STIHL

Challenge: Stihl is a German manufacturer of premium outdoor power equipment and maker of the world's number one selling brand of chain saw. Known as a brand for professional users, Stihl only sells through small, independent servicing dealerships.

The Stihl brand, which includes such consumer products as chainsaws, grass trimmers, leaf blowers, and hedge trimmers, is not popular among suburban homeowners due to its premium price and the perception that it is more convenient to shop at mass merchandisers than at small, independent hardware stores which sell Stihl tools. The key challenge of the marketing campaign was to develop the white collar suburban market.

Insight: In talking with consumers, we learned that many are disappointed with inexpensive outdoor power equipment that they bought at mass merchandisers. They are ready to pay a little more for something that lasts - something that keeps its promise of performance and durability.

In the sea of white-collar suburban homeowners, we found a core group who choose to do their own yard work because they like the physical exertion and the proud sense of accomplishment they feel when their yards look good. They like the feeling they get when using high quality, powerful equipment that runs smoothly and gives them the confidence to quickly and easily tackle the challenging jobs they like to undertake. These "Professional Homeowners" are primarily males aged 30-54 with household incomes of $75,000+, and that they are opinion leaders for many of their neighbors who admire their immaculate yards and professional gardening equipment.

Strategy: Positioning Stihl as "the only brand of professional outdoor power equipment that is available to consumers" makes the brand an aspirational purchase for the growing segment of suburban homeowners who are dissatisfied with poor quality tools, while creating a platform for advertising messages that resonates with Professional Homeowners - the opinion leaders of their neighborhoods. The positioning line became, "Are you ready to quit playing with toys? Are you ready for a Stihl?"

Results: The "Are you ready for a Stihl?" campaign was so well received by Stihl that it was also adopted by their British, Canadian, and Australian counterparts. It became an integral part of their 14 regional distributors' communication plans, and was launched to their 8,000 independent servicing dealers. The campaign hit the consumer segment in high-end gardening enthusiast publications and on ESPN.

The first new product to be launched against this positioning, the Stihl HomeScaper Series, was their most successful consumer launch to date. Sales to retailers exceeded projections by more than 60percent, keeping three manufacturing shifts running at capacity to meet the consumer demand. Since the launch of this campaign, Stihl has maintained four consecutive record-breaking years with double-digit revenue growth.

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CORT Furniture

Challenge: America's only national furniture rental company, CORT offers a number of services related to the rental and leasing of name-brand office and residential furniture. The popularity of the residential rental business, however, had created large inventories of used residential furniture awaiting disposal through retail sales.

Insight: Americans purchase "used" houses, we purchase "used" cars, why are we so reluctant to purchase used furniture? Much of the answer lies in our perception of the type of people who previously used or "owned" the furniture in question. It's the "cootie" factor.

However, unlike rent-to-own furniture rental companies, CORT rents virtually all of its residential furniture to successful corporate executives who either are on temporary assignment or are awaiting selection of a permanent residence.

Rationally, the lifestyle of these executives results in very little wear and tear on the furniture. Emotionally, these executives represent an aspirational lifestyle for many furniture shoppers who would not normally consider the purchase of used furniture.

Strategy: By capitalizing on the upscale nature of the CORT rental customer, we positioned CORT retail sales as "name-brand furniture previously leased by corporate executives."

Results: First launched as a test market in Phoenix, the resulting campaign was so successful that it was subsequently rolled out in 12 markets nationwide - all encountering overwhelming success. A simple idea with big results.

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Choice Hotels International

Challenge: Choice Hotels International is the second-largest hotel franchise company in the world with 5,100 properties, including 3,500 in the US and Canada. Choice Hotel brands include Clarion, Quality, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, MainStay Suites, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn. While each of these brands represent different types of accommodations in different price ranges, the marketing challenge was to identify an umbrella brand positioning for Choice Hotels that could encompass all eight brands.

Approach: To discover how current and potential customers view the eight brands, we took a four-day ethnographic road trip to visit as many Choice Hotels (and competitors) as possible while interviewing and videotaping customers, hotel managers, and desk clerks. We also talked with Choice Hotel management and employees, as well as independent travel agents nationwide.

Insight: We discovered that Choice Hotel customers have an aspirational attitude toward travel that Choice could own in its market positioning. Choice customers are "True Travelers" because they celebrate and embrace travel rather than try to insulate themselves from it. They like the freedom and adventure of the open road, seeking out local experiences wherever they go. They seek honesty in their accommodations - nothing ostentatious, no false pretenses. They look for a hotel that facilitates their experiences, doesn't hinder them - a place that gives them everything they need, without charging them for things they don't - a place that lets them be in control rather than taking them for a ride.

