Scott Coleman, who was named VP-chief marketing and sales officer of DuPont in February 2011, has been helping reinvent the brand. “When you've been around for 210 years, reinvention is a survival asset,” Coleman said. “We've been going through a transformational time in DuPont's history, in transforming the perception of the brand from a chemical company to a science-based company.”
Last year, Coleman led the introduction of a marketing campaign called “Welcome to the Global Collaboratory,” showing how DuPont is helping solve global problems in areas such as food, fuel and safety.
This year, DuPont continued that campaign through its existing content partnerships with National Geographic and the BBC, as well as a new partnership with the Economist Intelligence Unit to sponsor a Global Food Security Index.
The index, introduced in July, examines the affordability, availability and quality of food products in 105 countries and is featured in print and online properties of The Economist. The partners held a thought leadership summit in Washington, D.C., to kick off the project.
“This is a great example of the "Global Collaboratory,' ” Coleman said. “No one company and no one government will solve the problem of helping to feed the world. We have to work together to feed the 150,000 people added to the planet every day.”
DuPont is using social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to promote the Global Food Security Index.
Also this year, DuPont announced it will sponsor the 2013 Fortune Global Forum in Chengdu, China, bringing together global business executives and thought leaders to discuss China's future.
DuPont has continued its sponsorship of the BBC's “Horizons” program, which examines the future of global businesses. The company runs vignettes from “Horizons” on its website and on YouTube.
“A lot of our content partnerships are where we do our advertising,” Coleman said.
Another big project for Coleman this year was continuing to roll out DuPont Commercial System, an internal project that aligns sales, marketing and product innovation through new systems.