Cole & Mason Grinds Out a Winner

Irvine, Calif. — When it wanted to shake things up in the low-interest category in which its high-end Derwent salt and pepper grinders compete, British kitchenware manufacturer Cole & Mason executed an online and in-store campaign at Bed Bath & Beyond for the 2014 holiday season. Dubbed “The Finer Way to Grind” and created with the help of Charlotte, North Carolina-based shopper agency Theory House, the campaign produced a 57% sales lift for Cole & Mason.The partners began the process by analyzing data on how consumers shopped the category. “We had done a lot of research to identify what consumers were interested in but hadn’t quite mapped out the path to purchase,” says Sean McNeil, senior marketing manager at DKB Household USA Corp., Cole & Mason’s parent company. “What are some effective drivers we could uncover to help us influence this category?”Cole & Mason chose Theory House to map a “soup to nuts” campaign based around a set of challenges and opportunities that included the high price of the Derwent grinder sets, the puzzle of how to differentiate the unsexy product from its competitors, and the high ratings Derwent has received from third-party evaluators such as Cooks Illustrated, says Jared Meisel, managing partner at Theory House. “Where are those insights, from a shopper perspective, that we can bring back to Bed Bath, that drives people to store, or converts people who are not really shopping the shelf, where this product isn’t really top of mind?”The data, from Charlotte-based market research firm Voccii, showed that approximately 75% of consumers replace their grinders about once every three years. Half of consumers indicated that upgrading to a finer grinder was their main reason for purchase, and 96% said they could be persuaded to upgrade with the right sales pitch, Meisel says.In Bed Bath & Beyond, McNeil explains, the campaign partners “saw the opportunity to place a display that was interactive … and it was a priority account from a practical standpoint.” So the team started laying down the path to purchase with geo-targeted couponing and the “finer way to grind” label aimed at a cross-section of Bed Bath & Beyond shoppers who live within six miles of one of 1,400 stores.The coupons positioned the Derwent brand as an opportunity for upgrade, noted that it has been rated the No. 1 pepper mill, and with a single click took shoppers to an online landing page. That landing page provided education on the product, showing the six different settings of the pepper mill and delineating what types of food each typically would be used for, showing off the potential customization. “What do I use with each grind setting?” Meisel says. “What makes this mill different from other salt and pepper mills in the category?”McNeil adds that in addition to upgrades, the research found consumers sometimes replace their grinders because they break, or because someone bought them a “next-level cooking tool” as a holiday gift. “We were trying to attract all three segments,” he says. “This was a great strategic project for us to work on with Bed Bath. They had been such a great partner with us as far as expanding our assortment and becoming category captain within salt and pepper.”In-store, the partners knew that grinders are often an impulse purchase and that Bed Bath & Beyond shoppers, who, like with kitchenware, are often just browsing and seeing what’s new in different categories. To attract their attention to Derwent grinders, the team kept it simple with a shelf merchandiser. “We did store walks and found that people intrinsically want to pick this product up and grind it,” Meisel says. “It’s a sacred thing, to get people to pick up your packaging. This product doesn’t have any exterior packaging. They are already doing this; let’s give them permission, and a place to grind.”The merchandiser contained a header card with a 3-D visual of the product and the “finer way to grind” tagline, but it centered on a grinding tray on which consumers could “try a twist drive” and use the product without making a mess.“We told Bed Bath & Beyond, ‘This is already happening’” without the merchandiser, Meisel says. “Let us clean up your category and encourage action from shoppers, and give them a place to do it.”Cole & Mason used Weber Display & Packaging, Philadelphia, as the display partner for the merchandiser.

Cole & Mason Grinds Out a Winner

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