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Nouryon

Byondis

Geldmaat

How can you fundamentally build on employee pride during a spin-off? Here’s how naming served as the key differentiator in a rebranding of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals into Nouryon. For this rebranding we teamed up with Design Bridge (then VBAT) and VIM Group.

When it was announced at the end of March this year that the US-based Carlyle Group was going to acquire AkzoNobel’s Specialty Chemicals branch together with Singaporean investment fund GIC, a lot of preparation had of course been going on behind the scenes.AkzoNobel had announced in April 2017 that it wanted to sell its Specialty Chemicals branch, and preparations for this demerger were set in motion shortly afterwards. Because a spin-off of Specialty Chemicals meant a new name and a complete rebranding of the industry.

Rebrandings of this magnitude are often prepared in fairly small circles, sometimes even only at management and Board level. The management of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals thought differently and wanted as many employees as possible to be involved in the process. Under the leadership of Vivi Hollertt, Chief Communications Officer and Jasper Jansen, Head of Communications Netherlands &amp; Germany, a careful process for this was worked out. VIM Group was called in to assist with agency selection, impact analysis and implementation of the corporate identity to be developed, Globrands was selected for positioning and naming and VBAT for the design and corporate identity of the new brand.After a thorough external analysis looking at the positioning of competing chemical companies and gathering input from employees, the basic ingredients of the new positioning were identified. Then, some 15 focus groups worldwide, formed from employees from all levels of the company, formulated a common purpose in several sessions. That purpose ‘Your partner in essential chemistry for a sustainable future’ would serve as a guideline for all communication throughout the rebranding process and was an important part of the naming briefing.

Involving employees in rebranding

Vivi Hollertt, Chief Sustainability & Communications Officer at Nouryon

At the first orientation workshop at the head office in Amsterdam, various possibilities for naming were discussed by exploring different directions using so-called Moodwords. On this basis, it became clear that for naming purposes, the company’s history was also one of the important routes to be further elaborated.

This meant the team had to delve well into the past, scrutinising past company names, brand names and key people associated with the companies. Given the global use of the brand name to be developed, native speaking creatives from different countries in the Globrands network were involved in the process.At Globrands, the search resulted in many hundreds of names and name concepts. Of these, after initial trademark screening in the more than 80 countries where the company operates, checks on the availability of ‘web domains in those countries and primary linguistic suitability, enough remained to be submitted to the project group with substantiated advice.From two such creation rounds and presentations, a longlist for further research was determined in consultation with the international project group.That longlist was then subjected to further trademark searches for comparative and potentially conflicting trademarks and trade names and linguistic checks in all relevant languages.In the end, a shortlist of names remained, from which, after careful consideration, the name Nouryon was chosen that met all communicative criteria, was globally available under trademark law and of which all urls were available. More importantly, it was a name that everyone involved was comfortable with.

Setting a direction for the future by referring to the past

Meanwhile, design agency VBAT had already started to investigate the development of the brand properly, including design and the identity the brand should stand for. As the new name had to be kept strictly secret while the trademark registration process was still ongoing, VBAT was initially given only a dummy name and the first letter N.VIM Group prepared the implementation of the Nouryon name and corporate identity across the various brand carriers, both digitally and offline, so that everything was ready to be implemented.On 9 October 2018, the time had come and Nouryon presented itself to the world and its employees for the first time. By the end, more than 200 people were involved behind the scenes preparing the name, brand, and new materials such as the website.Here, CEO Charles Shaver underlined the link of the new name with the old Noury &amp; van der Lande – the two entrepreneurs from Deventer in the 19th century who discovered how chemistry could contribute to better flour and bread and would become part of a multinational company operating in 80 countries in essential chemistry: Nouryon.

A strictly secret operation

Project

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Assets

Retaining employee pride in the renaming of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals

How can a verbal identity immediately show the why, how and what of a brand-new company working at the cutting edge of cancer breakthroughs?

In April 2020 a new globally active pharmaceutical company was launched, focusing on intractable cancers and autoimmune diseases.Based on proprietary technology, it creates new precision drugs with a broad development pipeline, including anti-HER2 ADC [vic-] trastuzumab duocarmazine (SYD985) for breast cancer.It is a spin-off from Synthon Pharmaceuticals, a multinational that focuses mainly on high-quality generic and hybrid medicines.

Together with Designbridge (then VBAT) we developed the verbal and visual identity. We did this by interweaving our processes, with us being responsible for positioning and brand story, brand essence, brand name and tagline, while Designbridge was responsible for the logo and visual identity.

Interwoven process

The founders, especially Jacques Lemmens, turned out to be remarkably good storytellers. We quickly experienced the rich corporate culture of parent company Synthon. Their wealth of inspiring stories always showed their deep commitment to outsmart cancer and autoimmune diseases.As a brand personality a passionate and daring explorer emerged, working in laboratories with extremely stringent quality and safety requirements. Yet he offers patients in a seemingly hopeless situation the prospect of a solution.Globrands formulated the brand essence expressed in the promise &#039;Make hope real&#039;.

Make hope real

The name Byondis was developed by the international Globrands network. It clearly expresses the character of the brand, while meeting all linguistic, trademark and domain name requirements. It was received very positively by both employees and investors.The name exudes the ambition and pioneering spirit so characteristic of this brand, as Byondis emphatically associates with &quot;beyond this&quot;.

The name

For a new brand like Byondis, it is important to make clear what the domain is. It was important to do this in a distinctive and progressive way, while still being serious, reliable and objective.This led to the tagline &#039;creating precision medicines&#039;.

The 'what'

A complete verbal identity for leading-edge cancer medicine

How can a consortium of large Dutch banks connect with users of ATMs to build trust and clarity, without suggesting that there is another banking brand?

Nowadays, less and less people pay with cash, which is why the use of ATM’s is declining. To keep cash available for everybody, ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank are working on a more efficient, bank-dependent network of ATM’s. This way, cash will remain available, affordable and safe for everyone. From 2019 onwards, the ATM’s of three Dutch banks will slowly make place for the ATM’s of Geldmaat. These ATM’s will be evenly spread out in The Netherlands so that everyone can stay withdrawing and easily depositing their money.

<h3>Recognizable, familiar and iconic</h3>In Dutch, Geldmaat means ‘money mate’. It also sounds a lot like ‘geldautomaat’, the Dutch word for ATM.Most people withdraw cash because they want to feel physical ownership of their money. Therefore, it is important that these withdrawals can be done in a trusted way at a familiar ATM. The new ATM is supposed to become an icon in the Dutch streetscape, similar to the orange street mailbox of PostNL. However, the ATM’s do not have one specific endorsement brand, such as PostNL. This is why an own brand identity is needed for people to recognize and trust the ATM’s.<h3>It does not sound like a bank</h3>Besides an own brand identity, it has to become clear that Geldmaat is not a new bank. Geldmaat is an ATM where people can withdraw money of their bank account whilst everyone is still a customer at their own bank. That is why we chose for a clear wording: a name which could also become a dictionary term.<h3>Name proposals to explore various brand strategies</h3>During the naming process, a lot of name alternatives were also considered which represented an alternative strategy. For example, we decided not to choose an international name because Geldmaat is targeted solely to Dutch people. Also, a more associative name would not fit with the public task of the money services of The Netherlands, which is providing service for the customers of the major Dutch banks.

Why is ‘Geldmaat’ called ‘Geldmaat’?

Since the search was for a name that makes clear what the product is, the number of options is limited. For instance, few Dutch realize that ‘’pinnen’’ (Dutch for paying by card) is not synonymous with withdrawing money. ‘’Pinnen’’ means paying with your bank card in general, which includes things you buy in the store. This is why the word “pin” immediately was ruled out. Moreover, a descriptive name cannot always be protected.  In order to register a name as trademark, it has to be distinctive from everything else that is already offered. For example, a baker cannot claim the name ‘’Baker’’ for himself only. Besides, for descriptive names, the domains are often not available.Geldmaat makes it clear where you have to be to withdraw money. Supported by the friendly and distinctive visual design by DesignBridge, a new iconic brand is introduced in the Dutch streets. Geldmaat is registered as trademark in the Benelux trademark register and the relevant domain names are registered for the Dutch money service.

Clarity, for everyone in the Netherlands

Ownable word for a new, accessible national ATM

<ol><li>Future ready</li><li>Ownable</li><li>Engaging</li><li>Client felt</li></ol><h3>Heading 3</h3>

Title

Actimel

Danone, known for its commitment to health and nutrition, was ready to shake up the market with a new probiotic drink to meet the rising demand for foods that are not just good for you but actually work to improve your health. Danone needed a name that could carry this promise in a unique and ownable way.

Danone&#039;s ambition was clear. Strategically, they needed to own this new category. In terms of communications, that meant that everyone needed to understand how this product is new and different, and that Danone is the brand that cares to provide this kind of products. Legally, this meant that Danone needed a wordmark that spreads this message and works as a carrier of future brand value. How do you decide on a name that does exactly this?

More than just a drink

Globrands got to work, and Actimel was born. It&#039;s a name that strikes you with energy—the &quot;Acti&quot; part gets you thinking of action, of moving, of doing. And the &quot;mel&quot; rounds things off with a smooth, sweet tone. Just what you need to start the day right.

Actimel, a name that moves you

But it wasn&#039;t just the drink that got a name. The special probiotic cultures inside needed to stand out, too. Enter Lactobacillus Casei Defensis and Immunitas —names that sound as strong as they work. More than ingredients, they&#039;re the heroes in every bottle.

What's inside counts: meet your gut's new best friends

Actimel did not only hit the shelves; it took over breakfast tables in over 20 countries, earning over €1500 million a year. From Europe to South America, it is now much more than just a drink; it&#039;s a global health habit.

The impact: sip by sip, a global sensation

Actimel&#039;s story shows how much a name can do. Because it&#039;s not just what&#039;s in the bottle that matters; it&#039;s about defining your space in the hearts and minds of your audience. At Globrands, we&#039;re all about finding those perfect words that make a brand not just something you buy but something you believe in. A strong verbal identity lays down the groundwork for a special, one-of-a-kind bond with your audience through the power of language.

The might of naming right

A wordmark that now stands for a global health habit

New propositions

Restructuring brand portfolios and websites

Mergers and acquisitions

Multi-lingual market

Your challenge is our calling.

Elevating brands, one word at a time

Committed to creating a positive impact, their new identity reflects just that. The name captures the essence of turning ordinary days into exceptional ones. Focused on empowering businesses to thrive through effective customer engagement, this rebrand is their declaration to bring about interactions <h3>that matter.</h3>Goodays isn’t just an evolution; it’s a revitalization<ul><li>Armed with innovative tools and insights</li><li>Aiding businesses in understanding their customers better</li><li>Fostering growth between customer and business</li><li>Creating strategies that become more than just a thought</li></ul>Committed to creating a positive impact, their new identity reflects just that. The name captures the essence of turning ordinary days into exceptional ones. Focused on empowering businesses to thrive through effective customer engagement, this rebrand is their declaration to bring about interactions Committed to creating a positive impact, their new identity reflects just that. The name captures the essence of turning ordinary days into exceptional ones. Focused on empowering businesses to thrive through effective customer engagement, this rebrand is their declaration to bring about interactions

The power of Goodays

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