Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

Focus on communicating your positioning benefit. The fact that you've been around 25 years is not relevant to your target audience. In fact, it could communicate that your merchandise and perspective are old/traditional.

What do you communicate at age 24? Why not continue that message? Or is it not effective any more?

You could show something like: the more things change (showing the styles of flooring from the last 25 years) the more they stay the same (people use your company).

You could do a flashback to 25 years ago - average person did not have cell phones, computers, waxing floors etc.

Fast forward to today - life is more demanding and our new flooring meets the needs of today

Cover the sidewalk.

Find a local artist and ask him/her to do a mosaic using the tiles/carpet that people have left over from the last time they did their flooring.

If you have a big parking lot that's even better.


Michael

Check out the national nonprofit, Rebuilding Together, which helps the elderly and infirm renovate their homes so they can stay in them longer.

Your company has been serving your community for 25 years and to celebrate that you are going to give back to some of the neediest.

You can donate new flooring for 25 home or kitchen renovations and your staff can volunteer to help the nonprofit. When the last plank.vinyl, tile is installed in the 25th home, maybe your town council member or other high profile person can come out to congratulate you and the company's hard work and commitment.

All your print, radio, tv and digital can focus on the 25th anniversary and your big give-back project. New customers can either have a percent of their purchase donated to the cause or you could offer them a discount for purchasing within the promotion period.

I think what really stands out to me is the experience your company has. I take it you're not a chain, so focusing on the individuality and personal customer attention would be the way to go. Also, would be good if you highlighted that you're not only professional, you're trustworthy too.

How about a concept being a potential customer trying to book with a big, faceless store. You could have the customer meeting the usual problems (automated telephone line, being out on hold, the fact you never speak to the same person twice, the fact you're just another customer etc) then you could go to a customer who went with you. They had a personal advisor or whatever you do, personal service, fast and affordable flooring as well as feeling like you could trust them with anything. 'Oh, and did I mention their loyalty scheme?'

As regards promotional material, can you make paperweights/coasters out of the flooring you use? If it's vinyl it would be easy to mass produce 200 square coasters with your company name/logo and contact number.

Another idea would be to offer all your customers a loyalty scheme. To those that attend you can give a voucher for 10-20% off when they refer a friend who buys your flooring.

Basically you need something that they can look back on after the day is over and think 'I want to use their company!'