"Verso simple" Brand Positioning

Verso Paper, once a division of International Paper, became independent in 2006. The company, which manufactures 1.7 billion tons of coated paper annually, found itself battling an image of “same company, different name” even though the culture of the company had measurably changed. Verso wanted brand positioning that would not only differentiate them from their competitors, but would also make a statement about the cultural changes that were taking place. The new internal mantra of Verso had become “3,000 as One” to reflect their goal of closer teamwork and inspire a feeling of smaller, meaner, leaner, more efficient and better able to serve. They wanted brand positioning to reflect this more personalized touch.

Building on opinions that already existed in customers’ minds, Perdue Creative recommended that Verso Paper’s brand positioning should be “Verso simple” and related that simplicity to The Company (ease of doing business); The Products (top performance): The Customer Experience (straight talk, solutions and respect) and Sustainability (doing the right thing).

Being “Verso simple” allows the company to talk about simple creative solutions, simply doing what is right for the environment and creating a simple, honest and pleasant experience for every customer at every touchpoint.

The launch of “Verso simple” included humorous direct mails, website integration, internal presentations to encourage brand-supportive behavior, email blasts to employees on “Verso simple” matters, trade ads and a trade show exhibit.