Katrin Menne - Senior manager brand communication at Merck Group

1. VIBRANT
REBIRTH
The Rebranding of Merck
Katrin Menne
Senior Manager Brand Communication

2. Merck in September 2015

4. And one month later

6. why did we
change so
radically?

7. 1.
The company has changed fundamentally
From a mid-sized German chemicals and pharma company
to a global technology player
 Major portfolio changes – acquisition volume of € 31bn
 Internationalisation
 New global leadership organisation

8. 2.
We had been awash in an unemotional sea of sameness
Competitor 1 Competitor 2 Competitor 3
Competitor 4 Competitor 5

9. 3.
Diverging business cultures diluted a shared Merck identity
Spirit of
Merck
Darmstadt
Rest of
Germany
Asia USAEurope
Source: Discovery Sessions Germany, USA, China and
South Korea; conducted by FutureBrand in 2014
Regions
Businesses

10. 4.
We needed to connect with our businesses in the U.S. and Canada

11. Our targets
1
Shift perception from traditional pharma and chemicals
to emotionalised science and technology
2 Differentiate ourselves in the market
3 Unite the company and drive cultural change
4
Use brand identity as a strategic tool to deal with
the unique naming situation in North America

12. VIBRANT
SCIENCE &
TECHNOLOGY

14. Inspiration for our brand expression

18. Learnings
Branding
follows
Strategy
It’s culture,
not colours
Be open
to be
challenged
Prepare
your
people

19. THANK YOU
STAY VIBRANT