case studies

Challenge #1:  Promoting Wild Alaska Seafood

The goal of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute was to promote Alaska seafood to support the fisherman and processors in the State of Alaska.  Seafood contributes approximately 30% of the revenue for Alaska.  By building impressions, we gained awareness and highlighted the benefits of buying "Alaska" and the health benefits of seafood in general.  While budgets remained relatively stable, Carol Merry Marketing Services took Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute from 92,725,325 impressions to 502,183,182 impressions over a 3-year period.  We employed a media mix of magazine, digital, paid search and radio station traffic reports -- running across the United States.

Challenge #2:  The Outlet Collection:  Breaking through for a Grand Opening

The challenge was to get attention for a mall that had been overlooked in the Northwest for a number of years. The SuperMall had lost it's identity and was in need of its $35 Million makeover.  Now re-branded as exclusively an outlet mall, we needed to break through in a market cluttered with competition.  The intensive   

3-week media campaign built up to a high frequency media buy in television, radio, web, outdoor, direct mail, magazine and social media.  And press coverage.  We negotiated promotional tie-ins with every media partner, including tie-ins with Evening Magazine and New Day Northwest, a makeover of KZOK's Danny Bonaduce, Michael Bublé ticket giveaway, and tie-ins with all participating radio stations. The client had asked that we increase the media value by 30% through value-added promotions and bonus media negotiated into the media buy.  Each medium was required to provide promotional or value-added support.  

The result: we broke through the clutter and our target audience in the NW became aware of The Outlet Collection Grand Unveiling.  Facebook "likes" doubled, subsequent holiday sales boomed.

Challenge #3:  IKEA Must Entice Those Who Haven’t Shopped

The IKEA Seattle store was extremely successful, but research showed that 46% of the market had not shopped IKEA; 40% had not shopped IKEA but “would be willing to.”  By gaining more visitors who had not been to IKEA, sales could continue to grow – our goal was to reach that 40% and get them to visit.  Preliminary research showed that the 40% who “had not shopped but would be willing to” were primarily located in areas outside King County .  The suspicion was that location issues, such as “too far away,” “not sure where it is,” etc, were the reasons they were not shopping. 

    •  A tracking study validated these theories 

   •  More IKEA Catalogs and fliers were distributed in these areas 

   •  Kids Club events were planned in Tacoma

   •  A special animated commercial with Ingemar giving directions while 

      driving down the highway to IKEA claimed “It’s Worth the Trip” 

   •  Additional commercials were run only on Pierce and Kitsap County cable
      networks with Ingemar prodding “You mean you haven’t been to IKEA yet?”

Result:  The next round of IKEA research showed that the "those who had not shopped IKEA but would be willing to" had moved from 40% to only 27% and those who never shopped IKEA moved from 46% to 30%.  

Challenge #4:   Sylvan Needs to Improve Inquiries in a Saturated Market

Sylvan Learning Centers Co-op of Puget Sound is one of the most successful in the country.  Still, revenues were flat.  There was a hope that new national television creative would help, but with years of media saturation in this market, this co-op needed something more.  We worked very hard with the account executives at KING 5 and KONG TV to come up with a new campaign that would help promote Sylvan.  A special promotion was developed -- “Teachers Who Make a Difference."

  •  A promo featuring Grant Goodeve encouraged on-line essay entries for
     inspiring  teachers

  •  Judges selected four teachers who were featured in television promos 

Result:   The inquiries for the Puget Sound Co-op were increased 16% during the promo time-period, while the US results were significantly down during that time-period.  And the success of this program was felt in more ways than inquiries and sales:

  •   By responding back to the e-entrants, each center gained new contacts

  •   Sylvan centers have had the opportunity to honor other teachers who were
      nominated for the award but did not win, resulting in positive in-roads with 

      dozens of schools throughout the Northwest.

Challenge #5:   IKEA Catalog Drop

The distribution of the IKEA Catalog each year was the single largest marketing effort for the company.  Over the years, the distribution (through newspaper insert and mail) had been fine-tuned to the carrier-route level.  A support media mix of postcards in outlying areas, television, radio (with several station promotions), e-blasts, and other promotional efforts has resulted in millions of dollars for August sales.  The Catalog drop of needed to be a success.

  •  We shortened the drop and marketing period to two weeks instead of three

  •  All facets of the drop were examined and fine-tuned

  •  New television commercials were created with a more straight-forward     

     message to "look for the Catalog"

  •  We added GoMobile mobile advertising with display of the furniture featured on   
    the catalog cover, and scrolling graphics promoting catalog items.  Catalogs

     were distributed from the mobile vehicle.

Result:  This Seattle IKEA Catalog drop surpassed all previous years, with sales increases of 5%.  The GoMobile display received a national Obie Award of Merit.

Challenge #6:   IKEA Needs to Reach Households with Children 

Research showed IKEA Seattle was under-delivering households with children.  The store owners were perplexed and concerned.  A shift in marketing strategy ensued which included the following: 

  •  Radio and television buy shifted to reach families

  •  Creative changed from a more edgy campaign to more family-friendly 

  •  Kids Club was started at the Seattle store (it grew to 30,000+ members)

  •  Sponsorships aired on PBS children's programming to promote the Kids Club

Result:  Over the next three years, the households with children shopping IKEA nearly doubled, and IKEA passed its number one competitor.  (Source: Scarborough)