Wesley Allen Revisited
Six months ago we told you about the successful marketing campaign to re-brand Wesley Allen, a premiere iron bed manufacturer. They brought Grabiner/Hall in to step up their efforts and create a strong brand, positioning Wesley Allen’s core products as the ultimate in romantic beds for life. Grabiner/Hall did a complete re-design and launch of their Web site, and produced new marketing materials.
CHALLENGE
For the fourth quarter, Wesley Allen wanted to reach designers and distributors to create buzz for their products as they headed into the industry’s largest home furnishings trade show in “High Point,” October 10-19. The company also wanted to make a big splash with the launch of the brand new Wesley Allen Building/Showroom, over 13,000 square feet dedicated to the world’s finest iron beds manufactured in the U.S., located conveniently at 100 N. Hamilton Street High Point.
It was a first for Wesley Allen. The company had moved out of the huge High Point Tradeshow building and purchased a new building close by. Now, it was show time and the Wesley Allen Building/Showroom was ready for its debut.
THE B-to-B SOLUTION
To help Wesley Allen achieve their goal at High Point, Grabiner/Hall developed a business-to-business direct mail campaign, incorporating a handsome brochure invitation mailed to distributors and another targeted to interior designers. The mailer highlighted the three distinctive lines within theWesley Allen Group of products, and introduced the new brick and mortar Showroom at High Point. Distributors and interior designers were invited to visit the Showroom, enjoy a complimentary meal, view the elegant bed lines and enter a drawing for a free Apple iPod. The invitation also directed interior designers to log onto the Wesley Allen Web site to check out the new Designer Section created just for them with a virtual catalog of the product line, and password protection. GH also designed large, visually striking graphics adorning the outside of the new WA Building/Showroom ensuring all eyes would take notice while they were attending High Point.
THE B-to-C SOLUTION
To reach consumers, GH created a series of differently-themed print ads with strategic buys in leading home décor magazines, and a free giveaway for visiting the Wesley Allen Web site. Each ad had a URL specific to track all Web site traffic resulting from each media buy. The consumer was directed to a landing page where they could click for more product information and enter to win free flowers a month for a year. The ads ran in Elle Décor, Romantic Home, Metropolitan, Southern Accents, Home, Cottage Style, Old House Interiors, Country Decorating Ideas, Romantic Country, Country Almanac, and Victorian Homes, to name a few.
RESULTS
The mission at High Point was to re-launch the exclusive, top of the line “Amanda Sutton” brand, ensure a strong presence and build traffic for the debut of the WA Building/Showroom, and elevate the status of Wesley Allen beds within the industry. The theme line “Undeniable Wesley Allen” carries the mood of the upscale product line and creates excitement of their undisputed quality and beauty.
Just three days into the October High Point Show, Lenn Grabiner, GH principal and creative director, received a call from the client applauding the opening of the Wesley Allen Building/Showroom. “It’s a true testimony of success when the client tells you that while the attendance at the High Point Show was down 25 percent, their traffic at the new WA Building/Showroom was up 30 percent from previous shows. But the biggest news was learning that one of their largest former buyers now wanted to carry the Wesley Allen brand of upscale beds. We went in to elevate their status within the industry and it sounds like mission accomplished, “said Grabiner with a smile.
Media Inquiries:
Kande Hall
Ph: 310.364.1100 ex106
Fx: 310.364.1222
Twitter: KandeHall
Email: Kande@grabinerhall.com