About the Client Company
AkzoNobel is the largest global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals.
They supply industries and consumers worldwide with innovative products and are passionate about developing sustainable answers for our customers.Their portfolio includes well known brands such as Dulux, Sikkens, International and Eka.
Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, they are a Global Fortune 500 company and is consistently ranked as one of the leaders on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes.
With operations in more than 80 countries, their 55,000 people around the world are committed to excellence and delivering Tomorrow’s Answers TodayTM.
Strategy
A strategy was developed to provide for customer pull and merchant push through an integrated mix of front and back of house promotion. This route was chosen to encourage staff recommendation and customer choice and this promote brand switching, creating trial and repeat purchase of product.
A back of house promotion was created to challenge branches to compete on a regional and national level with each other whilst a front of house promotion rewarded customers for purchasing across a range of products above a certain value, offering them the chance to win a range of prizes instantly.
The aim of this strategy was to promote sales from two directions, push and pull, ensuring engagement of all stakeholders through a highly visual campaign that created a sense of theatre in-store.
Objectives
Campaign to support the sale through of AkzoNobel (ICI Paints) products through Travis Perkins merchant outlets across the UK. These included Dulux, Glidden, Hammerite, Cuprinol and Polycel.
The objective was to support and boost sales over a two month period through these outlets, promoting each brand equally whilst engaging the customer and staff at the Travis Perkins branch, creating theatre in-store.
Additionally the campaign should provide a platform for growth of these brands through Travis Perkins (TP), demonstrating AkzoNobel’s (ICI Paints) commitment to this route to market.
The Target Audience
Professional decorators and builders purchasing coatings products through Travis Perkins merchants.
Media/Channels Used
Front of House
The mechanic of an instant win scratch card was used to encourage the purchase of £30 or more of qualifying products. A range of prizes was offered including immediate redemption prizes such as Frisbees and larger prizes such as BBQs and free fuel for a year.
A selection of marketing material was created to communicate the promotion in-store including posters, banners, wobblers and window stickers. This point of sale was allocated at varying levels based upon branch size and potential. Branches were provided with branded beach balls, can coolers and Frisbees to use and give out to customers, reinforcing the summer theme and encouraging engagement.
Larger branches also received patio sets and BBQs to create a Summer Scorcher’ zone and communicate the promotion at the forefront of the branch, bringing product forward from rear shelves.
Customers were targeted directly through statement stuffer’ leaflets and advertising in the in-store magazine. The result was a promotion that was highly visible across the TP estate, promoting the brands and encouraging purchase, with a theme that customers could relate to and have some fun with. Point of sale at the entrance, on shelving and the counter ensured that the customer was aware of the promotion throughout their navigation of their purchase.
Back of House
An essential requirement within these types of promotion is to gain support and buy-in from branch staff to ensure that a push effect is created at the counter and that point of sale is displayed prominently.
A combination of communication, incentive and engagement provides a route to success, ensuring that the back of house staff does not feel left out when there is a customer promotion.
Initially all regional managers were presented the promotion and set sales targets for their areas. This was to encourage them to communicate to their managers and staff and to ensure that point of sale was displayed prominently.
The second stage involved a letter to all branch managers explaining the promotion and the possible rewards for their staff.
The third stage was the distribution to each branch of a back of house promotion pack including a letter describing the scheme, a poster for the staff room and giveaways such as beach balls, Frisbees, pens, notepads and tumblers – all branded Summer Scorcher’.
The back of house promotion provided a competition between branches both at a regional and national level and to ensure that each had a chance to win it was based upon incremental sales against the previous year, the best performing branches regionally and nationally winning high street vouchers for all the staff.
A further encouragement communication was sent after month one to give the branches an indication of how they were doing.
The combination of the front and back of house activities produced a campaign and promotion that had a marked impact upon sales of all AkzoNobel products through Travis Perkins.
Timescales and results
The campaign ran for two months – June and July 2009. Results remain confidential
Client Testimonial
“The Think Tank has produced some terrific, measurable results, often with limited budgets. They spend time understanding the market and the issue and are a great all round team to work alongside, producing and managing campaigns that deliver results.” Craig Frost, national account manager, AkzoNobel
