Brochure supreme
On Monday, 4 April Distinction Doors revealed a whole new look, with its familiar blue and grey replaced by a sharper, edgier, black. The first item to benefit from this overhaul was the company’s product brochure. Glass Times caught up with marketing manager, Bethaney Larkman to find out more…
We’ve just taken delivery of the printed brochures, so you couldn’t be speaking with me at a better time! I always enjoy the arrival of any printed material, but these are extra special, and I am pleased to say that they have exceeded our expectations. They look fantastic and they feel super high-quality.”
This is an important factor for Bethaney and her team.
Premium brochure
“This new brochure is a deliberate and determined move away from our usual product directory-style brochure. We are not only responding to customer feedback and independent research, but it better reflects the status of our business – as a premium composite door supplier.”
This is said to have presented quite a challenge for the Distinction Doors marketing team.
“It was vital that we got it right,” says Bethaney. “Premium products demand top quality marketing collateral. In the early stages, we focussed on research and development, looking at the design, medium and messaging of high-end, consumer brands such as Farrow & Ball, Liberty, John Lewis and SMEG. From this, we created mood-boards and began to play around with the aesthetics.”
Consumer behaviour
Taking their lead from the new brand identity, the brochure design is crisp and clear with striking images throughout. More familiar product imagery has been complemented by lifestyle shots, chosen to inspire and influence consumer purchasing.
“This is what makes this brochure radically different from our others,” continues Bethaney. “We have tapped into the consumer psyche, picking up on the emotional behaviour associated with decision-making and purchasing. The images have been carefully selected to reflect this, and the content is different too.”
This comes after independent research revealed that the company’s sales tools must increasingly work for Distinction Doors fabrication customers, their customers and end-users.
According to Bethaney , the content now emphasises the heritage and quality associated with a Distinction Doors product.
The door ranges are then broken down into three sections – Nxt-gen, Signature and Contemporary, highlighting popular door styles within each range.
Decorative glass and glazing options feature throughout. For inspiration, alternatives are presented for each door style.
Highlighting USPs
“We’ve still included plenty of product information, but we have also focussed on our USPs to target strongly against the competition,” says Bethaney.
She highlights subtle yet distinctive points of difference throughout. Readers are made aware of the company’s prestigious Secured by Design status, for example. Distinction Doors was the first and remains the only stockist and distributor of GRP composite door blanks in the UK to be granted SBD status. The colour palette also emphasises the company’s commitment to non-toxic, odourless, low emissions and eco-friendly paints.
Green literature
“Environmental impact is becoming increasingly important in consumer decision-making,” continues Bethaney. “It’s something we were very conscious of when producing this brochure. While we endeavour to steer customers toward our digital offering, including our online door-designer, there is still demand for printed literature, especially for high-end consumer products.”
To meet this requirement, in a conscious and ethical manner, Bethaney says she chose a local printing house with enviable credentials.
“Our preferred printer is ISO 14001 accredited, so we are confident in their ability to produce a quality product, consistently. To acknowledge the environmental impact of paper usage and printing, they are also embarking on a carbon neutral journey which will be in place later this Spring. We also selected FSC certified paper which has been carbon balanced, meaning that the amount of CO2 emitted in the paper making process has been offset. And we are using vegetable-based inks.”
Bethaney says that within a few hours of launching the new product brochure, both the Distinction marketing and sales teams began to receive positive feedback.
A refresh of Distinction’s door-designer is expected soon and a new website is planned for later this year.
