As part of a future-forward approach, Bushveld Minerals recently embarked on a rebranding exercise to up the curb appeal of our brand experience.
We wanted our flagship product to reflect a new sense of depth, progression, authenticity and transparency.
Why Bushveld Minerals Changed Its Product Name
Introducing Bushveld Minerals’ flagship product under a brand-new name – nitro-vanadium: clear cut, exacting, same quality, same low cost.
Our flagship product, formerly known as Nitrovan, has undergone a name change to nitro-vanadium. The new name syncs with Bushveld Minerals’ revitalised brand positioning, look and feel, while better aligning to a new chapter of growth for the company and its stakeholders.
Bushveld Minerals is one of the world’s most significant low-cost, vertically integrated, primary vanadium producers. Through a diversified product portfolio that serves the needs of the steel, energy and chemical sectors, we participate in the entire vanadium value chain through our two main pillars: Bushveld Vanadium (mining) and Bushveld Energy (energy storage systems).
In this article, we provide insights into the motivation behind our product name change.
Bushveld Minerals: Background and Context
When it comes to the mining industry, most products are practically the same as the competition’s. So, traditionally, mining companies did not see the need for marketing campaigns. But those days are in the past. To stay competitive in today’s dynamic market space, putting an effective communications plan (marketing and PR) in place is imperative.
As part of a future-forward approach, Bushveld Minerals recently embarked on a rebranding exercise to up the curb appeal of our brand experience.
Coincidentally, embarking on a rebranding exercise presents a great opportunity to analyse your company’s mission and values, your positioning, product portfolio, messaging, and ensure that your product offering is still aligning to your target audience and brand purpose.
So, in addition to a new positioning strategy and logo, we seized the opportunity to relook the name of our flagship product, formerly known as Nitrovan.
Why the Change of Name?
The Nitrovan name and brand have served us well for many years. It helped distinguish Bushveld Minerals as a new, innovative player in the competitive world of vanadium. We have come a long way since.
We wanted our flagship product to reflect a new sense of depth, progression, authenticity and transparency.
Together with the name change, we wanted to develop a rich and flexible brand identity that could be applied to the Bushveld Minerals company. This would serve to bring brand cohesion across the entire value chain.
Below, we unpack the name change a little further:
Depth
The road to an advanced future is not paved with old ways – it is fuelled by the power of human possibility. A less wasteful, more resilient tomorrow requires a shift in thinking and in doing. At Bushveld Minerals, we are committed to pulling this kind of future forward; to bringing manufacturing, development, energy, and growth not just to life – but to lives.
Our new strapline – “Life.Powered.” – talks about powering, not just progress, but people. It talks about making an impact without exploiting the planet for bottom-line gain: ensuring that what we take from the earth goes back into it in the form of progress.
Transparency
Transparency is becoming increasingly important to consumers everywhere, so the more you let your customers in, the better the experience for all stakeholders. Though the name Nitrovan has changed to nitro-vanadium, everything else remains the same. The same quality, same low cost – the same reliable product you have come to know and trust over the years.
Progression
We believe that nitro-vanadium is a progression from the former name, because there is no longer any room for ambiguity. ‘nitro’ – now standing on its own – directly refers to the chemical process related to manufacturing the product. When nitro-vanadium is added to steel, vanadium preferentially combines with nitrogen to form nitrogen-rich vanadium-carbonitride precipitates.
Authenticity
Considering the activities of our global competitors, we have decided to prioritise authenticity alongside trust, quality and credibility. If you aspire to be authentic in everything you do and say, then your customers will be happy to do your marketing for you through word-of-mouth. Simply put, authenticity builds stronger connections. By changing our flagship product name to nitro-vanadium, we want to show that we care enough about our brand to make the necessary changes to ensure that we power progress well into the future.
Will Bushveld Minerals Be Making Further Changes To the Product Other Than the Name?
Short answer: not in the slightest. This article isn’t just about the reasons behind the name change, but also about educating and reassuring our valued customers that this change is part of the larger strategy for growth. Though our flagship product has a new name, everything else stays the same.