Case Studies
Shearer’s Potato Chips
Assignment
Shearer’s Potato Chips were already a well-known brand in northeast ohio, but their exposure was mainly limited to grocery stores. MACS was contracted to raise both the brand’s profile and its sales figures by helping the company gain a footprint in local convenience stores.
Solution
MACS began the assignment by doing some first-person research with the “gatekeepers” of local convenience stores - the cashiers/stock personnel. We discovered that space was highly coveted within each convenience store and that store employees were willing to help create “a little extra space” for certain brands given the right circumstances. In order to take advantage of that limited footprint and highlight Shearer’s Chips within the already saturated potato chip market, MACS developed the “Snack Shack.” This stand-alone shelving unit held only Shearer’s Potato Chips best-selling products (as determined by store-by-store research) and was at the center of an in-store marketing effort to motivate buyers that consisted of floor signage, counter cards, register mats, shelf talkers, end cap displays and ceiling danglers. To add an exclamation point to the Shearer’s campaign, MACS gave all cashiers and stock personnel Shearer’s Potato Chips T-shirts that directed buyers to the Snack Shack.
Result
At the launch of the campaign, Shearer’s Potato Chips quickly broke into the convenience store market. MAC’s Snack Shack and in-store advertising campaign dramatically increased name recognition in the northeast Ohio marketplace. As a result of the expanded growth and name recognition, Shearer’s enjoyed over 20% growth in the first year following MAC’s successful campaign.
First & Main Hudson
Assignment
First & Main Hudson is a charming, multi-use suburban center featuring shopping, dining, upscale office space and gracious living accommodations. While locals frequented First & Main on a regular basis, it was important to the growth and perpetuation of the development to expand the market base. MACS was challenged with the task of raising name recognition and store sales by bringing in shoppers from outside of the Hudson community. In addition, MACS was asked to enhance the branding and exposure of Taste of Hudson with the goal of increasing attendance.
Solution
To accomplish this lofty goal, MACS undertook a multi-tiered approach consisting of traditional and non-traditional advertising and marketing. There was no question that a print, radio and television campaign were in order, but cutting through the clutter to bring new consumers to First & Main was essential. That called for some beyond-the-box thinking. To create a media splash, MACS leveraged its media connections and teamed with local television station WKYC Channel 3 to launch a makeover contest/campaign. Three families were selected out of hundreds that applied to enter into a competition to lose weight. The families were given a total makeover consisting of haircuts, wardrobes and even braces for their kids (all provided by First & Main merchants.) Meanwhile, the viewing public watched their progress nightly on Channel 3 and voted online for the family they wanted to win. In addition, a social networking campaign was launched on Facebook that brought the public into the world of their favorite family and exposed them to the merchants of First & Main.
Result
MACS' media contacts and the multi-tiered campaign paid off in spades. Consumers who hadn't experienced First & Main Hudson before were exposed to a variety of stores and restaurants as well as numerous public events. In the end, MACS succeeded in boosting sales at some of the merchant stores as well as increasing the number of attendees coming to the annual Taste of Hudson from outside the immediate area.
Dexter Laundry
Assignment
Dexter Laundry had been selling commercial laundry equipment worldwide for over 100 years when their sales began to lag behind projections. While their equipment was regularly rated the best in the business, the global market had changed - foreign markets were growing at a rapid pace and, for some reason, Dexter’s typical sales strategies were falling flat. To combat the situation with a unique solution that would rescue their sales figures, Dexter contacted MACS.
Solution
After conducting extensive research in numerous national and international markets, MACS discovered that it was a very simple problem that was holding back Dexter’s sales. The company’s sales strategy called for selling “100% Dexter facilities” - yet the company had no way of showing what a 100% Dexter facility would look like. Nor did they have the facts to demonstrate the advantages of such a financial outlay. MACS developed a new sales brochure for Dexter that opened up like a children’s pop-up book. Instead of kid’s characters, a 100% Dexter facility comprised of their stainless steel washers and driers popped up and out of the brochure. Cut-a-ways inside the brochure showed the inside of the equipment, demonstrating its superior technology. The new brochure was rolled out at the international “Clean Trade Show” that was attended by purchasing managers of practically every user of commercial laundry products in the world.
Result
The new sales brochure was a total success. Sales figured following the Clean Trade Show revealed an 18% increase. With continued use of the new sales brochure of the following year, Dexter’s sales continued to climb - helping the company reclaim its position as the #1 commercial laundry manufacturer in the world.