A combination of print, television, catalog and retail promotion has helped slipcover maker Sure Fit grow its branded products to 75% of the company's sales, says Amy Tissot, direct marketing program director.
Up until 2001, the company--founded in 1914--had instead sold products primarily under the Fieldcrest and Cannon labels. Tissot discussed the New York-based firm’s marketing strategy during a session Thursday at the New England Mail Order Association fall conference in Burlington, VT.
The company's first 16-page catalog effort was mailed in the fall of 1996 to 10,000 names. Sure Fit's first print ad ran the following spring in Country Living magazine. A Web site was launched in 1999, and by 2001 the company expanded to four annual catalogs and television advertising. The company's catalog budget for 2003 is $15 million.
In 2002, the New York-based company posted $55 million in sales. Sure Fit has a seven million name proprietary database, with 450,000 12-month buyers. Tissot says 1.5 million subscribers receive the company's e-mail newsletter.
The company does have some channel conflict: some retailers who carry Sure Fit products aren't crazy about the company selling direct. But the catalog does drive retail sales, and vice versa, noted Tissot. The catalog's average order is $150. An $11 million advertising budget supports the direct sales division. A new ad agency, Lloyd & Company, was recently retained by Sure Fit to create a new general advertising campaign, set to debut in early 2004.
Sure Fit's top publications for space ads include Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living and Good Housekeeping. FSIs in newspapers are currently being tested.
Television has also performed well for Sure Fit. The Learning Channel, HGTV and Discovery are the top stations, and the company had great luck placing spots on TLC's "Trading Spaces." Thanks to the show's runaway success however, it's now out of the company's price range: rates went from a reasonable $6,000 to a pricey $90,000.
Also on television, Sure Fit has milked public relations opportunities from an annual "Ugly Couch Contest." The winner, who receives $5,000, is announced on "Live With Regis & Kelly." Over 30,000 catalog requests are generated thanks to the competition.
Radio has been tested, said Tissot, but did not perform well, likely because the product needs to be visually displayed to peak customer curiosity. One of the company's main challenges is to change the perception that slipcovers are old-fashioned, she noted.
