Outdoor living was beginning to boom. Deckorators, known for unique deck accessories, saw an opportunity to strengthen their brand by expanding into composite decking. The brand also had designs on making their distribution footprint nationwide within five years. However, the decking market already had established, deep-pocketed competition familiar to homeowners. So if Deckorators wanted to increase awareness of their brand and product offering, they needed to do so in a smart and efficient way.
Brand identity guide.
To solidify their brand as a major player in the marketplace for years to come, Deckorators partnered with PM to build a robust go-to-market plan that would serve as the foundation for ongoing, strategic public relations and paid media efforts.
Key publication features.
Given the competition’s high brand recognition and deep resources, Deckorators wouldn’t take decking market mindshare overnight. Winning with homeowners would require a well-defined and disciplined approach focused on areas where a strong reputation mattered most. PM customer journey research revealed decking to be a game of trust. Homeowners trust their contractor to recommend decking products that create a beautiful, long-lasting outdoor space and contractors trust their dealers to supply products that will make clients happy advocates for years. So, PM helped Deckorators craft and execute a strategy to build familiarity — and that all-important trust — through the channels. Relying heavily on efficient PR and paid media, the PM solution began with emphasis on the influential dealer segment before shifting focus to the powerful contractor audience. By building a reputation for design leadership, product innovation and outstanding customer support in the trades, Deckorators would gain the recognition needed to add dealers, recruit more Certified Pros and ultimately grow into a better-known brand with the power to achieve the coveted national distribution footprint and target consumers.
PR and media placements led to a growth in contractor engagement and market share.
Supported by years of industry-leading Share of Voice in the trades, Deckorators jumped four spots in brand familiarity among pros and increased its Certified Pro contractor program membership 25 times over. Major retailers took note of the brand’s trade emergence, and in 2019, Lowe’s began to offer most of the Deckorators product line across the U.S. Riding all this momentum, Deckorators entered 2020 as the fastest-growing brand in outdoor living with 30% projected growth compared to an 8% growth rate for the market.
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