Client Success Story: Picard Ovens

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Picard Ovens is a Canadian manufacturer of commercial ovens. They contacted me to help them make a name for themselves in the U.S. In their more than 50 years in business, they had never done any sales outside of Canada. Their target audience was pizza restaurants and bakeries. They made terrific ovens. They were energy-efficient, affordable, and turned out a great product. There was nothing like it sold in the U.S. All I had to do was get the message to the right people. At issue was a very small budget which meant fewer impressions. The pressure was on to make an impact right away. 

A big challenge was the language barrier. The client spoke French with a working knowledge of English. In the beginning, I knew very little French but learned quickly. We focused on trade advertising, direct mail, and trade shows. This was the most cost-effective way to reach the most potential customers with the least amount of waste (reaching people who are not potential customers). 

I created a variety of campaigns focusing on different aspects of their business. The first campaign (shown above) was intended to inform owners of these wonderful pizza ovens.  I told the story in such a way that it focused on customer benefits instead of product features, using compelling headlines and graphics.