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Age Matters
By: Tama Swan, Associate Editor
Issue: 2009jul

Mature industry players are using their tenure to promote and build trust in their companies.

In this economy, you’ve got to use whatever advantage you can. To this end, established promotions companies with several decades—or in some cases a century or more—under their belts are leveraging those bragging rights into history-driven advertising campaigns.

Industry elder Kaeser & Blair (UPIC: KAESER), based in Batavia, Ohio, makes a point of selling its age in its advertising. Last spring, ads for the 115-year-old distributor claim the company has “more successful experience, with more people, for a lot more time than any other distributor.”

“Others can claim to be the best, but standing the test of time and growing bigger and stronger through depressions and world wars really does put K&B in a class of its own,” says Gregg A. Emmer, vice president and chief marketing officer for Kaeser & Blair.

Ads for Mineola, New York-based supplier The Lincoln Line (UPIC: 7414140) urge distributors to “Put your trust in the Lincoln Line” because the company has served the industry since 1946. “I think it is very beneficial to stress to customers how long we have been in this industry,” says Robyn Elenowitz, vice president of Essef Distributors, parent company of The Lincoln Line. “Especially with regards to new customers, there are so many new online companies now that it is comforting to deal with someone who has been in the industry as long as we have.”

This year, Elenowitz says the company revamped its whole marketing angle to reflect its heritage and adopted the motto “A Name You Can Trust.” So far, it’s working. “Sales have increased, and we are getting inquiries and orders from a new customer base,” she says.

However, marketing professionals say this strategy is unlikely to affect purchasing decisions in every instance. “Customers usually only care about how long a company has been around if what it sells depends a great deal on the company’s depth of experience,” says Andrea Fitting, Ph.D., president and CEO of Fitting Group, a strategic marketing agency specializing in challenger brands. “Otherwise, what matters much more is being current on trends and what’s useful, fun and relevant for the customer’s business, as well as being highly creative and problem-solving oriented.”

Elenowitz says her clients take comfort in dealing with and industry veteran. “Most of our staff has been with us for more than 10 years. And as a consumer, I know how beneficial it is to speak with a company with an experienced staff.”

How can young companies compete in the age wars?
“Try to get known for the one thing that you do better than anyone else,” says Fitting Group President and CEO Andrea Fitting, Ph.D. “For instance, if you are more creative than any other promotional products company, prove it by writing up case studies on how you creatively solved problems for your customers. Describe the situation, what products you offered and how you solved the problem to make them look good. Assemble a variety of these examples and promise your prospects that you’ll be able to creatively meet their needs better than anyone else. If you are successful, you’ll avoid having to sell on price.”

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