New Product Launch
Product Line Brochure
The anchor piece for the launch was the brochure. This 24-page document would serve as the visual marketing guide, collecting the technical information that would feed into the additional collateral.
Meeting with various internal and external stakeholders, I wireframed the initial layout, working closely with Engineering, Sales, and Marketing to determine what to focus on and how best to present it.
As the designer, my greatest challenge was to bring the product to life and build excitement while adhering to the existing Philips style guide. I was able to do this primarily through illustrations and photography. Photography is a passion of mine, and this was the first full product line where I photographed and edited the entire catalog - including the studio beauty shots and the outdoor mockups.
Submittal Datasheets
Because this launch represented a bit of a company reboot, we took the opportunity to address some previously strict norms. The prime example being the submittal datasheets.
These sheets contain ordering information, technical specs, exclusions, and notes. Limiting this information to a single two-sided page was a long-standing rule. Through customer research, we discovered that since we now supplied these as Adobe PDF files, the page count was no longer an issue. Most welcomed the addition of pages if they provided greater clarity in the information.
Direct Mail Postcards
Philips Gardco uses independent sales representatives to present its products to architects, lighting designers, and building owners. These sales reps are, in many ways, their primary customers. The company must jostle for attention among the many other manufacturers represented by these firms. Therefore, it is vitally important that we get them excited to sell the product.
At this point, email was the usual way that the marketing department communicated with the sales force. For this project, we developed a set of 5 direct-mail postcards to build excitement for the PureForm release. Each week we sent a new postcard, each designed to give a sneak peek into a different facet of the product's features. The final postcard arrived a day or two before the online launch presentation, giving the team their first real glimpse of this exciting new luminaire. By using the U.S. Mail, we could deliver a high-quality, printed piece to the physical inbox atop the desk of each recipient, guaranteeing attention.
Virtual Presentation
Philips Gardco was always known for the quality of its in-person presentations. (I am proud to be a significant part of designing their seminar program, having been responsible for initially envisioning, writing, and creating their 5-screen multimedia presentations). Therefore, there was considerable pressure to develop a presentation that would continue that tradition. The kicker here is that we would be presenting online, rather than in-person.
Working with a 3D animator and the Marketing Product Manager, I created two videos and several PowerPoint decks that we incorporated into the presentation. We presented this to eight different audiences over two days, finishing each with a live Q&A.
The result was better than we had hoped. Those that sat in on the early sessions raved to their colleagues, and we ended up with many late requests to view the second day's presentations.
Website Additions
It was essential to integrate the PureForm information into the existing website before the presentation. After each presentation, we furnished a link and password to each viewer, allowing access to view the complete product information, including PDF versions of all literature and submittal datasheets. When we officially released the product for sale, it was a simple process to make the information available to the general public.
Advertisements
We ran a modest advertisement in various trade magazines targeted to architects, lighting designers, and building owners. It was purposely simple, focusing on the luminaire itself and the company logo to build excitement.
The initial goal was to prompt viewers to visit the website. We used a QR code to take them directly to a PureForm landing page, allowing us to track interest. From here, they were able to access a multitude of photos, the product literature, technical information, and videos all designed to answer their questions and entice them to specify the product.
Let’s work together!
I'm always open to new creative collaborations, whether freelance design or marketing projects or full-time opportunities. Reach out, and I'll get right back with you.