Brand, Digital  | Graphic Packaging International

Repositioning a Brand on Value

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A Company Making Impact

Every day, millions of people encounter a product that was packaged by Graphic Packaging International (GPI). Global companies including Starbucks, Kellogg’s, Anheuser-Busch and Coca-Cola use their fiber-based packaging. With this reach, GPI’s innovations — even small ones — can make a huge impact. 

GPI takes that opportunity seriously. They recognize their responsibility to not only manufacture quality packaging solutions that perform on a global scale, but to do so responsibly to reduce landfill waste and the impact of manufacturing on the environment. 

Led by a courageous and visionary leadership team, GPI is doing just that. They are investing in infrastructure — the first new paperboard production line built in the U.S. in decades that turns mountains of recycled cardboard into paperboard. They are strategically acquiring organizations to increase their reach and deepen their capabilities in innovative fiber-based packaging design. And they are doubling down on their ESG commitments and R&D investments into plastic packaging alternatives. In short, they are leading the way in sustainable fiber-based packaging. 

Ambitious Goals

To demonstrate their commitment, GPI set aggressive targets to significantly reduce global packaging and manufacturing waste and grow their share in the packaging category. Achieving these ambitious goals is no easy feat. It means rallying an organization grown through M&A behind a shared cause, shifting investor perceptions from commodity to value, and working hand-in-hand with customers to increase adoption of innovative fiber-based solutions.  

To make it all happen, GPI needed a brand platform to transform how people inside and outside the company viewed them and build shared excitement for their cause.

Revealing GPI’s Brand Distinction

To clarify their purpose and align the organization to a distinctive brand strategy, MX brought together diverse perspectives through in-depth interviews and workshops across executive leadership, investor relations, sales leadership, and customers in key vertical markets around the globe. Additionally, we conducted market and category research to identify opportunities for differentiation. 

Through this effort, we uncovered a distinctively GPI story. Yes, supporting a renewable future was their purpose, but it’s how GPI delivered on that purpose that made them special. They play a crucial role at the intersection of CPG brands and their customers, influencing brand perception, customer experience, access, delivery, and price. It’s not just sustainability that mattered — it’s the total package (pun intended!). And that’s where GPI shines. They deliver sustainable packaging innovations without compromise. 

A Powerful Brand Platform

With our strategy in hand, we needed a brand platform that captured the energy and opportunity that GPI offered to employees, investors and customers. We found it in — Made Possible.  

Made Possible is a captivating idea that holds in it both a never-ending pursuit for innovation and the truth that GPI is making it happen — and without compromise. The platform gives GPI a distinctive way to talk about possibilities in fiber that excite people and attract them to the brand. And it creates a space for sharing stories of innovation and impact across many facets — brand impression, customer experience, environmental impact, and more. 

In addition to establishing GPI’s brand platform, MX modernized their logo and established a set of brand assets that elevate the brand and make it immediately recognizable in the category.  

A Website Experience to Match

MX also worked collaboratively with GPI’s marketing, corporate communications and IT teams to create a new digital home for the brand. This effort fused together multiple websites, streamlined legacy technologies, and enhanced accessibility to valuable content.  

Because GPI’s website serves as the most critical touchpoint for the brand, aside from its people, it was essential that it convey the brand story in rich and meaningful ways. The site now offers tailored stories for various audiences, including employees, investors, and key customer personas including brand managers, R&D leaders, operational leaders, and procurement professionals. Additionally, the website simplifies user exploration of packaging solutions while highlighting themes of sustainability, innovation, and impact. The result is a branded, self-service website that shows off the brand’s capabilities.

Measurable Impact

30.23%

Month-over-month increase in total site visitors in the first month

9.4%

Month-over-month increase in Avg. Visit Duration up by Avg.

32.3%

Month-over-month decrease in bounce rate in the first month