New marketing director for Plascon

Gerard Metzer has been appointed the marketing director of Plascon, bringing to his new position a 25-year local and international record of accomplishment across the painting, coating, building materials and garden and home improvement industries.

Coupled with this background, he is well versed in marketing, communications and sales, having headed up an advertising agency, as well as the marketing and related departments for Mica, Servistar and Jacks Paints in South Africa. Metzer has also worked with Bosch Automotive in South Africa and in Germany.

Metzer left South Africa for Ireland in 2007, where he was the sales and marketing chief of one of the country’s foremost adhesive and specialist coatings manufacturers and suppliers, Dycon. Shortly before leaving Ireland, he was honored as the winner of the 2010 Institute of Marketing’s All Ireland Award.

“South Africans are more eager than ever before for style, color and innovation in the places in which they live, work and play. This is an exciting time to return to this country,” said Metzer, who is expecting to face some challenges in his new position.

“The challenge is that paint is being genericized just like petrol, however you get ‘paint and you get paint’. Our role as a market leader is to ensure the consumer, the shopper and the customer are clear as to why the brand is superior to the alternatives.”

Metzer, who counts brand strategy and speed to market as his key competencies, hopes that by building the confidence in his team and their management of one of South Africa’s household names, he will also be able to start a new conversation in paint marketing.