Strategy: On a rational level, Choice Hotels are about the number of locations and choices of accommodations and price ranges. But emotionally the brand is about the inspirational spirit of the True Traveler - confident, experiential, adventurous, and optimistic. Choice Hotels are about the rewards of seeking new horizons and exploring new places in person. Therefore, the brand positioning and tagline became "The Power of Being There. Go." later evolving to "We'll see you there."

Results: The ongoing tracking study conducted by Choice Hotels found the positioning strategy resonated with new customers and drove increased consideration of Choice Hotel brands. In addition, occupancy rates for Choice Hotels increased significantly in year-to-year comparisons with accompanying gains in market share (company stock doubled in value from April 2001 to April 2002). Since this campaign broke, other mid-scale hotel brands have attempted to adopt a similar positioning strategy.

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The Coalition on Organ Donation

Campaign distributed through the Ad Council

Challenge: While approximately 70 percent of U.S. adults are receptive to the idea of donating their organs upon death, only 12percent of adults have discussed their wishes with family members. For a number of reasons, families that have not engaged in open discussions about organ donation are not likely to donate the organs of a loved one, even if it is indicated on their driver's license. Therefore, the marketing challenge of the new advertising campaign was to motivate families to discuss organ donation.

Insight: After traveling around the country talking to donor families and adults who are open to the idea of organ donation, we discovered that adults who have not discussed organ donation with their families view the subject very differently than those who have. "Non-talkers" view donation in terms of death and dying - making it a very difficult discussion to initiate because it is wrapped in the emotion of fear. On the other hand, adults who have discussed organ donation with their families view it in terms of its life-giving and life-affirming qualities - wrapped in the emotion of compassion. In essence, the latter group focuses on the person who is able to live as a result of organ donation, not on the donor who has died.

Strategy: These findings lead to the realization that organ and tissue donation is bigger than donating organs and tissue - it's about donating LIFE. This became the new brand positioning for the Coalition on Donation. The new tagline and logo became "Donate Life," and the new website became www.donatelife.net (they are even considering renaming the organization). The initial campaign implored potential donors not to talk about dying, but to "Talk to your family about donating LIFE." The subsequent campaign empowered listeners with the line, "You have the power to donate life."

Results: The resulting campaign, which included TV, radio, print, and outdoor advertising, proved to be the Coalition's most successful. Because of its compelling message, the :60 TV spot received more donated air time than any previous spot of that length by the Ad Council, receiving over $100 million in free media time. Since the campaign, organ donation has steadily risen across the country.

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National Trust for Historic Preservation

Challenge: America loses about a quarter of a million landmarks and other historic places every year. These family homes, community buildings, churches, main streets and schools give beauty, identity and meaning to our American landscape. Yet we pay little attention to protecting them - believing that historic preservation is limited to saving only famous places.

The challenge, as set forth by Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, was to "help all Americans understand why preserving our nation's historic places is critically important." Emotionally, we needed to make people care about their historic heritage in a world that discards old buildings and historic sites with as much thought as tossing out yesterday's newspaper.

Insight: After conducting numerous interviews within the Trust, within affiliated organizations around the country, and with private citizens who have become members of the Trust, we came to the realization that who we are as a nation, as a people, as a community, is embodied in the historical yet unremarkable places around us - the old gas station, the wooden post office, the drive-in theater. They give us a sense of where we've been, who we are today, and where we're going. They reflect our values, our hopes, our ideals, and our visions for the future. And as such, they help guide future generations.

Strategy: Contrary to popular opinion, historic preservation is not about saving dusty old buildings and long-deserted landmarks. Historic preservation is not about preserving the past - it's about saving our future. The world and society that our children face will be shaped by what we choose to save today. Thus, the new empowering tagline for the Trust became, "History is in Our Hands."

The new television, radio, print and Internet PSA's deliver a national call to action, urging Americans to recognize, appreciate and save historic places in their communities. Each PSA appeals to the emotions of the audience by presenting a scenario in which a historic building has been torn down or lost, and replaced with a place that contributes to homogeneous sprawl across the nation. Each PSA directs the audience to visit www.nationaltrust.org to learn how to protect historic places, thereby safeguarding America's heritage for future generations. The ads target all adults, with a focus on parents, grandparents and other caregivers.

Results: The Ad Council distributed the new public service ads to more than 28,000 media outlets nationwide. According to Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of The Advertising Council.

I believe that this new advertising will convince Americans that their involvement is critical in preserving historic places and symbols in communities throughout our country so that they are not lost forever.

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YWCA

Challenge: The mission of the Richmond, Virginia, chapter of the YWCA is to provide counseling, protection and shelter to women who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The challenge facing the chapter was to inform the greater Richmond community of this mission in a compelling way that would speak to these victims and elevate the chapter's importance in the eyes of the community.

