Rayonier
Helping a world leader define its value proposition
Among the world's most successful forest products companies — and one of the largest land owners in America — Rayonier operates in the timber, cellulose fibers and real estate segments. While extremely well regarded by its customers, Wall Street and the communities within which it operates, Rayonier had historically kept a quieter public profile. In 2008, leadership engaged Burdette Ketchum on a number of initiatives designed to bring greater attention and clarity to the company's unique value proposition and impressive performance.
Positioning strategy, brand identity and website development were the core initiatives to help bring greater understanding of Rayonier's story and ambitions. Burdette Ketchum led an in-depth immersion and brand DNA exercise for management that led to the corporate positioning strategy of Value From The Ground Up. The positioning message clarifies Rayonier's core mission of value creation through the responsible, productive management of its forests, manufacturing the world's purest performance fibers (used in many consumer products) and innovative uses of its lands no longer useful for timber growing.
The new positioning strategy formed the basis for Rayonier's new corporate identity and was the platform for a new, in-depth website, www.rayonier.com, that tells the Rayonier story in a compelling and vivid way. Burdette Ketchum produced video vignettes of actual Rayonier employees discussing the unique qualities of the company and sharing the benefits of employment at Rayonier.
Even in recessionary times, Rayonier's performance continues to outpace its peers and the company is enjoying stock price gains and substantial growth in its performance fibers area.