Between 2005- 2008 Marise was the Marketing & Sales Manager at Plycoselect at a time when the building industry was in a slump – hard to believe at the moment! Building consents were plummeting and low priced imports were flooding the market.
It was a constant struggle to grow sales and maintain margins as everyone was competing on price. One of the brands she was responsible for was Paynter Profiles, a range of MDF mouldings and jambs. The brand was losing market share but Marise did not want to start price discounting, so the decision was made to create a brand that had a unique point of difference and could command a premium price.
Market research identified there was a growing demand for more enviro-friendly building products, so Paynter Profiles was reformulated and a new brand – Plycoselect ECOEDGE – was created. Its unique point of difference was that it was the first range of mouldings in New Zealand to achieve the Government recognised Environmental Choice Tick, as it was made from 100% FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified timber and had an EO rating.
The market embraced the new brand, and in the first year of launch sales margins grew by 22% and EBIT improved by 6.2%. In 2008 the brand was sold to Southern Pine Products; 10 years later the brand ECOEDGE is still around, demonstrating the power of creating brands that have a unique point of difference. Talk to us if that sounds like something your business needs.