Panolam Surface Systems Case Study

Nevamar and Pionite – Creating a Unified Brand

Situation

Panolam Surface Systems, a leading laminate surface manufacturer, sought to develop an overarching brand strategy that would provide unique, cohesive branding across its portfolio of products. During a SKU-consolidation program for the company’s Nevamar and Pionite product lines, K&A was tasked with comprehensive rebranding and developing an integrated sales and marketing alignment strategy.

Challenge

While the brand’s color chip sets were well known within the architect and design community – and while Nevamar and Pionite had established significant equity in the marketplace – there was a lack of cohesion and confusion surrounding the Panolam Surface Systems brand promise. The rebranding had to balance a new look and messaging… without sacrificing valuable industry recognition.

Approach

K&A reviewed and assessed the surface products competing for market share in the channel to benchmark the brands’ marketing approaches, and defined the key decision makers and influencers in the purchasing process. K&A analyzed the gaps in Panolam’s existing go-to-market approach and then provided recommendations on brand positioning and delivered a multi-faceted strategic marketing plan.

Results

The rebrand targeted the A&D community along with facility managers and fabricators. K&A executed a full-scale rebrand launch featuring a new website design that incorporated an innovative product visualizer, as well as packaging design, advertising, POP/POS, trade show booth graphics and eNewsletters.

As a result of the rebrand, K&A was able to simplify Panolam’s brand communications, increase marketing spend effectiveness, and deliver a platform to more impactfully present the Panolam Surface Systems story. In addition, the Panolam family of brands was more clearly defined and differentiated, establishing a stronger brand connection and enabling employees to rally around values and sales initiatives.