Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2023 winners
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Bioplastics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
May 12, 2017 02:00 AM

Covestro honored for marketing campaign

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Jessica Jordan
    Alice Sox, manager of external communications at Covestro.

    Itasca, Ill. — Covestro LLC swept the Plastics News Marketing Summit Awards by winning the 2016 Campaign of the Year award in the materials category, as well as the Grand Prize and People's Choice awards.

    Other winners included Maguire Products, which won 2016 Campaign of the Year in the equipment and services provider category; MTD Micromolding, which won in the processor category; and Society of Plastics Engineers' SPE is Me campaign, which won the wild card category.

    Alice Sox, manager of external communications at Covestro, represented the company in accepting the awards and speaking about how the spin-off from Bayer MaterialScience built its brand recognition.

    With a small team of about five employees, including Sox, Covestro re-branded itself and launched in September 2015, about a year after Bayer announced it was going to split its MaterialScience branch off from the rest of the group.

    "If the company was to take on a new identity, [the communications team] would undoubtedly play a part in that — and this presented both challenges and opportunities for us," Sox said.

    First, the challenges: Covestro was under a significant time crunch to name its new company and launch its brand. Just nine months after Bayer's initial MaterialScience announcement, the new name for the company was announced.

    "It would be a name that obviously no one had ever heard of and half of our stakeholders couldn't even pronounce," said Sox.

    The team had also enjoyed a certain level of brand recognition under the Bayer name, which was gone.

    "There was a lot of history and pride and comfort attached to that Bayer name," Sox said.

    Now, for the opportunities. Sox and the rest of the communications team previously didn't have much ownership over the Bayer MaterialScience brand, as it was tied to Bayer's corporate brand. With Covestro's spin-off, suddenly they were responsible for everything, at least in North America, and this was their chance to, as Sox said, "make a big impression."

    As for the rest of the company, though feelings of fear and uncertainty still existed, there was a feeling among employees that something big was happening, and genuine excitement began to grow.

    From the bottom up

    Covestro's brand launched in a 12-month window, and the first six were spent developing a brand identity: vision, values, mission and of course, a new name and logo.

    "You don't actually realize how many things have your logo on them, until you have to swap out that logo," Sox said.

    To establish the values for the company — curiosity, courageous and colorful — dozens of workshops were held with more than 150 people across three continents. The participants included a mix of employees and customers.

    Covestro's communications team's goals were, first, to build awareness and, second, to reassure their facility communities — Pittsburgh; Baytown, Texas; and Mexico City — that they weren't going anywhere.

    In order to liven up the facilities, the team helped re-design the interiors with bold, colorful walls, display cases and a 48-foot logo on the lawn of its Pittsburgh site, which is also the North American headquarters. These sunnier facility makeovers trickled down into employee culture, and many in the company began to embrace the new name and vibrant look.

    Covestro also launched an advertising campaign that included print, digital, outdoor advertising and broadcast. It also targeted regional print publications for public relations outreach, such as inviting local Pittsburgh and Baytown journalists to the freshly livened up Covestro facilities.

    Continuing the momentum

    In 2016, Covestro partnered in Solar Impulse, a global initiative to fly around the world without using any fossil fuel. Covestro provided materials and expertise to build the lightweight, solar-powered aircraft.

    "It was a flying laboratory for our materials and technologies," Sox said. "But it also reinforced our passion for sustainability and innovation."

    Through Covestro's partnership with this campaign, Sox and the rest of the communications team developed a rigorous public relationships outreach program, centered around Paige Kassalen, a Covestro electrical engineer who was on the Solar Impulse ground crew.

    According to Sox, Kasslen's involvement allowed Covestro to break into mainstream media and reach a new demographic.

    "Paige became an inspiring voice to show other young women what you can do with a STEM background," said Sox.

    Lessons learned

    Sox said the most important lesson learned from this project was that "support from leadership is a must when trying to shape a new culture and build a new brand."

    Sox also said the size and scope of the re-branding was underestimated, and having someone to shepherd all of the tasks would have helped greatly.

    "We got there in the end, but I think our journey would have been a lot smoother had we had a strong project manager in the lead."

    Lastly, Sox said, she and the rest of the Covestro communications team learned to be open to new ideas and take risks. "Because you only get one chance to make a first impression, so make it big."

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    PVS Plastics expanding in Tennessee, Ohio
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Treaty talks stumble on debate over resin production cap
    2
    Target, Walmart cut from bag drop-off site directory following report
    3
    Plastics treaty talks bring industry leaders to Paris
    4
    Material Insights: Commodity resins move in opposite directions
    5
    Resin Prices
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2023 winners
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • Bioplastics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified