Moving from commodity product to a full service packaging solutions business.

Situation

The impetus for MeadWestvaco’s brand re-positioning effort was the desire to evolve from a commodity-like business to a global leader in packaging and packaging solutions — with a focus on consumer end markets. As part of this program, it was critical for the brand to understand the marketplace dynamics and establish a measurement strategy to help track and report measurable results of the progress.

Solution

Utilizing CoreBrand’s historical syndicated data, we examined MeadWestvaco’s image in a competitive context in which action plans can be evaluated. We found that there was significant opportunity for MeadWestvaco to raise brand awareness. The brand was weak with low Familiarity relative to competitors. However, among the small group of respondents who are familiar with the organization, the brand has strong Favorability perceptions. So, it was important for MeadWestvaco to increase brand awareness while protecting its Favorability.

With our proprietary measurement models, we found that the brand’s equity is below the peer group average. Given the financial statistics and brand image, our model showed that the company is seen as a commodity business. As the company re-positions itself as a full service packaging solutions business, the requirements to support the brand will evolve. Given the current state of the commodity image, MeadWestvaco has an opportunity to create value through increased brand communications. Significant gains in brand equity and value will only come as the brand transitions from commodity to solutions provider.