How Advertising Helped Brand Wesley Allen
CHALLENGE
What can a high-end manufacturer do when their product line is threatened by Chinese imports? That was the challenge facing Wesley Allen, the number one iron bed manufacturer in America. Consumers would see Wesley Allen iron beds and then see a similar looking bed elsewhere for half the price. Wesley Allen, who manufacturers their iron beds in Los Angeles with skilled craftsmen, could not compete with overseas laborers who are paid much less. What is a manufacturer to do? Use truth in advertising to tell your side of the story.
SOLUTION
Grabiner/Hall, Wesley Allen’s agency on record, used a proven formula to sell the upscale iron beds in the same vein as a luxury car. When people buy an $80,000 car they do so for a reason. Not to get from point A to B, but more for the unsurpassed quality and status the expensive car offers. “We took that logic and transpired similar messaging and attitudes to educate the industry and consumers. We created and developed a big advertising campaign anchored around the theme ‘Romantic Beds for Life, which conveys how the beds are durable and create a stylish focal point to bedrooms,” said Lenn Grabiner, GH creative director.
Full page and half page ads ran in consumer and shelter publications such as: Elle Décor, Home,Metropolitan Home, Old House Interiors, Romantic Home, Victorian Homes, Cottage Style, Country Almanac, Country Decorating Ideas, Romantic Country, Traditional Home, Southern Accents, and House Beautiful. The headline: ‘Any other bed is simply a compromise’ captures reader’s attention with the beautiful ad layout showing the luxury bed in elegant settings. The ad copy explains how consumers can customized the Wesley Allen bed of their choice with more than 100 timeless designs and 30-hand applied finishes. Adding an incentive to enter to win free flowers for a year with Web link or toll free number, ensured a successful ad campaign that was easily trackable via GH’s Campaign Center, for the client.
RESULTS
GH’s approach was to solidify Wesley Allen’s position as leaders so they stand apart from the imports and directly educate consumers who may be thinking of purchasing a premiere iron bed. The advertising strategy hit target. The publications that pulled the most from the ad campaign were: Romantic Home, Metropolitan Home, and House Beautiful (which GH tried for the first time in the ad buy). These magazines generated the most Web hits (24,000 monthly) and toll free calls for Wesley Allen. The ad campaign created buzz with consumers and within the industry, officially thrusting Wesley Allen into the world of “branded” products. At the most recent High Point Show in late October, the industry home furnishing convention, WA sales were up in the high single digits. The best part was the recognition within the home furnishing trades. When reporters wrote about Wesley Allen, they always used the reference “style leader” to describe the premiere iron bed manufacturer. In their three years of partnership, GH was able to transform the Wesley Allen brand, making it the most asked for iron bed in America. Clearly this manufacturer believes in the power of advertising.
Media Inquiries:
Kande Hall
Ph: 310.364.1100 ex106
Fx: 310.364.1222
Twitter: KandeHall
Email: Kande@grabinerhall.com