Marketing Mnemonics

Strong Hand

The Background:

Falcon Industries is a manufacturer of grips and accessories for tactical weapons. The company markets its products to OEMs, distributors, end users, and government under the brand name Ergo Grip™. The company had grown to the point where in order for it to expand, it needed a marketing effort. The effort would include a new image for Falcon Industries and new packaging concepts for the companies' products. It will also include an extensive advertising and PR effort.

The company's founder had expertise in molding and casting parts. The initial capital invested went to molds and molding equipment in order to produce the best product possible. The marketing effort from the conception of the company suffered because of lack of marketing expertise.

The Positioning:

We had an unusual problem with Falcon. The company was promoting its products under the name Ergo Grip™. The packaging showed Falcon Industries company name being dominant over the trade name. The approach we took was to emphasize the word Ergo and and de-emphasize Falcon. That would then emphasize the brand. We first changed Falcon Industries' logo to modernize it and moved it to the rear of the product packaging. We also developed a new look for the Ergo Grip™ name by using a different more dominant type style. We insisted that all products carry a new Ergo Grip insignia. We then created a "good, better, best" graphic in an effort to position the company's products as the best available.

The Mnemonic Image:

We wanted the image to be high impact. It had to tie into the concept. We need an image that would be remembered. Years ago, Jack Webb's production company, Mark VII, used a sweaty burley hand with a hammer and punch. That mneumonic was extremely successful and memorable. We chose to take a very clean firearm and make the center of attention a strong sweaty hand.

We developed the heading "It Starts with the Grip". We used this theme to indicate that for a tactical weapon, the first thing to consider when upgrading is the grip. The grip is the starting point.

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Comments from Mark Goff:

In Falcon's case, where the company manufactured grips for tactical weapons, we had to develop an image that would cause the viewer to focus on the grip rather than the weapon itself. That image also had to be something that we could build on. The concept of a strong hand was a natural. I had always admired the Jack Webb Mark VII mneumonic and decided to apply that type of image to Falcon.

We developed a full page sell sheet. This sell sheet could also be used for a full page ad. The image could also be used on the cover of a catalog and would later be blown up in size and used as the primary focus point on Falcon's trade show exhibit.