Insight: In speaking with women who had been victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, we were struck with how their attacker has made them feel fearful, powerless and isolated. Rather that supporting these victims, our society casts partial blame on them for their situation. As a result, the fear and isolation that these women feel creates a paralysis that prevents them from seeking outside help.

Strategy: We reached out to these victims in the community with a compelling line that spoke to their deepest need: "The YWCA. You're not alone anymore." Stickers with the YWCA's hotline number were placed in women's restrooms all over the city. The unusual format for the TV commercials both cut through the clutter with a limited budget, and spoke to the emotionally empowering needs of victims: we allowed past victims to speak directly to their attacker through the TV camera. These stories were real and unscripted, imparting all the raw emotion that could only be found in non-actors.

Results: Not only was the campaign highly successful in drawing women in need to the YWCA, the concurrent capital improvement campaign was the most successful fund raising campaign in the history of the chapter.

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Sallie Mae

Challenge: The marketing challenge was to set Sallie Mae apart from other financial institutions that offer student loans. Unlike other institutions that also offer car loans, home mortgages and other types of investments, Sallie Mae is focused solely on providing student loans and providing loan processing support so colleges and universities can focus their energies and resources on educating students.

Insight: After talking with Sallie Mae employees, parents, students, and especially former students who had received a loan through Sallie Mae, we were struck with how the American Dream today is really beyond the reach of anyone who does not have a college education. This idea was best expressed by a leading investment manager in New York City when he said, "I wouldn't have the great job I have today if it wasn't for the college education I received through Sallie Mae."

Strategy: Because Sallie Mae is the only institution that only offers student loans, because Sallie Mae is so singularly focused on helping students get a college education and helping colleges provide that education, because our society of tomorrow will be shaped by the thoughts, hopes and dreams that are spawned in the minds of students on college campuses today, the distinguishing positioning and new tagline for Salle Mae became: "Education Leads Us." It leads us as a company and as a society. It's what sets us apart from other financial institutions and cultures around the globe. It is why we exist.

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PNC Bank

Challenge: An older bank with no real identity beyond geographic location, PNC had become stagnant in new account growth. The challenge was to differentiate the PNC brand in a sea of well-established competitive banks, particularly for small business and wealth management customers.

Insight: In talking to small business owners and investment clients, we learned that most people feel inadequate in their knowledge of smart money management practices. Haunted by thoughts that they are not making their money work hard enough for them, they are reluctant to seek professional advice for fear of appearing inadequate (males) or being taken advantage of (females). Unlike other tools that we use in everyday commerce, money does not come with an owner's manual.

However, through internal discussions with PNC employees and through conversations with their customers, we learned that PNC is a little more diligent than other corporate banks. PNC employees dig a little deeper and spend a little more time considering alternative approaches before recommending the best course of action for their business and wealth management customers. They develop unique solutions for their clients, using inventive approaches rather than "off the shelf" or "standard" solutions.

Strategy & Results: Capitalizing on this differentiating philosophy, the messaging strategy became "Finally, money has an owner's manual - PNC Bank," with a resulting tagline of "The Thinking Behind the Money." This theme was rolled out in various creative executions, including a "Money Owner's Manual" that detailed the types of services PNC offers and case studies that illustrated unique and effective money management solutions. As a result, PNC experienced renewed growth in the targeted accounts.

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HealthNow

Challenge: BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York was soon to launch an independent brand in central New York, HealthNow. This new brand could not carry the BCBS endorsement, and would compete against an entrenched BCBS company.

Insight: Unlike its competitor, the parent company of HealthNow had a track record of taking a proactive approach to improving the health care of its members, including an investigation and subsequent improvement in the operations of a local hospital. Rather that sitting back and waiting for customer complaints to arise, the HealthNow heritage was to actively seek improvements to avoid future problems.

Our research also revealed that most people don't think about their health insurance company until they're in a doctor's office and they open their wallet or purse to pull out their card. It is at this "moment of truth" that emotional uncertainty and concerns about coverages and healthcare bureaucracy rise to the surface. Wouldn't it be nice in these situations, we proposed, to know that you have a health insurance company that is always thinking about you, working for you, even when your health card is buried in the depths of your wallet or purse.

Strategy: Building upon the proactive nature of the HealthNow heritage, the messaging strategy for the new brand became "Working for you even when you're not using us," and the resulting tagline, "A plan ahead."

Because the brand promise was built from the track record of the parent company, BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York also adopted this messaging strategy. Its tagline became "What's behind your card?" with body copy that emphasized, "we're always working to keep you healthy."

Results: The new positioning strategy was so successful in differentiating the company and resonating with customers that HealthNow has begun expanding into new territories.

