Situation
Graeter's, maker of super premium French Pot Ice Cream, enjoys
top of mind awareness and brand preference in Cincinnati, Columbus
and Lexington. Beyond this region, Graeter's had limited awareness
of its ability to ship nationwide and no market share. Justice & Young,
through persistent efforts, convinced Graeter's to build a web
based marketing program.
The Proposal
Design a web site and promote it to mail order buyers, plus regional
and corporate gift buyers. Promote the new web site in selected
national consumer media and through product publicity. J&Y's
goal was to create a site that was visually pleasing, easy to
navigate and gave the impression of visiting an old time ice
cream parlor.
Strategy & Tactics
J&Y built a web site for Graeter's that features family fun,
seasonal offerings and an easy to order shopping cart. Initial
search engine promotion combined with publicity directed to gourmet
magazines, in-flight magazines, and segments on the national
TV Food Network helped to launch the web site. We also used Graeter's
in-house list of core customers and mail order buyers to inform
them of www.graeters.com and move them to ordering via the Internet.
The Outcome
The Graeter's web site was a "home run" from the day
of its initial launch in 1997. We quickly stopped measuring "hits" or "unique
visitors" and tracked success in terms of sales.* Within
two years sales increased to a point where we had to back off
of promotion so that production could still accommodate retail
stores and wholesale at Kroger's, country clubs, etc. The best
result of the web site is its ability to build and maintain an
interactive relationship with customers in all lower 48 states.
*Actual sales figures are kept confidential by agreement with
client. |
