Black+Decker B2C, B2B

Innovative Features and Engaging Product Demos Increase Sales ⇧ 30%

Background   For decades Black+Decker tools enjoyed high unaided awareness and significant market share. Yet both were down, eroded by smaller more nimble players and diluted by the company's forays into housewares and kitchen appliances. The company's stock price was sliding and sales were down.

Black+Decker Drill + Circular Saw

Opportunity B+D had a long history of marketing almost exclusively to “heavy-users”, men 25 to 54, including professionals. In a changing and expanding market this focus left little room for growth.

Research revealed light and medium users - primarily male and female homeowners who were ‘Do It Yourself-ers’ - represented an excellent opportunity for growth. 

Black+Decker Hedge Trimmer

Approach We developed humorous integrated campaigns featuring "regular guys" and “regular gals” using innovative new and popular mainstay Black+Decker tools to perform maintenance and repairs around the home. Each spot demonstrated Black+Decker’s power, versatility and ease-of-use, demonstrating that even the least skilled can tackle projects around the home and succeed.

In addition to new consumer and retail content and campaigns we expanded the target audience to skew younger and more female, developed sub-brands for innovative new products and evolved the parent brand.

Black+Decker Portable Light + Reciprocating Saw

Outcome  Results surpassed Black+Deckers’ sales goals. Year-over-year average dollar sales increased 30+%. During the Black+Decker power tools media flight some retailers completely sold out.

Agency McCann

 

Christopher Vickers

I collaborate to elevate brand reputation, generate leads, win customers and increase sales through brand, advertising campaign & content strategy and creation. I’ve worked on both corporate and agency sides for start-ups, scale-ups and grown up companies. Some of my teamwork has received praise from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Ad Age and Adweek and won Webby and Effie awards for innovation and effectiveness.