You probably haven’t thought much about your bathroom- it’s not something that m

Question

You probably haven’t thought much about your bathroom- it’s not something that most of us get very inspired about. But you probably have a relationship with your bathroom unlike that with any other room in your house. It's where you start and end your day, primp and preen and admire yourself, escape from the rigors of everyday life, and do some of your best thinking. The marketers at American Standard, the plumbing fixtures giant, understand this often-overlooked but special little room. And that understanding led to the creation of a successful integrated marketing communications strategy.

Working with its ad agency, Carmichael Lynch, American Standard created a wonderfully warm and highly effective marketing campaign called "We want you to love your bathroom," The communications targeted men and women aged 25 to 54 from households planning to remodel bathrooms or replace fixtures. The campaign employed a carefully integrated mix of brand-image and direct-response media ads, direct mailings, and personal contacts to create a customer database, generate sales leads,. gently coax customers into its retail showrooms, and build sales and market share.

The campaign began with a series of humorous, soft-sell brand-image ads in magazines such as Home, House Beautiful, and Country Living, which are typically read by homeowners who are considering undertaking remodelling projects. Featuring simple but artistic shots of ordinary bathroom fixtures and scenes, the ads positioned American Standard as a company that understands the special relationships we have with our bathrooms. For example, one ad showed a white toilet and a partially unwound roll of toilet paper, artfully arranged in .a corner against plain blue-grey walls. "We're not in this business for the glory," proclaimed the headline. "Designing a toilet or sink may not be as glamorous as, say, designing a Maserati. But to us, it's every bit as important. After all, more people will be sitting on our seats than theirs."

Another ad showed the feet of a man standing on a white tile bathroom floor wearing his gdofy-rooking floppy-eared dog slippers. "The rest of the world thinks • you're a genius," noted the ad. But "after a long day of being brilliant, witty, and charming, it's nice just to be comfortable. The right bathroom understands. And accepts you unconditionally." Each simple but engaging ad included a toll-free phone number and Urged readers to call for a free guidebook "overflowing with products, ideas, and inspiration."

The communications goal of these brand-image ads was to position American Standard and its products, but when it came to generating responses, the company turned to coupon-like direct response ads that ran in the same magazines. One such ad noted, "You will spend seven years of your life in the bathroom. You will need a good book." Readers could obtain the free guidebook by mailing in the coupon or calling the toll-free number listed in the ad—and, of course, American Standard could measure the response.

Consumers who responded found that they'd taken the first step in a carefully orchestrated relationship-building venture. First, they received the entertaining, highly informative, picture-filled 30-page guidebook We Want You to. Love Your Bathroom, along with a folksy letter thanking them for their interest and noting the locations of nearby American Standard dealers. The guidebook's purpose was straightforward:

Walk into your bathroom, turn the knob and suddenly, for a moment or an hour, the world stops turning. You should love the place. If you don't, well, American Standard wants to further your relationship. Thumb through this book. In the bathroom, perhaps...." The guidebook was full of helpful tips on bathroom design, starting with answers to some simple questions: What kind of lavatory—what colour? The bathtub—how big? Big enough for two? The toilet—sleek one-piece or familiar two-piece? The faucet? "You'll fumble for it every morning, so be particular about how it operates." To spice things up, the guidebook also contained loads of entertaining facts and trivia. An example: Did you know that "you will spend seven years in your bathroom ... here's hoping your spouse doesn't sneak in first!" Another example: "During the Middle Ages, Christianity preached that to uncover your skin, even to bathe it, was an invitation to sin. Thank heavens for perfume. These days, we average about 4 baths or 7.5 showers a week." And, of course, the booklet contained plenty of information on American Standard products, along with a tear-out card that prospective customers could return to obtain more detailed guides and product catalogues. •

Other marketing communications sent to the consumer, by request, from American Standard included a series of "Bathroom Reading" bulletins, each containing information on specific bathroom design issues. For example, one issue contained information and tips on how to make a bathroom safer; another offered "10 neat ways to save water."

