Case Studies

Smart & Final Stores
LOS ANGELES

Smart & Final Stores is the largest cash & carry warehouse food retailer. As Director of Marketing we attained sales growth of 53% from $490 million to $750 million and increased customer traffic by 66%. We also successfully completed an IPO on the NY Stock Exchange.

This record growth was attained through many factors. First we conducted a substantial amount of custom research to really understand our customers. We used quantitative and qualitative research, including AA&U’s, focus groups and exit interviews. This allowed us to position and build our brand.

Smart & Final has many types of unique customers. Therefore, we created highly targeted direct mail campaigns. We also built many market specific programs. One example is the first Hispanic campaign including in-store signage and brochures that were backed with television and radio advertising.

We opened many new stores in several states and expanded into Mexico.

Lastly, we focused on customer service training. We were relentless and it paid off. We taught the work force and empowered them. As a result, we were able to keep our business customers satisfied, which was key to our success, yet still attract a huge number of consumers. Unlike the major club stores, where it was hard to talk to anyone, we prided ourselves on making our associates approachable.

Smart & Final Circular Version A:

Smart & Final Circular Version B:

Smart & Final Circular Version C:

Smart & Final is a registered trademark of Smart & Final Stores 

Ready Pac Produce
PASADENA, CA

Ready Pac Produce has been a leader in fresh cut vegetables for over 25 years. They are a food processor and distributor. When I joined the company, sales were mainly to the foodservice trade. We compiled a two-prong brand building attack. Initially we built our relationship with Burger King and McDonald’s by helping them to develop their first salad programs. We educated them, for free, in what it takes to have a successful salad program. This included how to buy produce and the temperamental nature of the product and the special handling it required. These actions solidified our relationship with these two major foodservice players. They both continue to offer salads.

The next challenge was to bring the benefits of cleaned, fresh cut salads to the consumer. We achieved this goal by creating items that customers wanted and working closely with the retailers to promote them. The product would not have succeeded if not for the support from the key retailers. The trick was to get the retailers excited about the product. We accomplished this by proving that this was a new growth area that would yield incremental sales. We designed attractive packaging that really stood out and gave the retailer something new to talk about.

While at Ready Pac Produce I developed many new products including a stir-fry vegetable mix that won 1st place in the “Prepared Foods” 1983 National New Item Contest. This product made it possible for the consumer to prepare a great mix of vegetables in minutes. It also saved the consumer money, as it would have cost them more if they had to buy each ingredient separately.

Nestle – Hot Pockets™
previously owned by Chef America
CHATSWORTH, CA

Chef America is the undisputed leader in the frozen sandwich category. They manufacture many food products including Belgian Chef Waffles, Hot Pockets, Lean Pockets and Toaster Pockets. While at Chef America, I helped them increase their sales ten-fold.

There were several key areas. First was building Hot Pockets. When I joined the company the product had just been introduced in the Los Angeles area. We utilized many forms of research to understand the consumer, including home use tests, focus groups, panel data and scanner data. From this information we developed advertising campaigns to emotionally reach our target audience. Also a critical factor to our success was gaining complete support from the retailers. We accomplished this by working with food brokers and customizing programs to match each retailer. We avoided the standard pitfall of creating one program and forcing every retailer to either accept or reject it. Through testing we also learned when were the best times to use couponing and advertising. We even were able to determine the most effective times of day to run television ads. Once we had this information, we ran many national TV and couponing campaigns.

Another key area for success was the creation of Lean Pockets. When creating a line extension, it is imperative to minimize sales cannibalization. We avoided this by understanding our two target audiences and building similar, yet independent brand positioning. Had we not done that, we could have severely hurt Hot Pockets sales. We positioned Lean Pockets to appeal to women, with a focus on working women. The packaging and all the advertising supported the brand identity.

The last key element to the success of both brands was the invention of the microwave crisping sleeve. Up to that point, the only crisping material that had been used was a disc to heat microwave pizza. I came up with the concept of encasing the sandwiches in this crisping material, called “suceptor film.” It made the product crisp out of the microwave, and we were able to knock out several competitors from the category.

Leslie’s Poolmart
CHATSWORTH, CA

Leslie’s Poolmart is the largest swimming pool retailer in the world, with over 300 stores. Their challenge was to expand throughout the United States as quickly as possible.

Leslies Sweepstakes Promo

Once again, we turned to research to understand how we could build the brand and learn how to successfully open new stores. Even though the chain had been open since the 1950’s, they did not understand all of the critical factors involved in making a new store successful. By tearing apart and scrutinizing all the old research the company had already done, we determined the single most critical factor that would make a new Leslie’s store successful. This permanently altered the way expansion was planned.

Leslie’s also focused on customer service. We did everything in our power to build an ironclad relationship with our customers. Taking care of a pool is often costly, and mistakes can run up costs. Research revealed some interesting things. The bond we built was not unlike the bond between a doctor and patient – one built on knowledge and trust.

We also developed a web site to capture leads and provide 24-hour customer technical support. This site was developed in-house on virtually no budget! It’s not fancy, but it is highly functional and was key to building the brand. The site aided in solidifying the bond between the consumer and Leslie’s, as the knowledgeable source to maintain their prize possession.

At Leslie’s, we were able to create new methods of capturing qualified leads, and conducted ongoing, highly targeted and segmented, direct mail campaigns. We also built a number of strategic alliances with builders and publishers, resulting in new customers and increased sales.

Leslies Brochure [inside] Part 1

Leslies Brochure [inside] Part 2

MailersClub
LOS ANGELES, CA

MailersClub has grown to be the leader in personalized printing and mailing programs. I started working with the company about six months prior to launch. They had a very interesting offering – taking a product (direct mail) that had always been handled as a custom operation, and automating the process. In fact, they were able to turn historically small money losing jobs into profitable ones! Further, they incorporated personalization, a technique that dramatically increases response rates.

MailersClub, like many start-up companies, had a very limited advertising budget.

To gain awareness and trial, many low cost programs and alliances were created. These included personalized direct mail, email marketing, SEO and strategic relationships. After almost a year of work, we developed a relationship with infoUSA, a world leader in supplying prospecting lists. This publicly traded company, with tens of thousands of customers, now offers direct mail through MailersClub. The marriage made sense, as infoUSA already had the customers, and most of these customers buy lists with the express purpose of doing a mailing. This created higher sales and profits for both companies. Strategic relationships were also developed with IBM, Ingram Micro, ACCPAC (a Division of Computer Associates), Dermologica, and many others.

Specialized Search Engine Optimization techniques also played a major role. Since MailersClub offered a fully automated online system, online users were a key target. By utilizing several creative techniques, including high quality links, MailersClub skyrocketed from complete anonymity to #1 at both Google & Yahoo in an extremely competitive category. Best of all, SEO is the one of the lowest out-of-pocket marketing tactics available, yielding an exceptional ROI.

East Coast Bagel Company
SANTA MONICA, CA

East Coast Bagel is a quick service chain. The company’s name has generic qualities that made it more difficult to build this brand. To increase sales, we analyzed our current business and the competition.

We learned that we had a loyal following, as did our competitors. Rather than attack the major competitors head on, we compiled an alternate strategy. We created a complete line of lunchtime offerings. This allowed customers who were already loyal to the competition to try us out. The result was two-fold. First we leveraged our overhead by developing the lunch business, something no other bagel chain had successfully accomplished. Second, we gained trial from competitors and then converted many of these over to morning shoppers.

East Coast Bagel also participated in many grass roots efforts and became well know in many communities. This approach was a low cost method of building the business.

Villa Roma Sausage Company
ONTARIO, CA
Villa Roma Sausage Company offers the leading Italian dinner sausage for the Los Angeles market. To further their growth they desired to update their brand image and increase their awareness in the marketplace. Over a one year period, developed and supported the following efforts.

Positioning
Developed a “Fresh & Natural” positioning that leveraged Villa Roma’s strengths that could not be matched by the national brand.

Package Update and Redesign
Remove clutter and focused on their advantages over the competition. Added new serving suggestion photo to stimulate an emotional connection.

Public Relations
Arranged for the publication of articles with pictures on the front page of Riverside Press Enterprise and the front page of the business section of the Inland Valley Daily bulletin. Also mentioned on ABC- channel 7 news.

Media Support
Radio, FSI (Sunday Newspaper Coupon section), Electronic Billboards, Truck Graphics.

Los Angeles Angels Baseball Tie- Ins
Developed a co-branded Villa Roma Angels sausage product for retail stores. Supported sponsorship with Angels Stadium including product being sold in over 10 locations, free standing sausage carts, graphics for Villa Roma. Also formed a sponsorship with the Ducks.

General Marketing Support
Recipe Contests, Customer Newsletter, Broker Sales Meeting Presentations, Website Enhancements Trademarks.

XPO
TORRANCE, CA
XPO provides worldwide mailing solutions. They wanted to increase their sales by “getting the word out” about their small, but growing company. We developed unique positioning and a wide range of support programs to grow their business.

Positioning.
XPO directly competes with one of the largest companies in the world. Their biggest advantage is that the competitor had set programs that could not easily be tailored to their customers. XPO could easily customize programs, allowing us to leverage this main difference. We created a unique tag line to communicate this and used this for the basis of all branding efforts.

“Inventing your postal solution.”

Branding Package
This included website, brochures, and low cost trade show booth design. Website features methods to capture potential customer information.

Sales Kit Folder

Brochure

Promotional Flyer

Tradeshow Booth

Marketing Activities – Direct Mail
Ongoing, low cost direct mail has been a key business development tool. This includes general marketing campaigns, PR mailers and pre and post trade show mailers.

Public Relations
Handle media and periodic press releases to key media outlets.