There's not much that's exciting or sexy about kitchen appliances. Or at least that's the conventional wisdom. In March of this year, Jenn-Air, Maytag's highest-end appliance
brand, set out to turn that notion on its head.
Deep-pocketed customers will spend megabucks on upscale, customized products. But for most kitchen appliances, "customization" means choosing between black and white. The new
48-inch Jenn-Air Luxury Series refrigerator was a blank slate both inside and out. Customers could choose the finish for the outside and could also customize the configuration of
shelves and drawers inside the appliance.
Carmichael Lynch Spong, Maytag's PR agency of record for brand PR, was charged with finding a way to garner widespread media attention that would attract the interest of
designers, builders and consumers in the new product. "We were trying to figure out a way to drive the message of home customization and to convey the message that you pick what
you want," says David Kargas, partner for CLS.
Designs on Success
The team decided on an unorthodox approach: get a fashion designer involved. Nicole Miller is a household name among the runway set and well-heeled consumers. Plus, the idea of
a designer putting her mark on a Jenn-Air fridge fit perfectly with the customization theme.
So CLS worked with the designer to develop her own Luxury Series refrigerator. Miller worked with the team to create a series of sketches and eventually came up with a
refrigerator that sported a "stained glass" design.
The signature fridge went into production, and in March, the CLS team presented it to assembled media at a launch event in New York. "Among home and shelter pubs in New York,
Nicole Miller is a pretty good draw," Kargas says. But the team wanted to be doubly sure the new product would make a major media splash, so it partnered with Share Our Strength,
an anti-hunger organization, to include a cause-related component to the campaign. The refrigerator will be auctioned off in November on eBay, with all proceeds going to the
nonprofit.
The managing director of Share Our Strength and Miller both made appearances at the launch event.
Following the launch, the CLS team went into media relations overdrive, handling pitches and follow-ups. The firm also took the refrigerator to the Kitchen & Bath Industry
Show, and scheduled special media events like a day-long meeting with the editors at Meredith Publications (which publishes key shelter mags like Better Homes & Gardens).
Meredith, based in Iowa like Maytag, was a perfect target, so CLS chartered a car and brought them to Maytag headquarters to check out the appliance in person.
But the long-lead shelter publications weren't the only media interested. CLS began fielding inquiries from outlets fascinated by the unique designer twist: The Wall Street
Journal, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times all covered the refrigerator, in addition to the usual suspects. "These are outlets that see spin all the time, and breaking
through the clutter with them is pretty tough," Kargas says. "We've been really happy to get coverage in some of the top newspapers."
The coverage in the top dailies, however, can be a double-edged sword. Kargas says he and his team would have preferred to give the long-lead publications - the bread and
butter of home appliance PR - a little more advance notice about the product before the dailies could cover it.
No Signs of Cooling
The $6,000 refrigerator only became available to the public in August, but "[Maytag] can't make enough of the product" to satisfy demand, Kargas says. Because the fridge just
became available recently, accurate measurement of PR impact on sales - i.e. target consumers - can't yet be determined. But dealers are clamoring to join the Jenn-Air preferred
dealer program, which says to Maytag that consumer and designer demand is high.
But the impact on media coverage is striking. The firm has counted 43 million media impressions since the launch in March, and the shelter publications, which generally have at
least a four-month lead time, are still publishing their coverage of the designer refrigerator. Plus, Kargas expects another bump in interest in November when the product is
auctioned. "We thought we were on to something, but we were surprised how right this has turned out to be," Kargas says. "The upscale consumer Jenn-Air targets isn't interested in
something off the shelf."
Campaign Stats
Timeframe: Began March 2002 and will end with eBay auction in November.
Budget: CLS would not disclose budget figures for this campaign, though Kargas admits the media launch event and Nicole Miller's involvement were pricey. However, the firm
saved on other parts of the campaign through involvement with Share Our Strength.
Carmichael Lynch Spong
http://www.carmichaellynch.com
Key Clients: Amana, Blue Cross Blueshield of Minnesota, Coca Cola, First Alert, Formica, Harley Davidson, Maytag, Northwest Airlines, Porshe.
HQ: Minneapolis
(Contact: David Kargas, [email protected])