The German paper, office supplies and stationery market with an estimated sales volume of 4 billion Euros was shaped by cut-throat competition from strong discounters and chain stores (so called “ALDIisation”). Reductions in consumption brought about by large cutbacks in office staff had also made the market situation difficult. This development had not left the Leitz brand unscarred. Leitz lost market share in some product areas. On top of this came losses in brand strength due to insufficient communication support.
However Leitz succeeded in achieving a turn-around already in its first advertising flight. Its advertising generated growth momentum for new products and enhanced the overall Leitz perception significantly in image criteria relevant to purchasing. Important factors driving this success were the identification and communication of the core category benefit “Alles im Griff” (“everything is under control”) – namely for secretaries and assistants - in the office supply market. – That claim was subsequently challenged by other alternatives, however also international research has proven in several studies the superiority of the “Alles im Griff” claim. The Esselte-Leitz case study proves also that advertising can increase the demand effectively even in difficult business climates providing that a core purchase-relevant benefit is hit upon precisely and well communicated. – However, if you choose to advertise a less behaviour relevant motivation, you can usually only expect minor changes.
Methods used: Projective Techniques, Advertising Effect Pre-Test, Media-Placement-Research
