Sowing the Seeds: 5 Questions with Corteva’s Juan Carlos Cruz

Corteva Agriscience, as the new standalone agriculture brand from DowDuPont, will be headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. Its branding and positioning was revealed recently at Commodity Classic, America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused convention. Its name (pronounced: kohr-`teh-vah) is based on a combination of words meaning “heart” and “nature.”
 

The new agriculture brand is centered on improving the lives of farmers, rethinking the connections in the agricultural ecosystem that naturally supports people, progress and the planet. Everything about the brand (developed in partnership with Ogilvy) is focused on human and earth connection—from the insight behind the brand name to the logo and colors, and the overarching brand pillars.

 

For more insights, brandchannel spoke with Juan Carlos Cruz (right), Head of Global Brand and Advertising for Corteva.

 

 

As you know, naming is not typically an easy process. There’s a tendency to go with names that are most understood or descriptive. But these are not the names that create the most value in the long run. Our new name is Corteva Agriscience ™. We wanted our name to speak to growth (rooted in our positioning of “growing progress”), but also convey innovation and change. We also want to set ourselves apart from our competitors, and most importantly, be able to tell a story.
 

During our (naming) process we went from 500 names to one. Corteva was selected because it sounds strong (hard beginning and ending consonants), and the name was derived from a combination of “cor” meaning “heart” and “teva,” which is a 1,400-year-old ancient Hebrew work for “nature.” We know that this will speak to farmers around the globe. Agriscience is an important connection because it creates the connection to our industry as we build awareness for the name.

 

What are the key elements of the Corteva logo design?
 

The logo was created to carry the same impact visually as when it is spoken. It’s a strong mark with bold characteristics which will establish and reinforce our position in the market and the work. There are two marks that make up the logo: the graphic (woven furrows) which is inspired by the tapestry of intersecting agricultural fields coming together, as well as our three businesses uniting to form our new company. The second element is the word mark itself, which is bold and strong. We’ve chosen blue, which signifies elements of the earth—water, sky. It’s a surprising choice from the typical colors chosen and another way to show how we aspire to be a different kind of agriculture company.

 

Corteva will combine products from DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences. What are the customer benefits of the merged company?
 

By bringing together the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences, we have the opportunity to apply our global presence, depth of knowledge and diverse resources to helping farms and farmers flourish everywhere.
 

Together, we are in a stronger position to invest in R&D—harnessing our unparalleled agronomic knowledge and combined science capabilities to build innovative products, services and techniques that will transform crop abundance performance and quality, to support our customers’ business goals and help them thrive. We understand the basic importance of agriculture to economic growth and development of society and we are focused on working with the entire food system to produce a more secure supply of healthy food.
 

You’re taking a customer-first approach, “enriching the lives of those who produce and those who consume.” How are you communicating what Corteva stands for in terms of messaging and tone of voice?
 

We are taking a very inclusive approach to setting up this new company. The brand stands for improving farms and the livelihood of farmers. We want to deliver healthy and secure food and we’ll do this by collaborating with our value chain partners. As a brand, we want to be approachable, but as a pure-play agriculture company, we intend to lead.
 

All of our energy and R&D investment is focused strictly on agriculture, which helps us in the innovation space. We have the knowledge, the talent and the expertise, standing on the shoulders of Dow and DuPont. These are the names and brands that people know and trust. The customer is at the center of everything we do and why all of our research goes into innovating and creating better livelihoods for our customers. Our core message is to fulfill our promise around our purpose and to provide the world with safe and secure food.

 

Why did you choose the 2018 Commodity Classic to unveil Corteva, and how will you introduce it to the marketplace?
 

Commodity Classic is America’s largest farmer convention and occurs only once a year. We did not want to miss the opportunity to share the news about our company with our most important constituents—our farmers. We will also launch a mezzanine website for anyone curious about the new company.
 

However, please know that the brand will not fully launch until separation in 2Q 2019. Until that time the focus will be on intensive internal communications to build a strong employer brand before heavy external communications and our global brand launch in 2019.