How to launch a new range on the market and build buy-in among the pros?
A clear value proposition, with a simple, clear and impactful message
A long-standing player in the world of plumbing and sanitary equipment, Nicoll recently unveiled a brand-new range of WC frames to breathe new life into its offering: VIRTUO®.
The range has been completely redesigned, both in terms of product design and by taking customer feedback into account to better meet customers' expectations, needs and uses. A “pioneering” first product on the low-carbon front – the VIRTUO® MIX – is the flagship of this new offering.
The objective? To get installers and specifiers to adopt the new offering, and to highlight the differentiation and added value of the VIRTUO® MIX: the 1st virtuous WC frame. And to achieve this, Nicoll called on the agency's expertise!
VIRTUO®: a new range name that carries real meaning
Committed to installation comfort and to the planet alike, VIRTUO® WC frames make no compromises!
VIRTUO® for VIRTUOUS
The name given to the range also refers to Nicoll's more virtuous environmental approach. The products feature “eco-design” – recycled materials, less metal than a standard frame – and reflect Nicoll's commitments to the low-carbon transition.
VIRTUO® for VIRTUOSITY
Virtuosity evokes the installer's art of fitting. Fast, simplified installation, greater fitting comfort and a smaller footprint are just some of the benefits offered by installing the new range's products, making everyday life easier for the pros.
By capitalising first on its pioneering “low-carbon” product, the manufacturer fully intends to convince specifiers and installers to change their habits in favour of the new VIRTUO® range.
Nicoll called on the agency's expertise to:
- Establish the communication territory for the new VIRTUO® range and manage the launch of VIRTUO® MIX
- Support and reassure the target audiences, getting them to try and adopt the new offering
- Highlight the differentiation and added value of the VIRTUO® MIX: the 1st virtuous WC frame
- Activate and roll out the communication campaign across the various target audiences to build buy-in and engagement
Challenge no. 1: breaking the codes to position VIRTUO® as a “gam(m)e changer”! 😉
On the WC frame market, communications had so far remained dull, technical and very “industrial”, with no perspective on the benefits offered to the target audiences – the very thing that could have brought a little differentiation and impact.
Nicoll and the agency quickly realised the need to take a stand with:
- a modern, differentiating and impactful communication territory
- a fresh tone that breaks the sector's codes
- a positioning strategy based on proximity, moving from “industrial supplier” to “partner in success”
Challenge no. 2: striking the right balance to anchor the message over several years
The products in the new VIRTUO® range have different characteristics and benefits, and will be rolled out gradually over several years. The challenges for the target audiences are significant: they will need to be supported and reassured.
That is why the agency defined a communication territory that is neither too “marked” nor too “divisive”: it leaves room for each product to express itself within the range. The communication itself had to be impactful, yes, but above all clear, timeless, easy to tell over several years and simple to adapt across the products and their associated sales arguments.
Challenge no. 3: in the face of information overload, a need for clarity and simplicity in the message
We're not telling you anything new: the market is saturated with communications. It gives manufacturers less and less visibility when they speak up, while target audiences are increasingly resistant to advertising messages and overly conceptual constructions. Add to that the greenwashing trend against a backdrop of decarbonisation in the construction industry, and you run the risk of losing your audiences along the way.
So Nicoll and the agency had to redouble their efforts to establish the new range of WC frames. Forget the big advertising campaign to “create a buzz”: here, the communications adopt a proof-based message, deliberately frugal and pared-back, to carry the “virtuoso and virtuous” range!
A visual territory that plays on the dual “virtuous / virtuoso” dynamic
- The campaign's visual territory is split by a block of colour to symbolise the two parts of the product (frame) and the dual “good for the body / good for the planet” benefit.
- The colours and the virtuous circle illustrate the brand's more virtuous environmental approach, bringing clarity to the message and visual impact.
- The range's logotype is built on two axes, reflecting the dual “virtuous / virtuoso” dynamic of the message, and adopts a virtuous circle to demonstrate the range's ambition: “Committed to installation comfort and to the planet alike”.
- The circular motif runs as a graphic thread throughout the communication, across the various media.
A 360° activation plan to engage target audiences and build buy-in
A clearer value proposition, an impactful graphic territory, a clear message… But what about the rollout? To give the campaign strong visibility and establish the VIRTUO® range on its market, the agency also devised a 360° plan deployed across all touchpoints and aimed at the various target audiences:
- Press advertisements
- Emailing
- Leaflet
- Presentation video
- Roll-up banner
- Roadbook for the sales force (internal)
- POS and in-store displays in builders' merchants
Need advice on the best way to establish your new range on a market and structure your approach to your target audiences? Would you like to showcase the full strength and added value of your solutions once again? Good news: you're in the right place!
The Convergence agency specialises in these issues on the housing and construction markets.
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Virginie Q. Operational Marketing & Communications Manager
Convergence imagined and delivered the tools best suited to the launch of our Elixair range, thanks to their knowledge of our sector, the quality of their work and their ability to push our thinking ever further. A true partnership of equals where we challenge each other to keep improving!
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Thanks to Convergence's expertise in the construction sector, we were able to move forward much faster, developing tools perfectly suited to the specific needs of our B2B audience.
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Convergence has supported us for 5 years, on one-off projects as much as on more strategic challenges. Their knowledge of the sector, of our clients and of our challenges is genuine added value, and our collaboration grows richer project after project.
Aurélie B. Client Marketing and Communications Manager
The Convergence teams supported us in defining and structuring our new range. They helped us design a universe, messages and tools perfectly suited to our target audience, to convey the key information clearly and powerfully.
Alexandre P. Product, Communications and Digital Manager
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Nadine C. & Marion C. Marketing and Communications Officers
A great day-to-day collaboration: the team immediately understood the PUM universe, while bringing innovative ideas to the table. Special thanks to Véronique for the quality of our exchanges and her responsiveness, which make projects smooth and efficient.
Lea C. Commercial Communications Officer
Working with Convergence makes a real difference on the various topics that concern us as a construction manufacturer. We don't need to train them — they already know the market.
Stefen W. Communications Officer
A responsive, available and highly rigorous team, with solid expertise in the construction sector and consistently sound advice. Their creative approach gave our catalogue a real boost. A big thank you to the whole Convergence team for their commitment and the quality of this great collaboration.
Lauren C. Publishing Manager
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Juliette T. Communications Manager
When the time came to unveil our new brand platform, Convergence found just the right words to create a clear, impactful identity for us. Clients and employees alike embraced it immediately.
Priscille T. Operational Marketing Manager
Attentiveness, responsiveness, expertise and creativity are the words that best sum up our collaboration with Convergence. The agency has supported JELD-WEN in developing the brand for several years and has created a genuine campaign tone that quickly became the brand's signature.
Anne R. Marketing and Communications Manager
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