Humanizing a commoditized industry

When global adhesives manufacturer H.B. Fuller decided to expand beyond their core business after 125 years, they realized their product-focused brand position spoke to their past and not their future. They needed a differentiated position that elevated employee commitment and opened the door for more conversations with customers.

The brand position we developed, “Connecting what matters,” hints at the process of bonding two surfaces together while emphasizing the role H.B. Fuller plays in helping customers get their products to market. SCHERMER leveraged the “connection” concept to refresh the visual identity, using a colorful system and bright photography to represent the connections H.B. Fuller enables every day.

By using storytelling rather than product selling, we helped H.B. Fuller create meaning with a purpose-based, buyer-driven brand. Customers say, “It’s not just focused on their products, like all the other adhesives companies.” Another remarked, “It’s perfect. It goes farther and touches on the human connections.”