At home, my oven is a Maytag and our dryer is an Amana. We have a Whirlpool air conditioner somewhere. So, Whirlpool has always been around for me. Working on this account activated my inner nerd and when we got the chance to update their GTM campaign for the contract channel, I was very excited.
For nearly a decade, Whirlpool Corporation permeated their “Inside Advantage” campaign, resource websites to their tagline. Then a few years ago they wanted to beef up “partnership” with the “United We Build” campaign.
The actual building of homes at the contract level is limited to a very small group of companies who build entire neighborhoods. Architects, designers, distributors and even remodelers are involved. And each of them has their own needs. (I helped with that need, too.)
Not only did consider the needs of our audiences, we also had to stand out against their very aggressive competitors. The maj-ap sector is very crowded.
Our research gave us four “buckets” to play in:
How do you mix innovation with heritage? How can you celebrate the firsts of the past in a way that convinces people you can be there for the future? We recognized that we had an edge no one else can lay claim to: more than a century of deep understanding of our contract channel’s customer: consumers.
Thus, “Count on Us” was born.
We could uniquely own leadership, especially when you’ve been in business more than a century. We would hang our facts on claims only Whirlpool Corp. could own. And while competitors may claim some of these numbers (best, #1, most!), the power in our campaign rest in claiming all of them. No one could say that.
Using existing assets from Whirlpool’s extensive digital library, the campaign was brought to life with highly target messaging most meaningful to our audience. For example, the 107 years ad was segmented into three audiences.
And since this was everywhere at once, the website was updated, too.
In the end, the new campaign resonated in all the right ways with all the right people. Instead of a cookie-cutter messaging approach that was focused inward, we went to the people with the what they wanted to hear from us. And, dare I say, expected from us.
What I am most proud of for this client is not treating this as a design exercise, but a holistic experience where everything is considered, from the digital banners to the CRM email program to the award-winning website.
my roles
Concepting
Design
Art direction
Brand architecture
Read more about my creative leadership on this account