Communicating a new name — and a fresh perspective — to the world.

Situation

Seeking a fresh perspective from which to operate one of the world’s leading consumer products companies, Philip Morris Management Corporation (PMMC) made the decision to change its name to Altria Group, Inc. This change would help to clarify the role that it played in the overall organization. As a result of the name change, Altria would be a clearly articulated, separate parent company from its operating companies - Kraft Foods, Philip Morris USA, Philip Morris International and Philip Morris Capital Corporation.

PMMC asked CoreBrand to help define and communicate its role as the holding company for all business operations as it transitioned to the newly created name, Altria. A gap existed between the new identity created, i.e., logo and associated communication materials, and how Altria should conduct business and express itself to key stakeholders. Our goal was to determine how to best communicate the new Altria identity and leverage the brand amidst political and legal issues controlling the business.

Solution

We engaged internal as well as external audience groups to understand how the brand could be most effectively leveraged. We worked with PMMC to ensure research learning identified the direction and opportunities for the transition. We conducted interviews with senior executives to understand the parent company’s vision and goals for the future. These one-on-one interviews with senior management helped to ensure the brand strategy was realistic and aligned with tangible business goals.

We also consulted on qualitative research among key stakeholder audience groups to probe issues related to the role of multinational parent companies and the role of parent companies as it relates to corporate social responsibility.

Based on the research findings and leadership’s vision and direction for the organization, we developed a few positioning opportunities for consideration: directing the enterprise for growth; the responsible management of the world’s leading consumer product company; and passion for performance. Using the Passion for Performance strategy, we helped Altria develop internal and external guidelines to better engage stakeholders and help evolve perceptions of the newly created brand name.