Role:
Marketer / Project Manager
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
PleatcoPure – The Clean Water Company
As one of the marketers on the team, I assisted in completing the situation analysis before we executed the re-branding of Unicel. For this competitor analysis, I was tasked with Pleatco, which is in closest competition to Unicel.
Customer Service
Target Segmentation
Priority #1
Service Professionals
Also known as your ‘Pool Guy’..they are the ones who personally buy, replace, and clean these products. They are the most hands-on with pool and spa filters.
Priority #2
Partners
Partners will be the retail store owners and other distributors who buy the product bulk during the selling season. This avenue of sales is B2B.
Priority #3
Pool Owners
The official ‘end-users’, who typically have no clue about what goes into their pool. All they care about is the end result.
Pleatco Programs
Partner Portal
Exclusive portal for members-only (ex; Retailors, Distributors, OEM’s).
Perfect Pool Guy & Gal Awards
Awards given to recognize pool service professionals across the country. Program began in 2008.
- Convenient access to information, materials, and store locator
- Perks include…
- Marketing Materials
- Videos
- Edit Store Locator
- Newsletters
- Winners give a testimonial that is linked with the Pleatco brand.
- Award signals that Pleatco is the brand that the best pool professionals prefer.
Brand Archetype
The Lover
Pleatco
- Values their Relationship
- Acknowledge each Target Market → Provides Tailored Support and Services
- Focused on Pleasing Customer
- Emphasize Appearance → Make Brand More Attractive with Scientific Imagery
Numbers
Sales Volume (By Region)
1. Florida
Arizona
Nevada
Indiana
Wisconsin
Texas
Minnesota
Maryland
Ohio
10. New Jersey
1. Florida
Arizona
Nevada
Indiana
5. Wisconsin
Texas
Minnesota
Maryland
Ohio
10. New Jersey
Website Statistics
Pleatco
Global Rank: 4,899,519
Country Rank: 1,626,908
Unicel
Global Rank: 5,027,020
Country Rank: 1,857,151
Direct: 42.21%
Search: 56.00%
Direct: 47.13%
Search: 52.87%
Pleatco
Global Rank: 4,899,519
Country Rank: 1,626,908
Direct: 42.21%
Search: 56.00%
Unicel
Global Rank: 5,027,020
Country Rank: 1,857,151
Direct: 47.13%
Search: 52.87%
Social Media Presence
Platform: Twitter
Username: @Pleatco_Pure
Engagement:
- 1,167 Followers
- 234 Likes
Active/Inactive: Active
Platform: Facebook
Username: @Pleatco – Pleatco Filtration
Engagement:
- 998 Followers
- 988 Page Likes
Active/Inactive: Active
Platform: Instagram
Username: @pleatcopure
Engagement:
- 18 Followers
- 0 Posts
Active/Inactive: Inactive
Platform: LinkedIn
Username: PleatcoPure – The Clean Water Company
Engagement:
- 220 Followers
- 0 Posts
Active/Inactive: Inactive
Platform: Youtube
Username: Pleatco
Engagement:
- 38 Subscribers
- 10 Videos
Active/Inactive: Inactive
Notable: Top Video has 2.5k Views
Platform: Pinterest
Username: PleatcoPure
Engagement:
- 109 Followers
Active/Inactive: Inactive
Notable: Good Content
Platform: Vimeo
Username: Pleatco
Engagement:
- 61 Videos
- 2 Followers
Active/Inactive: Active
Notable: Top Video has 128k Views
Platform: Blog
Username: Pleatco Blog
Engagement:
- 13 Posts
Active/Inactive: Inactive
Notable: Good Content but Off-Target
Summary
Strengths vs. Weaknesses
Strengths
Innovate Industry with New Products
Website Features Good Content
Pleatco Guy/Gal
Weaknesses
Website Content is Cluttered
Inactive on Social Medias
Lack of Follow-Thru
I.M.C
Unicel – Clearly The Best
After we completed our research, the project lead and I strategized the project IMC. We outlined the overall goals, specific tactics to execute, and metrics to track upon post-launch.
KPI’s
IMC Key Performance Indicators
Social Media
- Increase in Followers / Subscribers
- Post Engagement
- Website Visits
Editorial / Magazine Ads
- Increase in Ad-Specific Landing Page Visits
- Increase in Ad-Specific ‘Discount’ or ‘Feature’ codes
SEM/SEO
- Increase in Page Visits
- Increase in First-Time Page Visits
- Increase in Conversions from Google Search
- Fill Out Contact Form
- Download Guide
- Find a Distributor
Overall Brand Awareness
- Total Increase in Web Traffic
- Total Increase in Social Media Following / Engagement / Mentions
- Brand Relevant Google Searches
Changed Conversation
- Content/Specific words in Social Media Mentions
- People explaining why they love Unicel (social media, articles, videos)
- Answers from Trivia Game
- Comments from Content that push this Conversation
Executed Tactics
Social Media
For social media, especially Instagram, we chose to show Unicel’s mascot, Uni, in various fun and relevant moments and holidays.
Print, being one of Unicel’s main form of advertising, gave us the perfect channel to explicitly show the new brand look of Unicel.
TAKEAWAYS
Understanding the distribution channels and sales of a company will lead to a more integrated plan.
When taking over as a project lead, it’s necessary to execute deep research and ask questions to catch up on the project’s and history.
SKILLS DEVELOPED
Marketing Planning Print Production
Competitor & Industry Research
Communicating a Brand Consistently through Visuals
Segmenting Different Targets based on Product Usage and Motivations