background
They needed : “shirts and flyers”, he said. The conversation started off with a simple request for marketing material. What they actually needed was a brand overhaul.
Vulcan Vents are a type of vent that help a structure protect itself during a wildfire by preventing flames and wind-blown embers from entering the home. They’ve been in production for 14 years. However, most people had never heard of them.. Beyond a logo and simple website, the brand needed a soul and the product needed presence.
Challenges
Client goals
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Large Scope
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Limited Budget
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Fierce Competition
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Limited Public Knowledge
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Very Little literature, photos, sales or marketing material
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Archaic Website
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Restrictive Sales Model
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Diverse Audience
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Dominate the Market
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Develop the Brand
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Create Public Awareness
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Create Marketing, Sales, and Technical Materials
what was at stake?
This market is still relatively new, surprisingly. However, there was only one real competitor. Having only one competitor in the market might sound easy, but it narrows the scope of battle. It was “Us” or “Them”. Our competition was aggressive and would do anything to make the sale. In this race for market share and reputability, everything was at stake. Everything we did mattered.
discovery
There was over a decade of hard work and passion in New Cal Metals and some ingenious engineering in the Vulcan Vent: a simple exterior house vent during the day that became a life saving firewall when danger approaches. The problem was; nobody knew about it, or why they even needed it! I find fire fascinating, so I jumped in, head first into the science of fire, its mechanics during a wildfire event, and how structures become vulnerable long before the fire even comes close!
With a firm grasp of the problem and the solution I got to work. The world needed to know!
step one
Create and exciting and dynamic brand identity that people could trust
step two
Educate our marketing segments about the product and risks of wildfire
step three
Present Vulcan Vents as the Best Solution
Target Audience
Stakeholders
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County Building Code Officials
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State Officials
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Local Fire Departments
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Architects
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Insurance Companies
Consumers
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Community Leaders
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Home Owners
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Contractors
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Retailers and Distributors
Deliverables
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Market analysis
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Competitive analysis
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Developed a brand & marketing strategy
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Developed a new brand identity
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Directed a website redesign and rebuild
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Designed and created all print materials
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Redesigned and drafted all new technical documentation
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Designed the tradeshow booth experience
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Authored training presentations
strategy
The magic here is that most people already know they need to protect their homes from fire. We simply needed to remind them of the problem, and present the solution!
**SPOILER ALERT** This worked!
The education-centric marketing strategy was chosen and consisted of 3 methods, each with their own targets
Our aim was to become the authority on how fires threaten homes, educate our audience about why this product is a critical part of wildfire defense, and how it outshines the competition!
Stakeholders
Live Burn Demonstrations for building code officials, fire departments & community leaders
Consumer
Trade Shows for the Home Owner and the Contractor
global
Website Knowledge Base
results
Vulcan Vents has established itself as the defacto-standard in fire and ember safe vents and dominates the market, boasting a 300% increase in sales in 3 years.
analytics
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+5,000 unique web users each per month
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+200 unique linking domains
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2 min avg. engagement per user
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World-wide, daily traffic
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International interest + developing broad markets
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Major news coverage
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Required by Insurance companies
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Multi state contractor network exclusively using Vulcan Vents
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Global distribution
summary
Being an army of one brought tons of challenges to this brand overhaul. Limited resources is a challenge that many of us have to face, but with dedication and thinking outside the box, almost anything is possible. One of the keys to our success was leveraging already engaged communities through education events and live burn demonstrations.
This “boots on the ground” tactic inspired our demographics directly and profoundly. They effectively helped us carry our message far and wide. This, in essence, became a “hub and spoke” strategy. Today, Vulcan Vents is the most trusted name in the game, and with wildfires becoming ever more common, this brand is here to stay.
