Summary
FEW THINGS ARE DRYER THAN DRY WALL
Anyone who’s ever lifted drywall knows it’s heavy. But not as heavy as the burden the entire drywall industry had been carrying during the recent recession.
Sheetrock UltraLight Panels are 30 per cent lighter than standard drywalls. For installers, carrying drywall day after day over the course of a career takes an incredible toll on their backs, bodies and overall health. For contractors, weight can affect speed, productivity and the bottom-line. So we did some maths. By quantifying the weight USG was lifting off their backs, we could begin to tell a much bigger story.
We started asking the question “If you’re not lifting UltraLight, what are you lifting?
About the client company
USG, or United States Gypsum Company is a global provider of building materials. Its key products include the popular SHEETROCK gypsum wallboard as well as the FIBEROCK Brand Panels and SECUROCK Brand Roof Board. In 2010, gyro was asked to introduce its latest produce, UltraLight to market.
Strategy
United States Gypsum was launching its category-redefining SHEETROCK UltraLight Panels. The challenge was to get the building trade to understand this and mark the birth of a new category of drywall, not just a product improvement. USG also had to convince a diverse audience, from contractors to installers, that despite the economic downturn there was something positive happening in the industry. So instead of touting UltraLight as 30 per cent lighter, we quantified the actual weight USG was lifting off their customers’ backs. At 15 pounds lighter per board, the difference over time is staggering.
To carry standard drywall was to literally shoulder an extra elephant worth of weight over the course of a job. Customers instantly translated this difference in weight to benefits most relevant to them.
Contractors recognised a lighter board could help crews work faster, saving time and money, while installers felt UltraLight could improve their overall wellbeing.
Media, channels or techniques used
Bold imagery illustrated the weight difference between standard drywall and UltraLight, begging the question “If you’re not lifting UltraLight, what are you lifting?” We then presented UltraLight drywall as a revolutionary alternative that could alleviate the burden installers and contractors had been carrying. Anchored by the simple mantra, “The weight has been lifted.” A digital and print teaser campaign counted down to an historic unveiling. On launch day, key industry sites were taken over with banners directing traffic to a virtual product reveal. National print and digital advertising drove awareness, while a mobile tour and retail POP own-the-aisle program were initiated to put product in installers’ hands. Customers’ enthusiastic reactions were captured and collected on a microsite (the most robust interactive experience USG has ever produced) that celebrated the technology behind the innovation, evangelised this new category through the voice of the customers, and shared in USG’s own excitement.
Timescales of the campaign
The campaign ran from July to September 2010
Results
The integrated campaign helped USG exceed first year sales goals by 100 per cent within six months of product launch and surpass a 10-year conversion goal by 24 per cent within nine months of launch. The adoption rate at The Home Depot also increased more than 25 per cent after launch, with the retailer selling one sheet of UltraLight for every three sheets of standard drywall. And nearly a year after launch, theweighthasbeenlifted.com continues to attract over 35,000 visitors a month. Additional media/PR results include: – online impressions: 1,990,306 – 1,273 articles and airings – 53,131,751 total
Client testimonial
Fareed Khan declaring, “This is the most creative marketing campaign I have seen in my career with USG.”
