprietary brand prints are the most striking part of the new identity. Created from the brand symbol, they are instantly recognizable and stand apart in the chemical industry.
The brand signaled the acceleration of it’s corporate mission, organizational transformation and separation from Valvoline; united the company to think, speak and act as one organization, significantly improving Ashland’s competitiveness and increasing the value of its offer and enterprise.
Client: Ashland – www.ashland.com
Ashland CEO: Bill Wulfsohn
Director, Global Marketing and Business Communications: Carolmarie Brown
Creative Leader and Designer: Michelle Sheppard
Brand Strategists/Designers: Lucid Brands – www.lucidbrands.com
Program Director: Scott Lerman, CEO Lucid Brands
Creative Director: Melanie Wiesenthal, Partner, Deerfield
Senior Designer: Molly Baker
Junior Designer: Aimee Sy
Photography: Floyd Dean and Aaron Dyer
Creative Consultant: David McMillan
Video: Jeff Ford, Millimeter Creative
Digital and Media Consultants: The Koncordia Group
