Situation
As the office equipment business moved from simply
selling copiers to marketing imaging systems, HPS Office Systems,
a 67-year-old Indiana office equipment company, had evolved from
a speeds-and-feeds background to a true business and office solutions
company. To survive, it had become important for HPS to leverage
its knowledge and its time, as well as sell equipment.
Company management saw the need to partner
with an integrated marketing company to create a new brand and a
positioning statement that would
reflect its emerging position as a solutions provider. MillerWhite,
through its Unlocking the Power of Your Pledge® formula, worked
with HPS to create a new company pledge, based on the results of consumer
research – “HPS Office Systems - Valued Solutions, Responsive
Service.” To implement this pledge, the entire culture of
HPS had to change to one of a solutions provider.
Problem
Implementing its new pledge and branding
became crucial to the growth of HPS. Externally, the company needed
to differentiate itself as
a business solutions provider in the marketplace, a company that is able
to identify the client’s needs and recommend the best solutions.
Solution
To bring this message to clients and potential clients, MillerWhite
created an integrated communications campaign for HPS based on the
theme, “HPS
speaks the clients’ language, hears their needs, and sees the solution
to their problems.” The elements of the campaign emphasized not only
the empathy that HPS has for its clients
and its understanding of their business, but also the expertise
it has in providing solutions that increase sales, improve profitability
and make their operations more efficient.
The campaign used the sincere faces of HPS employees
speaking directly to clients and potential clients.
Television
commercials
were developed that positioned HPS as a solutions
provider that can relate directly to the needs of its clients and
respond with valued solutions. A
radio
spot
complemented the television commercials. A direct mail
campaign and print ads that tied into the television commercials
offered an on-line incentive designed to collect the eMail addresses
of current and potential clients. The direct mail pieces went to
prospective clients in all markets, and the print ads ran in Indianapolis.
The eDatabase will be used for future promotions and to send out
the company’s eNewsletter, which is designed around solution
stories. The on-line promotion involved a survey conducted to gather
information about current and potential clients and to demonstrate
that HPS is dedicated to client service. The incentive to answer
the survey was eligibility to win $500.00.
Results
Internal branding efforts, including Message Action Guidelines
based on the new pledge, have helped to create a common brand
culture in which HPS employees
believe and understand that they are the brand by providing valued
solutions and responsive service to their clients. This culture change supports
the external efforts – the television, radio, direct mail and print
ads, as well as the on-line survey – that have worked together to solidify
HPS’s new brand image and increase equipment sales.
