Brother International

Situation: The new president of a high-tech multinational’s home-appliance division sought to revitalize unit’s visibility and increase sales.

Goals: Increase brand awareness among distributors, retailers and consumers; stimulate appetite among consumers for replacement products, upgrades and accessories.

Challenges: Brand’s signature durability capped sales of replacement units. Core customers lacked interest in technological innovations. Division’s relationships with distributors needed improvement. Media interest in sewing and embroidery machine industry was nonexistent.

Strategy: We sought to reposition client as entertainment brand rather than consumer appliance manufacturer. In tandem with Brother’s advertising agency, we conceived a P.R. strategy targeting younger prospective users. In media pitches we targeted high-tech consumer reporters, emphasizing ‘wow’ factor of such features as conversion of digital photos into personal embroidery patterns. Another campaign, aimed at current customers, promoted increased functionality via replacement models. We also pitched client’s new line of embroidery patches featuring Disney and Pixar movie characters, and pegged stories around hit TV shows like “Project Runway.”

To tell these stories through media interviews we identified, recruited and coached articulate dealers and enthusiastic customer brand champions. We also secured key media interviews for our client, a gifted speaker.

Addressing channel concerns, we helped client improve communications with distributors and retailers. To boost attendance at client’s annual distributor convention, we developed enhanced Web site features and created pre-event marketing materials around channel issues. We helped client form key new relationships at convention.

Impact: Hits in major national media including Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio; increased coverage in hobbyist media; brand-focused articles in trade media; and new relationships with mass market publications. In tandem with new advertising campaign and improved channel relationships, these efforts helped drive sales by raising brand awareness among channel partners, core customers and new users.