Shelf Life
Making the leap from the TV screen to the retail aisles is all about your brand image.
Every entrepreneur's dream is to become an overnight
success, but what happens if sales explode before your brand image
is sharpened?
Before
In January 2002, Wendy Silver made her debut on QVC with her
salad-cutting invention, the Toss & Chop. It sold 13,000 units
in six minutes. She has since appeared on QVC 10 more times and
sold over 90,000 units. Her company, Silvermark, co-founded with
husband Michael, was unprepared for the avalanche of orders,
inquiries and press attention. They scurried to ramp up production,
create a Web site, develop marketing materials and introduce the
product through retail channels. Everything was done piecemeal. In
mid-2002, the Silvers realized they needed to create a consistent
brand image.
During
Selling through QVC, the product had a shipping box, not a
market-driven package. The Silvers consulted with Doyle Partners to
help determine a brand identity. They concluded that Silvermark
stood for longevity and quality. Vivid colors like orange would
help with shelf pop, but clash with the company's image. They
developed a clear, semi-circular package with a green background
that's versatile enough to display either on a shelf or on a
pegboard.
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The existing Web site proclaimed a message that didn't match
the product's sleek image. It told the story of Wendy's
rural upbringing in the Midwest and used old recipe cards to
portray a warm, homey feel. The Silvers worked with Vis-Com Inc. to
launch a revamped site with the same color palette as the retail
package. Instead of the folksy image, the new site tells the
company's story straightforwardly, starting with Wendy's
appearance on QVC.
After
Silvermark's new, unified brand image has enabled the company
to forecast unit sales of 400,000 for 2003. Remember: Creating an
appropriate image sometimes takes a little brand sharpening.
Elizabeth J. Goodgold
is CEO/chief nuancer of The Nuancing Group, a brand consulting firm
in San Diego, and author of the monthly newsletter Duh!
Marketing.
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