PDS FINANCIAL CASE STUDY
GOAL: Increase market awareness and generate inquiries
BACKGROUND: PDS refurbished and re-marketed gaming equipment. Their products were often bundled as a component of a comprehensive equipment solution, and many of their customers utilized leasing options offered by the company. Their target market was cost-conscious gaming management. The market was dominated by OEM’s who offered financing packages (including leasing) on new equipment. As a re-manufacturer, PDS products were very affordable compared to the competition. Competitor's ads showed product beauty shots and touted product features.
SPECIFICS:
A series of print ads was created to appear in trade magazines aimed at gaming management. The visuals were designed to stand out amongst a field of competing ads and editorial content that usually pictured product and technology visuals. The copy was crafted to drive home the cost-efficiency message.
RESULTS: high recall ratings, greatly increased client awareness and increased inquiries.
POSTSCRIPT: The arresting approach that made the campaign effective also made the client's spouse uncomfortable. So, the client abandoned the campaign. I've discovered over the years that client decisions aren't always rational.
PROFOUND SOUND CASE STUDY
GOAL: Successfully launch new retail store
BACKGROUND: The Wichita, Kansas market was already home to several established music instrument and sound reinforcement retailers. These were all "mom and pop" operations with a long history, but with a dated, conservative image. The client concurred with the importance of establishing a differentiated look for every aspect of the operation.
SPECIFICS:
Beginning with the logo, every component of ProFound Sound & Music was designed to present a clean, contemporary, and most important — consistent image to the public. Before beginning the project, I met with the client over an extensive period of time to ensure their commitment to an open, well-lit floor plan offering an impressive array of merchandise. This commitment included trained and experienced staff that provided an answer source for customers of all skill levels, and lessons available for any instrument in private sound-proof rooms.
I designed the floor plan for the entire 5,000 sq. ft. store, including the "back of the house" areas; Interior design and graphics; signage; price tags; promotional components; newspaper and magazine advertising; billboards; TV and radio spots; and a 48-page mail order catalog.
RESULTS:
The store was an instant success. Despite its location in the far East suburbs, customers routinely traveled to the store. Much of the music instruments industry operates on a "dealership" model, with only a single outlet available in each market. ProFound's success garnered them multiple new dealership agreements, often at the expense of their competitors. Within 2 years, an additional 3,000 sq. ft. was added to the store. Eventually, the success of the mail order business resulted in the original client selling out their interest to other investors.
YOUNG PRESIDENT'S ORGANIZATION CASE STUDY
GOAL: Produce a cost-efficient recruitment tool that reflects the exclusive nature of the organization and reflects localized content for the Los Angeles Chapter
BACKGROUND:
The client is the local chapter of a national social, networking, and educational organization that desires to recruit selected high-level executives. Previously, general materials from the national office were used. Local inserts were generated and placed in a pocket folder shell along with general informational brochures. The Los Angeles chapter desired a piece that would resonate strongly with southern California candidates and have a message aimed at recruiting new members, not just providing information. As this piece had not been planned for in the organization's budget, cost efficiencies were very important.
SPECIFICS:
The mechanics of the brochure were simple — standard multipage saddle-stiched booklet. The form factor was a bit unusual (11" tall x 5.5" wide), but nothing outrageous. To minimize costs, all photography was royalty-free stock. The limited budget was thus applied to photo manipulation and artistic montage rather than image acquisition. The triangle pyramid of the organization's logo was utilized to strongly brand the entire brochure, and link it directly to other YPO printed pieces.
SUPERPAWN CASE STUDY
GOAL: increase loan base
BACKGROUND:
Although this chain of 50+ locations in three states enjoyed a significant retail business, a large percentage of their business continued to be the interest fees on consumer loans. The pawn business is strictly regulated in all of the states where SuperPawn operated stores. With regulations limiting the ability to offer financial incentives to potential loan customers, and with a finite amount of demand, it was determined that the best opportunity to increase the volume of loan business was offered in promoting the superior SuperPawn customer experience in the hopes of luring loan customers away from competitors.
SPECIFICS: A series of :30 and :15 second TV spots was created to present SuperPawn as a "different" kind of pawn operation. The spots featured unknown actors portraying real customer experiences. Simple, interview-style comments about the ease of the process and the friendliness and efficiency of the staff, along with gentle reminders of the situations where a collateral loan offers a valuable option for borrowers.
The spots ran for six weeks, primarily on fringe network, prime time cable and daytime talk and soaps. A total of $55,000 was spent for media and production.
RESULT: Just over $1 million in new loan revenues in the twelve-week period beginning with the initiation of the campaign. Historically for SuperPawn, on average, each dollar loaned results in a dollar in profit over the space of 12 months. Thus, $1million in new loans translates into $1 million added to the bottom line profit for the year. Needless to say, the client was pleased.
GRAPHEX CASE STUDY
GOAL: Increase entries in annual design competition hosted by the Graphic Communication Society of Oklahoma
BACKGROUND:
Design and advertising competition Call for Entries pieces are usually showcases for artistic vision — an elaborate illustrative, photographic or graphic tour de force to satisfy the ego of the creator. Instead of that, this campaign was designed to stand out in a crowded field. The client's show competed with four other competitions locally and several strong regional shows. Past Calls for Entries consisted of a large full-color poster with rules and information printed on the back. A sample entry form and manifest were printed on the back, for photocopy reproduction by the entrant. The poster was then rolled and placed in a tube for mailing. Local suppliers provided the printing and paper free of charge in return for a printed credit. The hard costs for the program were postage and mailing tubes.
SPECIFICS:
For the first time, the rules and information were removed from the back of the poster and printed in a separate booklet, allowing the poster to function as a poster promoting the event when hung in offices. The poster was specifically designed to be folded, so it could be placed in an envelope along with the entry materials. Instead of requiring the entrant to photocopy duplicate entry forms and manifests, multiple carbonless forms were provided. The poster design eschewed the traditional "Call for Entries" message in favor of a simple whimsical instruction. The postage costs to mail this more robust entry package were slightly higher than previous years, but eliminating the cost of the mailing tubes used for the rolled posters more than offset the difference, resulting in a net savings.
RESULTS: 40% increase in the number of entries over previous four-year average, plus a hard cost savings