Background
Aldiss is an independent local furniture retailer, which was established in the Norfolk market town of Fakenham in 1892. With two furniture superstores in Fakenham and Norwich, and the original store in the Fakenham market place converted to a fashion store, the business is thriving and Aldiss is widely regarded as one of Norfolk’s finest, and most successful, independents.
Objectives
In 2007 Aldiss celebrated 115 years of trading, a milestone which the client wanted to celebrate in-store and extend into the wider community, the objectives of which were as follows:
* Say ‘Thank-you’ to Aldiss customers for supporting the independent retailer in the face of multi-national competition
* Drive footfall into the store for the celebratory birthday promotion and boost sales over this period
* Heighten awareness of the Aldiss brand in the Norfolk community
Planning
Since the key message of the 115th anniversary was ‘Thank-you’ to customers, promotional activity was predominantly consumer-focused. An informal birthday party was hosted in order to celebrate with the local community.
The Word spent time with the Aldiss family sourcing old promotional brochures, receipts, archive images and newspaper clippings to use for the campaign’s publicity purposes.
In keeping with the birthday party theme, The Word hired the best Marilyn Monroe look-alike in the industry to serenade chairman Tim Aldiss with her trademark ‘Happy Birthday’.
Marilyn Monroe look-a-like and Tim Alddiss
Creativity
* The event had substance and used the fascinating company history to tune in to the target regional audience
* Requesting archive material from the client gave the local media an insight into the history which they may not have had access to otherwise
Implementation
* An eight-page supplement was produced to accompany the birthday celebrations, which was distributed in the Eastern Daily Press
* To enhance the visual spectacle for photographers, Marilyn Monroe leapt from a giant birthday cake before she serenaded Tim Aldiss.
* The Word invited three generations of the Aldiss family to be present on the day, which gave the public a chance to get closer to the family behind established local business.
* Key business, news and features journalists from the local area were invited to the birthday parties, as well as regional radio and television broadcasters.
* The Word also invited the Mayor of Fakenham to join the Fakenham store celebrations.
* To physically represent 115 years, The Word encouraged over 30 staff to dress up in period costume spanning all eras.
Three generations of the Aldiss family with Marilyn
Results
The campaign generated an array of strong consumer coverage, highlights included:
* Four minute feature on Anglia Television looking back over the history of the business
* Securing the front page of the Fakenham and Wells Times, leading on to a full page feature in the paper
* A full page feature in the Eastern Daily Press looking at the strength of family-run independent retailers in Norfolk, including an interview with Tim Aldiss
* The coverage secured has an equivalent advertising value of £149,358.82
* Coverage reached a potential audience of 3.8 million consumers in the local area
* Success of the campaign was reflected in-store, when, at its best, business (following the promotion) was up 144.07% with its core activity (furniture) up 190.98%.