The "call to action" in all these integrated marketing communications elements was either to telephone a toll-free number to request more information or to return a coupon or fill in a form to request more information. Every time a prospective customer requested more information from American Standard, that person's contact details went into American Standard's customer database. This data was then sorted and organized into "leads"---lists of interested customers—which were given to American Standard's sales representatives, their distributors, and kitchen and bath dealers, to follow up on.

The key was to get customers who'd made inquiries to come into the showroom. Not long after making their inquiries, prospective customers would receive either -a postcard in the mail or a phone call from a local dealer's showroom consultant, who extended a personal invitation to visit, see American Standard products first-hand, and discuss bathroom designs. Thus, the integrated marketing communications program built relationships not just with buyers but with dealers as well.

American Standard's "We want you to love your bathroom" campaign also did wonders for the company's positioning and performance. After the campaign began, American Standard's plumbing division experienced steady increases in sales and earnings. The campaign generated tens of thousands of qualified leads for local showrooms. Market research conducted by the company after the campaign showed that consumer perceptions of American Standard and its products shifted from "boring and institutional" to well designed and loaded with "personal spirit." According to Bob Srenaski, group vice-president of marketing at American Standard, the campaign "totally repositioned our company and established a momentum and winning spirit that is extraordinary?' Says Joe Summary, an account manager at Carmichael Lynch, "the campaign was incredible. It gave American Standard and its products a more personal face, one that's helped us to build closer relationships with customers and dealers. From the first ad to the last contact with our dealers, the campaign was designed to help customers create bathrooms they'd love."

Hi chegg team this is a case for our assignment need answers out of this case. questions are given below. Every answer should be of between 200-300 words and I want at least two paragraphs for each answer.

1. American Standard products are available in Canada. If you were a media planner, which Canadian medium vehicles would you choose for traditional print & TV advertising? Justify your choices in terms of target marketing.

2. Which forms of direct response marketing were used in the campaign? What was the desired response and how would AS have measured it.?

3. If the ‘We want you to love your bathroom’ campaign were re-created today what forms of new mediums that address Qs 1 & 2 would you recommend and why?

Explanation / Answer

Answer 1:

If I were a media planner and I have to advertise that American Standard products are also available in Canada; the medium vehicle that I will choose for traditional print & TV advertising would include following:

In order to deliver the desired message to targeted audience I would use local network affiliate stations for as a medium vehicles for advertising the message about the availability of American Standard products in Canada for T.V. advertising.In order to spread the clear message I would rather use one or two from the niche cable networks.

For using traditional print vehicle I would use Community newspapers in order to transmit message to local audience.It is important to transfer a clear message to target audience, for this we can design integrated marketing communications program similar to what American Standard have done earlier.

Answer 2:

In order to generate immediate response from the targeted audience direct marketing strategy is used. In given case the form of direct marketing approach used is Campaign approach also known as Two-Plus Step Approach. In this campaign American Standards have provided their ideal audience with the educational and valuable information about the bathroom fixtures and toilet. Integrated marketing communications program were designed and advertisements were published according to the plan. The campaign was called “We want you to love your bathroom”. This campaign was very successful and generated the desired leads of consumers.

The desired response was that prospective customers made inquiries through either calling on tall free numbers or request more information or to return a coupon or fill in a form to request more information. Every time these responses were generated, details of the person were added to data base and were than contacted in order to come into the showroom.

AS would have measured these responses as they were generated by determining the source of information from the respondent. This will help AS to find out which medium vehicle is more effective and which one is not. This information can be utilized in future for designing campaigns.

Answer 3:

If the ‘We want you to love your bathroom’ campaign were re-created today The medium that I would suggest will include advertising on social media. This will include famous social media like Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp.

The reason behind choosing this medium is that today's generation is more interested in following what their friends are following. Social media is now a days considered one of the most effective and successful ways of marketing. Apart from other advantages one of the biggest advantage is that this media is global and inexpensive.

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