Mike Kolleth, director-corporate brand and advertising for Dow Chemical Co., this year oversaw the launch of Dow's first major ad campaign since 2006, designed to show how the company offers a number of solutions to global customers.
The integrated campaign, “Solutionism. The New Optimism,” was created by Draftfcb Chicago and includes TV, print and online.
“In 2006, we launched our "Human Element' campaign, which was a tremendously impactful campaign for us. It really served us well for a period of about five to five-and-a-half years; but over that time, Dow changed pretty dramatically as a company,” Kolleth said.
In 2009, Dow acquired Rohm and Haas, a specialty chemicals and advanced materials company, which broadened Dow's portfolio of products and services.
“ "Solutionism' can be seen as the next stage of the evolution of our company,” Kolleth said. “It is really about introducing our target demographic to the types of solutions Dow offers as a company and the wide range of things we're involved in that may impact people positively on a day-to-day basis.”
Some of the products featured in the campaign include lighter blades for wind turbines, a plant-based ingredient used in gluten-free bread, and batteries for electric vehicles.
“ "Human Element' was strictly a corporate campaign,” Kolleth said. “We have engineered "Solutionism' so the visual identity can be leveraged across all of our businesses, creating a virtuous cycle—the businesses help build the corporate brand and the corporate brand can help build the businesses, making our marketing spend work more effectively.”
Kolleth also oversaw “Olympic Hopeful,” an ad campaign that ran during the London 2012 Summer Olympics. The campaign promoted Dow's involvement as a worldwide partner of the Olympic Games and official chemistry company of the London 2012 Summer Olympics. In this role, Dow provided such energy-efficient solutions for the Olympic village and stadium in London as high-performance artificial grass, insulation materials and industrial coatings.
The Olympics campaign was an extension of “Solutionism” and included TV, print, online and a strong social media component.