Dragon Rouge rebrands Finnish paper company

Dragon Rouge has undertaken a full brand review and designed a new identity for Helsinki-based paper manufacturer Ahlstrom.

The consultancy was appointed in January 2010, having been invited to make a strategic pitch by Ahlstrom’s chief executive.

Philip Davies, managing director of business brands at Dragon Rouge, says, ‘It’s a great opportunity to move them from a domestic to a global player.’ He adds, ‘There was a loss of clarity around who they were – their story wasn’t as compelling as it could be.’

Initially Dragon Rouge interviewed more than 70 Ahlstrom employees, and created a new strapline – ‘Stay ahead’. Davies says, ‘The strapline was born out of the fact that everyone wants to use the word ‘innovation’ – Ahlstrom weren’t necessarily innovative, they focus on continual improvement.’

Dragon Rouge removed the company’s tree logo, and changed the colour palette from primary red and blue to ‘Ahlstrom claret’ for a more ‘contemporary’ feel. It also created brand guidelines and a style guide for the website.

Jan Lang, chief executive and president of Ahlstrom, says, ‘We found Dragon Rouge very inspirational in helping us capture the brand positioning and turn it from a concept into a reality.’

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