One way of making a splash about your brand positioning is through showcasing the product offering in action, as done with FirstPencil late last year:
FirstPencil 6 Apr 2017
Another way to do so is by sponsoring events that matter to a large number of people, as Plascon recently did in sponsoring a duo for the 2017 Absa Cape Epic.
This ties in with their recently revealed new brand positioning of ‘designed for life.’ As corporate and digital communication specialist at Kansai Plascon, Moore looks after all digital and social media communication for Kansai Plascon. “No two days are ever the same. One day I could be writing an article on design and colour trends, as editor of the Plascon trends blog, and the next I could be coming up with content for our sponsorship of Team Kansai Plascon, which is all about dirt and mountain biking, whilst analysing and reporting on sentiment across all of our digital platforms in between.”
So, in addition to Plascon’s scientific expertise, their inspiration is derived from curiosity and ways to make all aspects of life better. This takes them beyond the realm of home makeovers to visible road signage and specialist, environmentally conscious paints designed for hospitals. That’s because Plascon is designed for life.
Proof of the importance of overall design and colour in their business? Moore says Plascon was the first South African company to launch a colour forecast in 2008, a prominent feature of Decorex over the years.
Plascon’s brands feature strongly across the decorative, retail, trade, automotive, industrial and protective coatings sectors, with colour and design the language that lets them speak to these markets. Moore says this comes back to being ‘designed for life’ – they realise that different people need different advice, inspiration and products for various occasions and moments through their life journey, and that design and colour play a big part in that.
As a result, the Plascon team was personally engaged with supporting the athletes from day one without any third-party PR involvement, and shared it all to their own social media platforms and the team’s blog. It’s a win for all parties involved as for the athletes, the sponsorship funding let them focus on their training without stressing about ways to fund their dream.
Moore explains that the Absa Cape Epic duo of SA’s own Max Knox and Colombia’s Leonardo Paez placed fourth – an impressive placing considering it’s the most televised mountain bike stage race in the world, little wonder as it incorporates 7,00km of beautiful scenery and 15,000m of accumulated climbing, over some of the country’s most magnificent mountain passes in South Africa over eight days.
Fitting as the Absa Cape Epic is about living life at 100%; “it’s about being challenged and tested to breaking point, and drawing on sheer passion and determination to pull through the rough parts of the ride in the pursuit for excellence. This is exactly what Designed for Life is all about”. It is about people, their journeys, and their life’s passion or quest for success.
Explaining their new, recently revealed brand positioning of ‘designed for life’, Moore says, “At Plascon we are only truly satisfied when we know that our products change people's lives for the better. While most people appreciate and revel in a new Plascon home makeover, how many truly realise the importance of visible road markings or the value of specialist and environmentally conscious paints designed for hospitals? New car owners would not be nearly as proud if their new chariots didn’t shine and schools would be dull if not for our colourful yet protective touch.”
She adds that Plascon has evolved so much over the years that it is no longer seen as ‘just a paint brand’. The brand has become a part of everyday life for so many people, in so many different ways. We understand that completely. With that said, our aim is simple – to continue to make people’s lives better throughout their life journey; to continue to be there every step of the way. Our science and our success are founded in emotion and enhancement of lives. Simply put, if it doesn’t improve people’s lives, it isn’t Plascon as Plascon is designed for life.
Moore says to keep an eye out as there are a lot of exciting, new things happening over the next few months. Watch this space…
You can also visit their Twitter feed and Instagram profile for how-to tips and design inspiration.
