Case Study - Sonoco 2024 Investor Day
Showcasing a clear, unified investor narrative with a fresh visual makeover
Sonoco (NYSE: SON) is a global manufacturer of consumer and industrial packaging products with 2023 revenues of $7B. Since 1899, Sonoco has leaned on robust innovation (4000+ patents), customer-centric values and strong operations expertise to become South Carolina’s only Fortune 500 company.
Sonoco tapped OUTKREATE for end-to-end presentation development for their 2024 Investor Day. We shaped the narrative, built and enhanced slides along with content and copy, and we created a brand new visual design theme.
Project Overview
CLIENT
Project
2024 Investor Day,
February 2024
Attended by
150+ analysts and investors (in-person and virtually)
Presentation details
Key Presentation Sections & Presenters
7 main sections: CEO, COO, 4X Business Units, CFO
Project Duration
6 Weeks
# of Money Slides
100+ Slides
What We Did
Section-wise: crafted and optimized key messages, improved flow, identified and addressed content gaps, enhanced content (headlines, data visualization, copy), and designed impactful slides.
Overall: Improved section connectivity and created a new visual design theme.
Situation
Sonoco’s last Investor Day in 2021 coincided with the appointment of their current CEO. Since then, big changes have happened in the business: a major acquisition, successful strategy execution, and strengthening of the management team. Seeing these shifts, the IRO felt it was the right time to lay out the company’s future strategy and long-term guidance to analysts and investors.
Opportunity
Based on her interactions with analysts and investors, the IRO had identified that a “clearer Investor story” had to be built and conveyed. And this time, multiple new heads of businesses would be speaking to analysts for the first time.
Compared to the 2021 Investor Day story, there was a need for more connectivity between presenters. Plus, a substantial overhaul in visual design was long overdue.
Solution - Our Strategy and Execution
Working closely with IRO, who provided invaluable direction, we embarked on a journey to refine Sonoco’s narrative. Our process involved meticulous attention to detail, leveraging a blend of existing materials and our own repository of past projects. Here’s an overview of our approach:
1. Built a Clear Narrative
After receiving the initial slides for a section, we’d identify opportunities to improve coherence and clarity. Key strategies included:
- Crafting “Key Takeaways” slides to anchor key messages at the beginning of each section.
- Ensuring seamless flow between slides, aligning them with key takeaways.
- Addressing content gaps by drawing from our extensive experience with similar Investor Days.
- Offering pre-made strawman concepts for common topics like ESG, vision, strategy, common financial slides, etc.
2. Improved Content
To optimize content impact, key actions included:
- Enhancing headlines and copy for clarity and maximum impact.
- Curating visuals to complement and elevate the narrative.
- Improving data visualization to enhance clarity.
- Identifying and addressing content gaps within a given slide
3. Visual Design Production
With each slide, we sought to create a visually compelling message that would be easy to digest for analysts. Our process involved:
- Designing slides to align with Sonoco’s new design theme (see below)
- Incorporating imagery from Sonoco’s asset library
- Enhancing data charts for improved readability
- Applying strong design principles, including color, typography, and visual hierarchy, to ensure readability
Developed a New Visual Design Style
Sonoco’s brand identity is long-due for a refresh. With limited time on our hands, we got creative to find a solve. At the end, we developed a fresh design style aligned to their brand ethos. Here’s how we arrived at the new look:
1. Making Choices on Colors and Styling
We opted for a blue and green theme, drawing inspiration from Sonoco’s CSR report. The choice of blue, aligned with the company’s primary color, while the inclusion of green underscored their commitment to sustainability. We developed a multi-banded style that was flexible yet scalable throughout our design. We overlaid it with gradients to provide depth and contemporary styling.
2. Determining Typography and Font Styles
We selected the Aptos font family for its versatility, contemporary appeal, and widespread compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint, facilitating seamless collaboration and ensuring consistency across presentations.
Through our collaborative efforts and strategic interventions, we transformed Sonoco’s Investor Day presentation, equipping them with a compelling narrative and visually striking design that resonated with stakeholders and elevated their brand presence.
Results
Over 150 analysts and investors attended the live Investor Day event in-person and virtually.
Our founder and CEO, Harry, had the opportunity to attend Sonoco’s Investor Day live in New York, and could see first-hand how the presentation went. Sonoco’s leadership team (CEO, COO, CFO, BU heads) personally appreciated the new look and the quality of the Investor story and messaging.
At the event, one of the analysts in the audience complimented the IRO for the “upgraded” design, and especially found the messaging very “clear”.
The “less is more” approach of slides worked well for the presenters. The audience focused on them versus reading from the slides. Simplicity of headlines and visual nature of messaging made presenters’ lives easier, and kept the audience engaged.
Post the Investor Day, we did a regroup with IRO. Based on multiple analyst reports, the consensus was that the messaging and Investor Story were very clear and well-received.
Learn more about OUTKREATE’s Investor Relations Solutions
We help Investor Relations teams to ELEVATE presentations for any occasion – be it Investor Day, General Overview, Quarterly Earnings, Investor Conferences, ESG Updates.
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