case studies

Kinross Gold

ThinkAudit™ / Brand Foundation

Kinross Gold is capitalized at $15 billion and operates on three continents. With an image problem in its not-too-distant past, CEO Tye Burt was considering how to move the Kinross Brand forward — even contemplating a name change. Mr. Burt asked Instinct to carry out its ThinkAudit™ process: A Brand is what people think of you™ — so what did people think of Kinross Gold, and what go-forward strategy would Instinct recommend based on our analysis of this information?

Our ThinkAudit findings made clear that the Kinross Brand had rebounded from its past, leading us to recommend that Kinross keep its name and stake out its Brand with a Brand Foundation, which we subsequently developed through intensive workshops with the client's leadership team.

Demonstrating that the only synonym for "Brand" is "culture," it is especially the values of the Kinross Brand Foundation — embodied in The Kinross Way — that have been woven into the everyday behaviors of employees throughout this global organization.

BRAND FOUNDATION

Core Purpose – Why we exist.
To continuously generate value for all of our global stakeholders —
the people who entrust us with their investments, livelihoods, communities and environments.

Vision – Where we are going; how we will know we're there.
To be the world's leading value-growth producer.

Mission – What we do every day to get there.
We explore, reserve and mine safely and responsibly, at the lowest viable cost.

Values – What we believe in; our principles.
Putting people first
Outstanding corporate citizenship
Rigorous financial discipline
High performance culture

Position – How we are different.
Enduring growth.

Positioning Statement – How we say we are different.
Higher values mining.

Character – How we act; our voice
Humbly brilliant
Energetic
Driven
Agile
Passionate
Considerate