Why responsible mining matters – repositioning a global copper company

First Quantum fights misinformation by telling its own story for the first time

First Quantum Minerals is a global mining group that focuses on copper, a material that is vital to society’s green energy ambitions. It contacted Bladonmore following a period of disruption for the company, born out of misinformation around one of its mines. 

The company had to work much harder to demonstrate its real commitment to the communities where it works, both socially and in respecting their environments. It needed to tell that story not only to those communities, but also to local and national governments, investors and international organizations. 

We realized quite quickly that First Quantum had a deep vault of data to talk about the great work it does in the communities and environments where it works. The problem was that the company had never properly shared that information publicly or felt the need to communicate it. 

Our initial research uncovered further examples of First Quantum’s independent approach – including its commitment to building and operating their own mines, its lean structure and genuinely entrepreneurial culture. 

We developed a new positioning – ‘We take a different view’ – to amplify the uniqueness of the company’s approach, supported by a proven track record of being expert responsible miners. 

Having developed the new positioning, we moved on to creating and delivering the badly needed communications. 

Our campaign, ‘What do you see?’ was designed to challenge misconceptions around mining and, more specifically, First Quantum. It allowed the company to speak proudly and confidently about its work, hitting key messages about the benefit it brings to society and the local areas in which it has operations. 

The campaign works by juxtaposing two images to highlight the positive impact that First Quantum operations have – the first more abstract and open to interpretation and the second zeroing in on concrete benefits delivered through the company’s mining operations. 

Bladonmore managed the campaign through the corporate level social profiles, but we wanted to extend the campaign to operation and project level profiles as well. An all-encompassing social media toolkit was created to make it easy to join in at a local and regional level, including editions translated into local languages. 

With the campaign underway, Bladonmore is working to bring First Quantum’s website in line with the new positioning – creating a more consistent digital experience at every online touchpoint.