Wee Siew Kim, chief executive officer of Nipsea Group. Photo: Courtesy of Nippon Paint China

Most paint manufacturers boast their products provide an abundance of color solutions. However, Wee Siew Kim, chief executive officer of Nipsea Group, who is responsible for the business operations of Nippon Paint China, goes further by striving to understand and explore consumers' emotional demands.

"Painting is an emotional thing. We want to convince consumers they can paint their homes every year," said Wee, during an interview with Metropolitan in Shanghai on May 21, as the company launched an aggressive campaign to refresh the brand of Nippon Paint in China.

The campaign aims to tell consumers Nippon Paint is "more than paint." One of the company's new services is to provide a one-stop service covering interior design and on-site application. "The process of painting is actually trouble free," said Wee. "For our DIY texture products, even the woman of the house can learn painting skills over a weekend."

"We are also pushing the concept of 'the trend beyond colors' in Asia. In the past when make painting decisions, they were choosing colors. Now it is not just about choosing colors, it is about choosing the effects," he said.

The effect of paint can give a fresh lifestyle to the growing number of middle class families and young people. "If you desire a change in your life, maybe changing the color of your immediate and familiar surroundings will go a long way to affect your mood," explained Wee.

"In some parts of Asia, people paint when they get married. People repaint when they have a newborn child. Why not paint when every Chinese New Year comes along, or even when a fresh beginning is required after breaking up with your girlfriend?"

In Wee's opinion, home repainting is one of the businesses that will help Nippon Paint China continue to grow over the long-term, even though the country's real estate market is cooling down.

The first quarter has witnessed a slowdown of China's housing market that could also have knock-on effects on the construction industry.  

But it doesn't necessarily lead to less market opportunities, because Wee also is focusing on the stock of homes already in China. "We have been here in China for the past 22 years. Whether we believe the market is slowing down or speeding up, we continue to do the things that position us to continue to grow," he said.

He noted that some houses that were built five or 10 years ago are ripe for repainting.

Under the "more than paint" rebranding, the strengths of Nippon Paint that drive consumers are its hassle-free services, excellent quality products, wide range of green products, and the assurance of its warranties. When it comes to service and hassle free delivery from Nippon Paint, in a community of Internet savvy consumers, a good product will be promoted very rapidly by word of mouth. "It is the neighbor saying it is a good, reliable service that counts," said Wee.

Apart from the emphasis on the Chinese characters in a large size on the "N" logo, the campaign also draws attention to the company's advances in technology and business expansion. In 2013, Nippon Paint expanded its market in China by making two acquisitions, the Shanghai OPEL brand from DGL Camel, and Guangzhou Supe Chemical Co. According to Wee, the two purchases support the company's long-term growth and development plans.

"Acquisitions will continue as an important part of our growth. We have a very clear idea of what fits us both in terms of business and culture," he said. In 2013, Nippon Paint China saw year-on-year growth of 25 percent.

Human resources is also an aspect of brand renewal. Starting this year, more external organizations and its own employees will be involved in Nippon Paint's corporate social responsibility project, "Color, Way of Love," which has helped repaint more than 180 schools, build 35 schools and create 135 art classrooms around China over the past five years.

"The people strategy encompasses our own people - Nippon employees - and external people - our customers and partners - and how we engage these people in insuring that Nippon Paint lives out its promise of being a responsible company," said Wee.