Responding Quickly to a Changing Market
The Kershaw Locking Jaw Multi-Tool
Our client's market had undergone a dramatic change in a short period of time. Amazingly, the knife manufacturing industry was no longer dominated by knives, but by the 'multi-tool,' a single, portable tool with multiple functions. Today, multi-tools make up a full 60% of the knife market.
Motivational Design's client, quality knife manufacturer Kershaw Knives, had to respond to the new market demand---and quickly. But Kershaw couldn't just bring another multi-tool into the marketplace and expect to succeed. It had to bring the right multi-tool to market. The Kershaw Multi-Tool had to be unique. It had to offer customers something they couldn't get elsewhere.
Motivational Design worked in partnership with Kershaw's Marketing and Sales Manager Doug Flagg to develop the product and marketing strategies for Kershaw's new multi-tool.
The new tool would have a unique feature: locking jaw needlenose pliers, and a unique market niche: high end. Both these positions were especially appropriate for Kershaw with its reputation for high quality and innovation.
Once the product itself was designed, Motivational Design went to work, creating the packaging and marketing materials that would help Kershaw sell its new multi-tool to its dealers and retailers.
Packaging---was a complete departure from anything that had been done before. Instead of enclosing the tool in a box, we wanted people to be able to actually see its quality and beauty. By combining an interior 'clam-shell' with an open-sided box, we created a package that lets in the light and shows off the product for excellent point-of-sale results.
Advertising/Marketing Materials---Motivational Design created a targeted campaign to reach its prime customers---knife retailers---and introduce them to the Kershaw Multi-Tool. The campaign was two-pronged. Trade magazine advertising raised awareness of the product while direct sales calls, armed with solid marketing and point-of-purchase materials, brought the unique Kershaw Multi-Tool directly to the retailers.
Motivational Design's advertising approach was solid and direct---featuring a campaign theme that tied into the product's unique feature by asking customers to 'lock onto a new idea.'
Manufacturing can hardly keep up with the demand for this hot-selling product!
Making a '70s Vintage Product
Ready for the '90s
The 'God Can' from Tiger Mountain Press
Tiger Mountain Press had rights to a novelty gift item that sold in Christian book and supply stores and specialty retailers nationwide. The product had been highly successful in the 1970s, but its design was woefully out of date for the 1990s. The product originally consisted of a small aluminum can, labeled "God Can." The concept was that purchasers could place written prayers inside the can, turning their problems over to God, because "when you can't, God Can."
In addition to re-designing the can, Tiger Mountain Press wanted to update the package with the addition of an inspirational audio tape. They needed packaging design not only for the new can and the audio tape, but for an outer container that would hold both the can and the tape as a 'kit,' while showing both off and explaining to purchasers exactly what the product is at a glance.
Furthermore, there would be little advertising support---so the package had to do all the selling.
A unique, eye-catching package that would tell the whole story. Motivational Design decided not to keep any of the elements of the previous design. Instead, we chose an extremely rich, bright blue as the basic 'heavenly' color theme, and accented it with the complimentary golden-orange for key type elements. Photorealistic butterflies were added as a symbol of transformation. The end result was warmer and more sophisticated than its predecessor.
We also wanted both elements of the 'God Can kit' to be as visible as possible. To this end, Motivational Design created an unusually shaped package with angled sides and a curved top which follows the shape of the can and provides an eye-catching profile. The back of the package featured a photo of the product in use so purchasers could see exactly how to use the God Can.
The first run sold out quickly and a major agreement with a high-profile catalog has meant a second run will soon be on the way.
The Delicate Job of Updating a Classic
Precision Castparts Corp. New Corporate Identity
It wasn't as if we weren't fond of it. After all, we had originally designed it---more than twenty years ago. Precision Castparts Corp., known in its industry as PCC, had been using the same logo ever since the company went public. Yet PCC had changed significantly during those years. From being a company that specialized solely in investment casting, it had expanded its capabilities in other facets of metal shaping---as well as significantly expanding its presence in the aerospace industry.
With these important changes, it was time for a new logo that would reflect what the company had become. Of course, changing the logo didn't just mean printing up some new letterhead and business cards. It meant a complete corporate identity, including signage and product literature, in four locations across the world.
The key to the update was the new logo itself. Instead of being just a symbol, the new logo would incorporate the letters by which the company was known: PCC. It would refer to the metal shaping capabilities of the company and allude to its increasing involvement with the aerospace industry.
The solution was to manipulate the letters PCC to incorporate all these concepts. First, the letters were designed to be three-dimensional, as if formed from metal. For increased visual impact, the letters were 'cut through' with a series of raying lines which expanded across the face of the logo. The rays refer to the take-off angle of a jet and also allude to an 'expansion' into the future.
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The new logo was first previewed on the cover of an annual report. Then Motivational Design worked with our client to phase in the new logo, first on corporate identity materials, then sales materials, and finally on signage for locations across the nation and the world.
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 Motivational Design Inc. 2103 SE Ankeny Street Portland, OR 97214 Phone (503) 241-1231 Fax (503) 241-1307 Email cindy@motivationaldesign.com |
