Formulating shades of market distinction
- B2C2B Value Chain
- Content IP
- Expert Collaborations
The company’s natural pigment offerings needed to stand out in a marketplace that was getting increasingly commoditized by synthetic alternatives. This was key to commanding a price premium and driving better profitability for its market partners.
We delved deep into the market psyche to arrive at a revelation – generating through the entire value chain was key to creating market distinction for Merck’s offerings. The team proposed collapsing the previous B2B value chain. We proposed a new value chain that was far more comprehensive and engaged every stakeholder with great value.
The team designed digital-first channels with sticky content to drive high engagement for every stakeholder – end-consumer, design experts, and industry professionals at large. We partnered with select experts to build 1k+ strong content assets. This created an industry buzz, making the platform an innovator’s dream lounge. This had a domino effect on the industry connect forum we designed for the brand. It allowed industry peers to share insights, collaborate, and explore business partnerships with Merck. While all of these had a trickle effect on the end-consumer, we also ran consumer awareness and advocacy campaigns using social media. By rebuilding the value chain in an inclusive and engaging manner, we established purposeful relationships with every stakeholder. This helped leverage positive equity from the parent brand to gain consumer mindshare.
“Right from the word go, it was clear to us that extending the parent brand franchise all the way to the end-consumer was key to unlocking market distinction. Our objective was to create a sustainable demand pull. It called for genuine, high-affinity relationships with every stakeholder segment in the value chain. By building the perfect community matrix, we were able to create a marketing solution that satisfied a sales need.”
Merck’s ingredient offering, EffexX emerged as a category owner. It became synonymous with innovation and design, becoming a preferred brand for establishing and aspiring thought leaders. Our solution led to:
