HIGH POINT MARKET: Broyhill relaunching brand with new product, strategy
Aims to inspire confidence
Ray Allegrezza -- Furniture Today, April 24, 2009
HIGH POINT — In addition to unveiling directional product and a 25-year product warranty, Broyhill is using this week's High Point Market to relaunch its brand with a new tagline, "Confidence Comes From Within."
 Broyhill’s extensive consumer research helped it identify eight distinct consumer segments. Of those, Broyhill determined that the Thrifty Traditionalists and Consistent Connoisseurs are most likely to buy the company’s products. |
While Broyhill could rightfully point to its 100-year history, or note that its brand is recognized by more than 90% of consumers, it also is basing the new tagline on hard facts, extensive consumer research and a subsequent strategic rollout of product based on the findings of that research.
"Our new tagline really speaks to the confidence that stems from changes we've made externally as well as internally," said Jeff Cook, Broyhill's president.
"Internally we've dramatically improved our levels of customer service and on time, in-full delivery. We've also incorporated kaizen manufacturing techniques in our Vision 1 upholstery plant in Lenoir, and have also revamped our sales organization so that each rep sells all the Broyhill lines.
"Externally, we've reassessed the entire thought process regarding how furniture gets to market," Cook said. "The reality is that the old ways of developing product just don't work in our industry any more. For years, we had furniture designed for furniture people by furniture people, which meant that the ultimate end user - the consumer - was never brought into the equation, and certainly never on the front end of the design process."
"Until now, product development has pretty much been a conversation between the supplier and the retailer," concurred Mark Stephens, Broyhill's vice president of sales. "However, as part of our brand relaunch we've made a concerted effort to refocus on who our consumers are and what's important to them as a way to bring them into that conversation."
In a study last year, the company queried some 3,000 consumers about what kind of furniture they bought, where they purchased it, how much they paid for it, which rooms did they use it in, and more.
Next, Broyhill did a follow-up attitudinal study, with a base of 3,000 different consumers. "This time, the study focused on issues such as their shopping criteria, what was important to them in the shopping process and so on," Stephens said.
Using all the information, the company has identified eight unique segments of consumer.
While a number of those eight segments were likely to purchase Broyhill furniture, the research identified the Thrifty Traditionalist as the shopper most likely to consider and purchase Broyhill.
"Consumers in this segment are also most likely to shop and purchase furniture at traditional furniture store," Stephens said. "And thanks to the research, we also know what their needs are when shopping for and purchasing furniture."
Specifically, Broyhill's research showed that the Thrifty Traditionalists - the most risk-averse of all the segments identified - are often hesitant to purchase because they don't want to make a mistake, particularly when it comes to style, coordinating furniture and accessories, quality and value.
"We knew that if we were going to tell consumers to be confident about their decision to Broyhill, we had to invest in programs to back that up, and we did," Stephens said.
"Let's start with consumer product testing. We believe we are leading the industry in testing all new products with consumers to make sure that we introduce products consumers want to buy," he added.
Broyhill also is offering retailers whole room solutions with coordinated case goods and upholstery products in order to make it easy for consumers to understand and buy, said Stephens.
"Next, in order to give the consumer the confidence to know that the furniture she is buying today will last, we've introduced the best warranty in the industry - 25 years on case goods, 10 years on upholstery," he said.
The company intends to inform consumers about these initiatives via a comprehensive communication plan that includes a return to national advertising this fall and into the first quarter of 2010.
In recognition of the growing popularity of the Internet, especially by shoppers surfing the Web for product information, Broyhill also has improved its Web site functionality.
"We've also made a significant investment in search engine optimization and keyword buys, in order to drive even more traffic to our site," said Cook.
Last, but not least, he said the company also has invested in redesigned in-store sales materials that he says "clearly communicate the many compelling values that Broyhill brings to the market."
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