Client: Calgon Carbon
Service: Concept Introduction
Background
Calgon Carbon was introducing a new type of carbon, its Centaur product, with unique catalytic properties. The objective was to build a strong identity for the new product and position Centaur to one key market segment as a more cost-effective alternative to current technologies.
Strategy
- A three-part target market direct mail program was sent to a list of 2,000 prime prospects. Each month, they received a new three-dimensional mailer outlining Centaur’s capabilities.
- Two-page spread advertising supported the launch, along with the placement of three articles in a leading trade publication.
- The final mailer was a unique self-contained “demo kit” that allowed prospects to test Centaur right at their desks.
- A full-scale product launch a few months later included presentations to publication editors and a press conference in New York City.
Results
Total response to the target market direct mail program exceeded 20 percent! The industry average is 1-2 percent.
The ad readership study of the two-page, four-color ad that appeared in Water Technology magazine led every other advertiser in the publication. The same ad in Chemical Engineering magazine generated more sales-lead inquiries than any other ad in the issue.
Public Relations initiatives in New York City produced stories in The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Chemical Engineering, Chemical Week, Pollution Engineering and in the business sections of several newspapers throughout the U.S.
Three years after its launch, Centaur ranks as one of the most prominent and most successful new products since Calgon Carbon became autonomous in the mid-1980’s.