Early in our marriage, my wife and I purchased land on which we planned to build our dream home. The property was heavily wooded with towering oaks. We were young and poor, so I decided to clear the land myself.
My father let me use his chainsaw. Unfortunately, most of the time the saw would not crank after refueling. I was extremely frustrated by its lack of reliability. This saw was literally standing in the way of our home’s construction! My brother-in-law recommended I buy a Stihl. Stihl was more expensive, but he swore by the brand. So, I invested what little money we had into a pricey Stihl chainsaw. The brand performed as promised, and soon our house was going up.
Five years later, I supervised an agency team tasked to extend the Stihl brand into trimmers and blowers. Critical to this challenge was understanding the essence of Stihl, so brand equity would be strengthened, not diluted by line extension.
Research revealed three customer segments who were willing to pay a premium for quality. One was “my” segment: DIYers so frustrated by inexpensive, unreliable equipment they swore their next purchase would be nothing but the best. The creative team decided testimonials would be the most compelling way to share the emotional rewards of owning a Stihl.
The tagline “Stihl. For the part of you that promised you would never compromise” was used to capture the brand’s essence. Frustration can be a powerful emotional trigger for brand purchase. Today Stihl is the market leader.
In a way, we helped Stihl drive emotional horsepower to build its brand. Let us help you build your brand. Check out the Services section of our site.