Saint Gobain - Registration document 2016

3 STRATEGIC DRIVERS FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH 4. Building closer customer relations: rebranding Saint-Gobain

Building closer customer relations: 4. rebranding Saint-Gobain

4.1

THE CHALLENGES OF A STRONG BRAND

of markets and customers. The customers who deal directly with the Group (most often assemblers, manufacturers and solutions are used, Saint-Gobain serves a very large number trade professionals) are not always those who recommend its solutions (architects and consultancy firms) or who have Given the wide range of areas in which its products and experience of using them (housing owners or tenants, automobile drivers, and consumers in the broadest sense). decisions, they may have a decisive influence, for example, on Today, the voice of the end customer is being heard more strongly: better informed, more involved in purchasing individuals now becoming key stakeholders in the construction and renovation market. The Group has to deal the choice of materials. The boundary between professionals and private individuals is being blurred, with private with a broader range of customer contacts than previously. the users of its products, such as building occupants, automobile drivers, and public transport users. By embedding Today, Saint-Gobain is seeking to build closer relations with end customer expectations in its value proposition, and factoring in the change in the ways that information is provided and decisions are made, Saint-Gobain is positioning itself firmly as a B to C to B (Business to Client to Business) brand. Saint-Gobain has long relied on its decentralized organizational structure, its brand recognition and the strength of its activities throughout the world to drive its development. These attributes provide it with a detailed insight into its customers’ needs in all markets. For the Group to be directly relevant to the general public, though, it needs to have a strong brand to rely on. In the digital age, where

potential end customers can find information on and compare ranges and products, branding is a key factor for sustainable differentiation. Strong new branding for Saint-Gobain – reflecting its corporate and commercial identities – makes it easier for the Group to introduce its full range of products and services to its audiences. The Group regularly measures the impact of the Saint-Gobain brand with its target audiences. In 2014, awareness of the from 46% to 51%). The next brand awareness survey, of 10,000 construction professionals in 13 countries, will take (an improvement in awareness of five percentage points, place in 2017. brand among all construction players had already significantly improved compared with the first survey in 2011 Group’s subsidiaries and trade names. It also benefits Saint-Gobain’s image as a recruiter, making the Group more The assurance of a strong brand reflects positively on all the visible and more attractive to potential applicants. Saint-Gobain to position itself to meet the major challenges The Group’s different audiences expect a brand like population. As an employer, Saint-Gobain also has a duty to lead by example, and corporate social responsibility is of the next few decades, such as climate change, increasing scarcity of resources, urbanization, and a growing world embedded in its strategy. Its employees are gearing up for greater transparency of operation, and more collaborative ways of working that encourage openness and entrepreneurial spirit. Strengthening the brand and renewing its content helps to give meaning and value to the work done by every employee.

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4.2

NEW BRAND CONTENT

and air quality) central to its strategy, as well as addressing tomorrow's collective challenges. In an increasingly urbanized us and the future of all. Today, the Group is making user wellbeing and comfort (thermal, acoustic and visual comfort, to create great living places and improve daily life. The Group’s promise to its customers is to design, produce and With its brand platform, Saint-Gobain has adopted a mission distribute materials engineered for the wellbeing of each of

world, where close to 90% of our time is spent in buildings or cars, there is a need to design and build living places that are both more comfortable and more sustainable. A growing number of studies and data show the extent to which an appropriate environment affects productivity in the workplace, cognitive capacities in places of learning, and

more generally, health.

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SAINT-GOBAIN - REGISTRATION DOCUMENT 2016