Case Studies, Digital Launches
MDC FUNC. Digital Launch
CHALLEGE
For over a year, our client MDC Interior Solutions had been diligently working on their latest product category to bring to market, aptly titled FUNC. Combining the best of “fun” and “function,” FUNC. designs are stylish, innovative solutions made to help unify and define open work environments.
However, with the onslaught of COVID-19 earlier this year, MDC had to rapidly change their entire launch approach. With the absence of any face-to-face meetings or presentation of physical samples, a complete shift in their marketing strategy was necessary. And again, with FUNC. being an entirely new product category for the brand and with so much already invested, there really was no room for error.
Solution
Knowing they needed to act quickly, the MDC team reached out to Crobar for our support and expertise in creating a smart, proficient, and enticing “plan B” of sorts. The result was an inventive, fully comprehensive suite of digital marketing materials to aid in the release and selling of all FUNC. products. Read on to learn more about each individual asset, how each contributed to the overall goal, and why MDC plans to use these newly developed methods going forward.
Tactics
Amp Up Usual Suite of Assets
While Crobar always provides a fully comprehensive marketing suite to MDC to support each new launch, it was imperative that this time around the suite be more robust than ever before. While various digital assets like collection videos, webpages, blogs, e-blasts, and social media are always integrated, they typically serve as more of a supplement to MDC’s face-to-face sales meetings, training sessions, and their physical samples. But, with the FUNC. launch, these marketing elements needed to do all of the talking, so to speak.
Because of this, the Crobar team took a critically creative eye when producing all of the marketing assets for FUNC. The team made sure that the FUNC. product line was fully represented and explained throughout each of these key pieces using distinct icons and clear-cut typography to communicate artfully, efficiently, and precisely. The goal here was to answer any question that may have come up at a customer meeting within the graphic or the layout. Plus, we ensured that all of the digital tools were easy to access and download, helping sales reps easily share information with their clients as needed.
Develop an Entirely New Marketing Asset
Even with the ‘amping up’ of the typical marketing suite, the Crobar team still felt like there was a piece missing. After all, these were unprecedented times, and with FUNC. being a completely brand new product category for MDC, it felt necessary to take the creative one step further. This is where the interactive brochure was born.
The interactive brochure really was the key piece in the puzzle. This kind of brochure, one that encouraged viewers to fully interact and toggle between views in real time, was a concept brand new to MDC. The sky truly was the limit for the Crobar team when creating this cutting-edge asset. As a team, we were able to critically think through all of the challenges COVID-19 was presenting to the sales industry and find constructive ways to resolve them. The result was a digital piece where the MDC team could easily access product information, specifications, color options, and so much more at the click of a button. This not only helped ease the stress of their current professional environment, but it also instilled back some hope and confidence in the team with something new, exciting, and fun to use.
Results
After FUNC. was successfully released to the market in a fully digital capacity, we were able to catch up with Dan Brandt, Director of Product and Marketing for MDC Interior Solutions. When asked how the FUNC. assets were received by his team, Dan replied, “There was an immediate response… There is nothing better from a corporate perspective.”
When asked specifically about the brand-new integration of the interactive brochure, Dan continued, “The interactive brochure was the best! It was something we had never done before. It takes the best of everything we have to offer and puts it into one clean, concise package.”
And, lastly, when questioned if MDC has any future plans to incorporate more interactive brochures within their launches, Dan aptly replied, “This is the future of our product launches. We are going to keep Crobar very busy!
