New Ashland Campaign Shows Manufacturers how to ‘Transform’ Paint Formulations

According to Ashland Specialty Ingredients, paint is changing. Yesterday’s “house paint,” a functional necessity to cover drywall, wood or masonry, must today be an “architectural coating” that allows owners to express their personal style. And paint can’t just look good. It has to address the needs of an increasingly sophisticated retail buying audience that looks for hiding, coverage, spatter resistance, one-coat application, paint “feel” and a host of other sensory and performance characteristics. Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a business unit of Ashland Inc. is helping paint manufacturers meet these demands with an expanding line of additive ingredients, research and support.

To help formulators get the most from its full line of products and services, Ashland has repositioned its Coatings Specialties brand, launching a new advertising campaign and a new microsite. The company has been a leader in paint and coatings rheology since launching its NatrosolT HEC brand more than 50 years ago.

The campaign, “Transform the way you think about paint,” encourages manufacturers to think about the rheology modifiers and other paint additives in a new light. It features bespoke rooms that demonstrate the power of paint in a whole new way.

“The right rheology system can open up a whole world of new possibilities for paint formulators, and our products have been proving that for decades,” said Prachur Bhargava, global marketing manager, Industrial Specialties, Ashland Specialty Ingredients. “Today, however, we’re also contributing cutting-edge research into how paint is applied, in terms of force and energy dynamics and users’ preferences, that is breaking new ground in the science of paint. It is this kind of innovation that can be truly transformative for the industry.”

The new coatings website (www.ashland.com/paint-coatings), will provide a wealth of resources to help manufacturers evaluate solutions and information on rheology, surfactants defoamers and other ingredients. Ashland will continue to add additional resources to the site as quickly as possible.

The ad campaign will appear in key industry trade publications worldwide beginning in November, both in print and online. The creative expression was recently launched during ABRAFATI 2015 in Brazil, and will be visible during Ashland’s participation in China Coat 2015 and the American Coatings Show 2016.