Client: EGGER Wood Products
Background:
EGGER, the leading wood products brand in Europe, entered the North American market in 2018 with almost no local brand recognition. Working collaboratively with a lean, resourceful local marketing team, we adapted European brand collateral assets to align with the expectations of the local market, while still adhering to complex and rigid corporate brand creative standards.
In my role as Marketing Communications Manager, I spearheaded the strategy for launching local social media channels and provided oversight for the agency creating social content.
The client’s business model worked through a network of distributors, with interior designers, architects and fabricators as secondary customers. A “push-pull” marketing strategy was leveraged to generate demand from secondary customers.
One pillar of the social media strategy, in addition to creating general brand awareness, was to educate customers on product line, as well as the tools and resources offered by the client to support customers. Reels were especially beneficial for engagement and demonstrating interactive tools, including a custom app designed to work hand-in-hand with customer sample binders.
The “12 Decors of Christmas” campaign delivered engaging, festive content for a B2B social media audience during a competitive, retail-focused season. Targeting interior designers, the campaign showcased popular surfaces and was adapted across various social platforms.
Nearly all marketing collateral for the market had to be created from scratch, or with extensive adaptation from existing European materials, due to differences in product offerings, terminology, culture, and customer expectations. I provided project management and creative direction, along with all copywriting.
In addition to creating brand awareness to drive product demand, the client desired to create a positive view of its substantial investment to build a state-of-the-art plant and to build a reputation as an employer of choice in the local region.
Communications around the greenfield investment were crucial to demonstrating to potential customers the company’s long-term commitment to the product, since switching suppliers demanded customer trust that the brand could be reliable partner for years to come. It was also important to reinforce the company’s commitment to sustainability and being a good neighbor and partner in the local community.
From an employer branding perspective, the company needed to ramp up hiring and training quickly as the plant came online, to ensure it could reliably supply its customers. A key strategy for developing a highly trained workforce was an apprenticeship program, launched in collaboration with other local manufacturers through a consortium model.
