How do you relaunch a range in an ultra-competitive market?
Creating preference among tradespeople by turning a technical task into a source of pleasure.
A jointing compound market under pressure
On the jointing compound market, product differentiation is virtually impossible. Every player offers similar ranges: same setting times, French manufacturing, certifications. The battle is fought on price, application habits and brand attachment.
Faced with aggressive competition, Placo® – a Saint-Gobain group brand and the historic leader in plaster-based solutions – decided to reformulate its entire Placojoint® range: new formulas co-developed with partner companies and tested on more than 100 worksites before launch. It is against this backdrop that our communications agency specialising in the construction industry and housing was tasked with designing and rolling out the launch campaign.
BrandPlaco Saint-Gobain
SectorHousing / Interior fit-out
BusinessPlaster-based solutions – boards, renders, mortars
Website placo.fr
Jointing is a repetitive, demanding task that is rarely celebrated. Nobody dreams of filling joints. And yet, when the compound glides better, bubbles less, sands more easily and delivers a whiter, finer finish, the application experience changes completely.
That is where the creative insight came from: if the new formula is this pleasant to use, you would almost want to do more of it... just for the pleasure of it.
The concept? Tradespeople who, instead of simply treating their joints, draw with the compound on the plasterboard – a dinosaur (pleasure), a heart (emotion), a trophy (pride). A free, creative, unexpected gesture that literally embodies the rediscovered pleasure of the craft. A creative side-step that breaks with the usual codes of jointing compound communications, generally centred on cold, interchangeable product arguments.
A 360° programme, from builders' merchants to digital
For a range reformulation not to go unnoticed, you have to be everywhere the tradesperson is: at the builders' merchant when they buy, on their social media when they scroll, in their inbox when they catch up on news. Convergence designed an action plan structured around three complementary pillars.
At the point of sale, a full POS display programme was produced to occupy builders' merchants with strong visual impact and a lasting presence: elliptical totems, counter-top displays, leaflets, 40x60 posters and pallet wraps.
In digital, a multichannel media plan was rolled out to extend the campaign's reach well beyond the point of sale. The agency produced all the creative assets: social media adaptations in every format (posts, stories, banners), a takeover of the Placo® website homepage, emailing visuals and press advertisements. The campaign was relayed through Meta advertising, display ads targeting tradespeople's web journeys, a specialist construction industry media programme and social media.
Finally, an events strand rounded off the programme with technical mornings organised by the sales force, boosting the campaign's visibility among tradespeople and distributors.
RESULTS
A range relaunched, a brand strengthened among the trade
With « Juste pour le plaisir » (“just for the pleasure of it”), Placo® is not communicating about a mere formula improvement. The brand repositions itself as the partner of the tradesperson's craft, the one that understands daily life on the worksite and puts application quality at the heart of its promise.
The 360° programme allows the campaign to live on over time and across every touchpoint.
This project illustrates a specific area of expertise of Convergence, a communications agency specialising in the building, construction and housing sectors: knowing how to make a technical product desirable by finding the creative angle that speaks to tradespeople, and orchestrating an omnichannel campaign calibrated for the specialist distribution channel.
Would you like to relaunch a range or create preference among construction tradespeople?
Our finest collaborations, told by the people who know them best
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
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
Convergence provides us with high-quality support, delivered by a responsive and fully committed team. Their excellent understanding of our challenges and specific needs, combined with their creativity and ability to deliver, is a real asset.
Eugénie C. Communications Manager
In CONVERGENCE we found much more than a marketing agency: a true strategic partner, able to understand our challenges, take ownership of our objectives and turn them into impactful campaigns, always delivered with professionalism, creativity and positive energy.
Nadine C. & Marion C. Marketing and Communications Officers
Since I arrived in the construction sector, working with Convergence has been a real asset. Their understanding of the market and its customers, their creativity and the quality of their support bring genuine added value to our campaigns. A trusted partner who is a pleasure to work with.
Valentine G. Marketing Manager
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
Beyond the support we receive throughout a project, what is particularly valuable when working with Convergence is the upstream phase: they take the time to analyse the environment and the target audiences, and to take a step back. That is very important for our strategic projects!
Nicolas B. Client Marketing and Training 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
Thank you for your support — a successful campaign on every level, with KPIs that put a big smile on our faces 🤩
Anaïs G. Digital Specialist
Convergence has been able to adapt to our organisation and has become a genuine day-to-day support as a hyper-specialist in communication for the construction industry.
Maxime B. Communications, Marketing and Specification Manager
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.
Rami J. Marketing and Communications Director
Working with Convergence means being able to put yourself in the hands of an enthusiastic, efficient team that understands our business challenges perfectly. Thank you for bringing our projects to life.
Alizée E. B2B2C Marketing Project Manager
Convergence's specialisation makes all the difference! I particularly appreciate their responsiveness, their ability to listen and the thinking they bring to our projects. Their strategic and operational support makes for a valuable, effective collaboration.
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!
Katerina V. Global Communication Manager Pam Building
Convergence stands out for its agile, professional support, offering excellent expertise across all of our launch projects. Strategies are tailor-made to our objectives and communication is always transparent!
Juliette T. Communications Manager
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
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
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
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