Looking beyond the price-tag

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Marketing, heh? It sure isn’t what it used to be. Whereas once upon a time, if you had a great product or service, creating a clear point of difference in the eyes of customers was a reasonably straight forward process, today it can be anything but.

Sure, there are still some great, truly unique businesses out there. But not many. With technology, information and ideas more accessible than at any other time in human history, we live in an increasingly commoditised world; a world where the lines between different products, brands and markets have never been so blurred – and price ultimately becomes the prime, and frequently only, arbiter in the decision-making process.

To survive, let alone thrive, this means it’s never been so important to find a clear point of difference for your product or service. Or, in the absence of that, to create one.

The good news is, providing customers with the reassurance to purchase your product over someone else’s can come through any number of ways, and extend far beyond obvious things such as the physical features and quality, your brand equity or even price.

Buying a car is great example. Somewhat ironically nowadays, much of the automotive sales battle is fought away from the car itself. Just think of the number of added benefits that now come with most car purchases – roadside assistance, capped servicing, ‘free’ on-road costs and, perhaps most importantly, extended warranty.

Peace of mind is a powerful motivator. It’s not just limited to cars, either. The after-sales proposition is critical in many product categories to ensure prospective shoppers see the value of the product beyond merely the obvious features and benefits. It becomes even more compelling when you are purchasing a high-value product and/or one that will last for a number of years – or in the case of Australian Underwater Products (AUP), a product that will keep you alive and breathing.

Diving in with confidence

The Marketing Clan has recently launched a major campaign to support a lifetime warranty proposition for scuba diving equipment brands Oceanic and Hollis, which are distributed by Australian Underwater Products.

Into a competitive market, AUP introduced a unique lifetime warranty proposition to more clearly differentiate themselves from their competitors. As part of the initiative we created a fully integrated communications campaign to help reassure customers about purchasing Oceanic and Hollis equipment and also to engage the Oceanic and Hollis retailers around Australia with a powerful added message to help close the sale at the point of purchase. Confidence was the message. Differentiation (beyond price) was the goal. We’re pleased to say the campaign is achieving both.

Introducing #WarranT

Not dissimilar to insurance, product warranties aren’t the most exciting things in the world. To help overcome this, for the last eighteen months The Marketing Clan has helped AUP build a new brand that personifies the tangible benefits of its lifetime warranty program. The strategy was to properly introduce a human character who brings to life the values and the personality of the lifetime warranty scheme. His name is #WarranT.

Warranty brand personality

Quirky, visually distinctive, helpful, yet unassuming. #WarranT is the kind of guy every diver wants looking out for them – to help them out, provide service and support when they need it and to replace things if they ever go wrong. He’s the guy in the funny tuxedo wetsuit who’s not only smart and funny, but he’s always somehow just that one step ahead taking care of you.

For a purchaser, the #WarranT proposition directly reinforces their product’s lifetime warranty in a memorable and unexpected way. He provides an engaging and entertaining creative platform to tell what would otherwise be a decidedly dry and functional warranty story. He also provides enormous creative scope for use in communications everywhere from the point of purchase and trade launches to social media and consumer events.

A series of short films have also been produced starring #WarranT to further bring to life some of the scenarios where the lifetime warranty might come in handy. The film proposition is “It’s good to have #WarranT around” – either to help you out with your equipment, or simply to get that little bit of extra brand love

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