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Dominion—Original Brand Building

Challenge: Dominion Energy is one of the nation's largest producers and distributors of energy, generating nearly 24,000 megawatts of electric power transmitted over more than 6,000 miles of transmission lines. With the looming advent of consumer choice in power companies, the challenge facing Dominion was how to transform a cold corporate electric utility, that had just come through a period of intense internal bickering and negative external publicity, into a humanistic company known for customer service.

To its credit, Dominion provided extremely reliable service and offered a number of customer service programs and community volunteer activities. However, there was little awareness of these programs outside their direct beneficiaries, and merely publicizing these programs would not be a sufficient foundation on which to build a corporate identity.

Insight: After conducting numerous customer interviews and small group discussions, we fell upon a common truth: the face, the hero, indeed, the icon of the power company is the lineman. He's the person who customers see in times of need, he is proof that the power company is hard at work every day, indeed he's the only employee that most customers will ever meet. By acknowledging that fact and, in effect, transforming the power company into a lineman, we personified and gave a human warmth to a faceless corporation.

Creative Strategy & Results: For creative executions, we found a Dominion Energy lineman who epitomized all the positive qualities of his profession and of Dominion Energy, and featured him in all corporate marketing communications. Martin Fields became Dominion Energy. As a result, consumer evaluations of Dominion Energy improved immediately and rose to the highest level in the industry (based on a nationwide tracking study).

Media Strategy & Results: There is another truth that we discovered that had strategic implications for the timing of our corporate communications: electricity is a low-involvement category most of the time. When people come home at night and "hit the switch," they always assume the lights will come on.

However, the few times each year when power lines are knocked down from a storm and our houses are thrown into darkness (or are threatened to be so), electricity becomes a very high-involvement category (as high as emergency medical care). During these periods, the audience becomes highly receptive to power company messaging. By capitalizing on this phenomena and airing Dominion spots that showed the dedication of their linemen during these key periods, awareness of Dominion advertising increased 400percent.

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Dominion—Project Current Choice

Challenge: As part of the movement toward deregulation of electric utilities, Dominion Virginia Power was required by the State Corporation Commission to establish a series of pilot programs around the state in which consumers would have the opportunity to receive their electricity from a different power company. Starting in Richmond and followed by Norfolk and Northern Virginia, Dominion was required to motivate 30% of its residential customers to sign up for the pilot program.

For another utility in another area of the country, this may have been an easy task to accomplish. Not so for Dominion Virginia Power, which enjoyed an approval rating of over 90% by its customers. Time and again, market research had shown that Dominion customers were NOT interested in switching their power companies. In addition, the brown-outs and fiascos in California at the time were only serving to increase customer loyalty to Dominion.

So the challenge was to find a way to motivate 30% of satisfied Dominion customers to sign up for a new program that would allow them to switch their power company, when less than 9% were interested in switching.

Insight: Starting out in Richmond and traveling around the state, we held a series of small group discussions with Dominion Virginia Power customers. We talked to customers of different ages, educations and incomes, because these characteristics influence the degree to which consumers like the idea of choosing their power company. And while 90% of Dominion customers approve of its service, we talked to customers at different levels of satisfaction.

After talking with all types of customers, virtually all of whom were not interested in switching their power company, we arrived at a simple American truth: Choice is Good. It's driven into our minds as early as grade school, when we learn that it is every American's privilege and duty to vote. Having a choice in everything we do is what makes us unique among all nations - not having choice is somehow un-American.

We discovered that positioning the pilot program as not about switching your power company, but about giving you Choice, resonated with all types of customers.

Strategy: The campaign and resulting pilot program became "Project Current Choice." Broadcast creative executions focused on situations in which Americans expect to have their own choice–from choosing who they will marry, to the food they order at a restaurant. To emphasize the cognitive dissonance created when Americans are deprived of having a choice, we depicted humorous scenarios in which people are deprived of these basic choices—your "selected" spouse is revealed at the altar, the fast food order-taker tells YOU what you will eat. All these spots ended with the line "Wouldn't you prefer to make your own choices?"

Print executions provided more details on the pilot program, and all communications included a website address where complete program details were available. A key element of the messaging was to inform customers that they were not signing up to switch their power company, but merely to have the FREEDOM to CHOOSE their power company (even if they chose to stay with Dominion Virginia Power).

Results: The first rollout in Richmond far exceeded the established goals, both in terms of the percentage of customers signing up for the program and the short period of time in which the goal was reached. While a 30% sign-up rate was the minimum required by the State Corporation Commission, over 40% of Dominion customers signed up, exceeding the program's capacity and allowing Dominion to pull the ads earlier than planned (thus saving media dollars). The second and third roll-outs in Norfolk and Northern Virginia were even more successful.

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