Innovation, sustainability, growth and people: the virtuous marketing of Fedrigoni related in the new book by the guru Philip Kotler
Attracting and making new talent loyal, the drive to innovation, the digitization of some aspects of customer relations and internal and external communication, the acquisitions plan and commitment to sustainability, which also involves the employees through the Workplace social collaboration platform, with a dedicated “Progress Makers” channel, where people can follow the targets reached and share the good practices implemented in the different countries. These are fundamental ingredients that have allowed Fedrigoni - leading Group in the production and sale of specialty papers for packaging, publishing and graphics and self-adhesive materials, with 4,000 people in the world, 30,000 customers and a turnover of 1.3 billion euros - to transform rapidly in the last 3 years, strengthening its global positioning.
Six acquisitions have sustained this rapid expansion, which has made it necessary to think of a unified global image, despite the strong historical identity of the company, on the market since 1888: the use of the Fedrigoni brand has been extended to the majority of companies in the Group by means of a re-branding campaign supported by the Pentagram design agency from London. Moving to a more dynamic and innovative model of interaction with the market and employees, without abandoning the physical dimension of the relationship, which is essential in a business like Fedrigoni, has allowed the proximity to customers and the employees’ sense of belonging to be improved.
The “Fedrigoni case” will be spoken about on Friday 26th November at the “Educating the new generations to create a virtuous future through marketing” event organised by Kotler Impact, Weevo and H-Farm. In fact, that occasion will see the presentation of the book “Essentials of Modern Marketing - Made in Italy edition” by the marketing guru Philip Kotler, which, among the 30 best practices of virtuous marketing - including Lamborghini, Bauli, Danone and Clementoni - illustrates the experience of Fedrigoni, capable of mastering the change dictated by highly evolving market and Covid19 by accelerating the growth and innovation processes.
“One of the distinctive factors that characterised our action - says Marco Nespolo, CEO at Fedrigoni Group - is linked to the relationship built over the years with the direct customers (printers, converters and box makers) and with the brands and designers. This relationship has allowed Fedrigoni to become a strategic partner in aiding those who produce wines, cosmetics, fashion, publications, furniture and much more to transform their ideas and products into complete creations, up to packaging and communication, together with printers and designers. It is not by chance that our pay-off is elevating creativity”.
A further winning choice for the Group - taken in 1990 and accelerated over the last three years - was to differentiate the business by developing, alongside the leadership role in the paper sector, particularly for luxury packaging, a global position that is slowly becoming more dominant in the world of premium labels and self-adhesive materials, thanks to an acquisition plan that made Fedrigoni the third player in the self-adhesive market in 2020.
Finally, investment in its own distribution network over the last 30 years has allowed the company to guarantee its customers the same excellence and quality worldwide, even in the periods when the pandemic made communication and the transit of goods tricky.
Digital Transformation – In the last 18 months, Fedrigoni has launched five new websites and a Customer Portal, to make interaction with customers easier and more immediate, and a digital platform for events are in the finalisation stage. Moreover, the company anticipates the renewal of the Fabriano Boutique site, the Group’s B2C e-commerce. “We have also paid attention to the relationship between internal digital communication and the effective involvement of the employees - continues Nespolo - by launching innovative platforms like Workplace and Workday. Today, over 90% of those working in the offices and 20% of colleagues in the plants are connected to these company applications and we intend to further increase their adoption. It is vital to ensure the connection between employees of different cultures, both geographical and company, and the integration of the IT systems in a strongly expanding Group”.
In order to build a common identity and strengthen the company culture, Fedrigoni has developed several HR initiatives using digital tools: the Fedrigoni Behaviours have been introduced, a set of behaviours which are the compass for guiding the daily interactions. An innovative performance management process has been implemented to promotes constant dialogue between the managers and their people, based on the valorisation of each person’s potential. These initiatives have been promoted through Workplace, by asking people to participate in creating videos that bring the key concepts into everyday life. E-learning initiatives have also been started; for example, the Customer Academy programme, which strengthens key skills such as digital competences or customer centricity transversally to all the company functions.
Sustainability - Another important area of commitment for Fedrigoni regards sustainability. In 2020, the Group had already made leaps ahead in its continuous improvement path, returning 90% of clean water to the environment after the production process, and also reaching 50% of suppliers qualified according to ESG parameters. The Group outlined its new ESG Roadmap in the 2020 Sustainability Report, where it undertakes to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% within 2030, eliminate landfill waste, bring the suppliers qualified according to sustainable standards to 90%, double the products with advanced ESG characteristics, reduce injuries at work by 67%, increase the number of women in managerial positions by 50% and create an inclusive environment where equity and diversity are at the centre of the organisation’s growth policies.
ESG issues are priority for Fedrigoni, so much so as to be managed directly among the strategic company issues by the executive team There are many challenges in the ecosystem where Fedrigoni operates and the Group wants to have a significant role alongside the customers, brands and designers: the company is working to offer excellent performing alternative solutions to plastic which are sustainable at the same time, whilst, in the world of self-adhesives, where plastic cannot be eliminated, it is working on the search for increasingly recyclable raw materials, on the production of circular solutions (the paper discards, without ink and at kilometre zero, are immediately re-introduced into the production chain; other wastes such as the biological purifier muds are transferred to companies which produce bricks or humus) and on the offer to customers of services for waste disposal.
The “Educating the new generations to create a virtuous future through marketing” event will be live streamed next Friday 26/11 from 15:00 to 17:00. Registration is available at: https://www.h-farm.com/it/ecosystem/eventi/presentazione-libro-kotler