Makrolon
M22_VITA8281_01_SE_CS06.QXD
6/10/10
9:37 PM
Page 473
CASE VI
Makrolon: The High-Tech Material
People all over the world come into contact with polycarbonates every day. Ever since 1953, this plastic has built an impressive array of success in many different product Today, countless producers all over the world rely on the properties of polycarbonates. And more products and applications are constantly being added. It is impossible to imagine the future without polycarbonates. One of these polycarbonates is
Bayer’s Makrolon.® The 45 billion or so CDs that have been produced from Makrolon since the birth of the compact disc in 1982 up to the beginning of 2008 would create a belt about
10,800,000 kilometers long. This is roughly equivalent to twenty eight times the mean distance between the Earth and the Moon.
In 2007, Makrolon had a brand awareness of 31 percent and was absolutely the bestknown polycarbonate in the marketplace in
Europe. In the United States Lexan from GE
Plastics had the leading position.1 The following case study describes Bayer’s ingredient branding strategy for Makrolon in Europe. We focus on the rise of Makrolon and we broach the issue of developing this strategy for the future. In the end, awareness is not everything.
Does branding pay off? What are the conditions that determine the benefit Bayer can achieve with Makrolon? All these questions are germane to successful management of the
Makrolon brand.
When the Bayer Corporation from
Leverkusen invented the polycarbonate
Makrolon® in 1953, it did not cause any particular shockwaves. Bayer patented the invention in the same year. In the early days
Makrolon was primarily used as an insulating plastic, for example for switches and fuse boxes, but it is now recognized as a highly versatile material that can be used in many areas of life. With its high transparency, impact strength, and dimensional stability, even at high temperatures, Makrolon is
6/10/10
9:37 PM
Page 473
CASE VI
Makrolon: The High-Tech Material
People all over the world come into contact with polycarbonates every day. Ever since 1953, this plastic has built an impressive array of success in many different product Today, countless producers all over the world rely on the properties of polycarbonates. And more products and applications are constantly being added. It is impossible to imagine the future without polycarbonates. One of these polycarbonates is
Bayer’s Makrolon.® The 45 billion or so CDs that have been produced from Makrolon since the birth of the compact disc in 1982 up to the beginning of 2008 would create a belt about
10,800,000 kilometers long. This is roughly equivalent to twenty eight times the mean distance between the Earth and the Moon.
In 2007, Makrolon had a brand awareness of 31 percent and was absolutely the bestknown polycarbonate in the marketplace in
Europe. In the United States Lexan from GE
Plastics had the leading position.1 The following case study describes Bayer’s ingredient branding strategy for Makrolon in Europe. We focus on the rise of Makrolon and we broach the issue of developing this strategy for the future. In the end, awareness is not everything.
Does branding pay off? What are the conditions that determine the benefit Bayer can achieve with Makrolon? All these questions are germane to successful management of the
Makrolon brand.
When the Bayer Corporation from
Leverkusen invented the polycarbonate
Makrolon® in 1953, it did not cause any particular shockwaves. Bayer patented the invention in the same year. In the early days
Makrolon was primarily used as an insulating plastic, for example for switches and fuse boxes, but it is now recognized as a highly versatile material that can be used in many areas of life. With its high transparency, impact strength, and dimensional stability, even at high temperatures, Makrolon is