It's best at home
Furniture retailer Micasa wants to be top of mind with a new communications package.
Furniture retailer Micasa wants to be top of mind with a new communications package.
When the leaves on the trees change color in September, the mailbox also becomes more colorful: The catalogs from the furniture stores flutter into the mailbox. This fall, Micasa's home decor book has a new look. The completely revised layout is intended to improve reader guidance and present the range with modern imagery. The catalog is a harbinger of the communication concept, which is now being implemented by Wirz Werbung. The Zurich-based agency won the pitch against two competitors last December and won the Micasa account from Rüegg Fontana Heiderich. The background to the realignment is, on the one hand, the poor financial year 2003 - for the entire furnishing industry: Micasa's turnover plummeted from 356 million in 2002 to 320 million. On the other hand, market research revealed that the Migros unit has a significant deficit in terms of brand awareness. "Our spontaneous awareness is only around 11 and 13 percent," says Micasa Head of Communications Caesar Keller. "When consumers need something from the furnishing sector, they spontaneously think of three to four suppliers and we want to be one of them in the future." In Switzerland, these are first and foremost market leader Möbel Pfister and number two Ikea. However, Interio and Top Tip, which are behind third-placed Micasa in terms of sales, also have a higher level of spontaneous awareness.
The package of measures put together by Wirz is intended to change this in the long term. To this end, the advertising budget was increased by around 20 percent, enabling the production of a TV commercial for the first time in Micasa's history. With a special kind of vacation experience, it documents that there is no better place to be than at home - especially when the
The film is equipped with Micasa furniture and accessories. The short film will be used nationally from 2005. Micasa is breaking new ground dramaturgically with this witty plot. Caesar Keller comments: "We
have neglected the entertainment value of advertising in the past. In the good old Migros tradition, we also want to go down a funny route in future.
This affiliation is no coincidence: after Micasa was clearly separated from Migros a few years ago, the aim is to re-emphasize the affiliation and thus benefit from customers' trust in the retailer. According to Keller, they want to emphasize the typical Migros price-performance ratio. Accordingly, the product range is to be
correct. However, the positioning should remain the same: Micasa sees itself behind Möbel Pfister in terms of design, but clearly ahead of Ikea in terms of quality.
Life planning à la PfisterThe industry leader Möbel Pfister has also ordered some witty advertising this fall. With humorous headlines, some of which refer to current events, the furniture store is targeting a younger target group.
audience. According to the slogans, Möbel Pfister makes a contribution to family planning or entices people to curl up on sofas. The advertising campaign was designed by the agency Publicis, which has been working with the company for two years.
Last year, Möbel Pfister also lost a good three percent of its sales, but remained at the top of the league with around CHF 519 million.
Top of the Swiss furniture market. (sk)
For the first time in its more than 20-year history, Micasa is making a TV commercial.
Möbel Pfister targets a young audience with humorous headlines.
Micasa's new living book features a revised concept.
Simone Keller
When the leaves on the trees change color in September, the mailbox also becomes more colorful: The catalogs from the furniture stores flutter into the mailbox. This fall, Micasa's home decor book has a new look. The completely revised layout is intended to improve reader guidance and present the range with modern imagery. The catalog is a harbinger of the communication concept, which is now being implemented by Wirz Werbung. The Zurich-based agency won the pitch against two competitors last December and won the Micasa account from Rüegg Fontana Heiderich. The background to the realignment is, on the one hand, the poor financial year 2003 - for the entire furnishing industry: Micasa's turnover plummeted from 356 million in 2002 to 320 million. On the other hand, market research revealed that the Migros unit has a significant deficit in terms of brand awareness. "Our spontaneous awareness is only around 11 and 13 percent," says Micasa Head of Communications Caesar Keller. "When consumers need something from the furnishing sector, they spontaneously think of three to four suppliers and we want to be one of them in the future." In Switzerland, these are first and foremost market leader Möbel Pfister and number two Ikea. However, Interio and Top Tip, which are behind third-placed Micasa in terms of sales, also have a higher level of spontaneous awareness.
The package of measures put together by Wirz is intended to change this in the long term. To this end, the advertising budget was increased by around 20 percent, enabling the production of a TV commercial for the first time in Micasa's history. With a special kind of vacation experience, it documents that there is no better place to be than at home - especially when the
The film is equipped with Micasa furniture and accessories. The short film will be used nationally from 2005. Micasa is breaking new ground dramaturgically with this witty plot. Caesar Keller comments: "We
have neglected the entertainment value of advertising in the past. In the good old Migros tradition, we also want to go down a funny route in future.
This affiliation is no coincidence: after Micasa was clearly separated from Migros a few years ago, the aim is to re-emphasize the affiliation and thus benefit from customers' trust in the retailer. According to Keller, they want to emphasize the typical Migros price-performance ratio. Accordingly, the product range is to be
correct. However, the positioning should remain the same: Micasa sees itself behind Möbel Pfister in terms of design, but clearly ahead of Ikea in terms of quality.
Life planning à la PfisterThe industry leader Möbel Pfister has also ordered some witty advertising this fall. With humorous headlines, some of which refer to current events, the furniture store is targeting a younger target group.
audience. According to the slogans, Möbel Pfister makes a contribution to family planning or entices people to curl up on sofas. The advertising campaign was designed by the agency Publicis, which has been working with the company for two years.
Last year, Möbel Pfister also lost a good three percent of its sales, but remained at the top of the league with around CHF 519 million.
Top of the Swiss furniture market. (sk)
For the first time in its more than 20-year history, Micasa is making a TV commercial.
Möbel Pfister targets a young audience with humorous headlines.
Micasa's new living book features a revised concept.
Simone Keller
