Member Article

Regional agencies collaborate on chemicals rebrand

A trio of north west agencies have been tasked with turning Catexel - a fast growing chemicals technology company – from a narrowly focused, professional-looking business into a category leading brand, reflecting its big ambitions and stand-out technology offer.

Catexel commissioned Manchester’s Refinery to co-ordinate a complete rebrand and marketing communications overhaul to support future growth plans, following an intense pitch process.

Alongside digital agency Door4 and PR and content specialists Hattrick, the Refinery team has masterminded a creative and strategic platform that puts Catexel firmly on the radar of the R&D, corporate finance and C-level decision makers it seeks to reach across the fine chemicals space.

“Catexel is a team of disruptive thinkers, problem-solvers and innovators who blend scientific rigour with imagination to create commercial value,” says Refinery’s Director and project lead, Joe Bowler. “The challenging nature of the brief forced us all to think a bit differently about how to bring this personality to life, while finding the most meaningful channels and tactics to communicate with the expert target audience.

“The strategic planning stage was as important as the creative output – understanding the complex and lengthy customer journey involved when IP is at stake presented scenarios that didn’t necessarily follow the traditional marketing funnel. Working closely with the client, through customer interviews and a thought provoking branding workshop, we uncovered the insights we needed to respond in an intelligent and inspirational way.”

The resulting ‘Catalysts for Change’ creative proposition is borne from the inherent good Catexel’s science does in making industrial processes faster, cleaner and safer. Through oxidation catalysis, Catexel technologies have already transformed the coatings, detergents and textiles markets and a pipeline of innovation is being delivered as new markets are being opened up by reducing energy, water usage and chemical load in a variety of industrial processes.

Reflecting this runway was a critical part of the brief for Catexel’s CEO, Paul Smith, who says: “We were impressed with Refinery’s approach from the start and confident that the three agency partnership would put us on a par with the corporate players we’re dealing with on a daily basis. And they’ve done just that. The rebrand and website absolutely reflect what we set out to achieve and now the PR and content is underway we’re already seeing results and excited about where we’re heading.”

The new Catexel website, developed by Door4, was launched in early Q3 2016 and the rebrand, led by Refinery, is in the process of being rolled out. Hattrick’s ongoing PR, content and social activity is underpinning a content strategy centred on telling the ‘Catalysts for Change’ story through collaboration with Catexel’s open innovation partners in industry and by leveraging its connections in academia.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sara Houghton .