ESSILOR#THISISWHY
About The Project
A strategic engagement campaign including digital messaging and live events refocuses on core values to improve relationships between employees and customers.
THE CHALLENGE
Essilor is a leading optical brand and one of the largest and most powerful companies in the eye care industry, manufacturing and selling eyeglass lenses through a network of valued independent eye care professionals.
But with the advent and rapid growth of online direct-to-consumer discount retailers in the eyeglass industry, Essilor began to face competition like they never had before. What they needed, in response, was something that would resonate for its customers and sales employees — something that could differentiate Essilor from the up-and-coming direct-to-consumer brands that threatened its market share.
Our answer was a question. “Why Essilor?” — a year-long engagement campaign, was designed by EGR to showcase all of the unique benefits of Essilor to its customers and sales employees. This was a carefully crafted campaign that positioned Essilor as a champion of independent eye care professionals — passionately committed to helping the world see better — and successfully allowed the brand to remain on top amongst the competition.
THE SOLUTION
A moving video proclaims Essilor as the “Champion of the Independent Eye Care Professional.”
As a way to shine a light on Essilor’s spirit of innovation and its leadership built on collective ingenuity, partnership, and people united by a common mission and purpose, EGR created a “This is Why” anthem video that included the many constituents of the brand, including independent eye care professionals, employees, lab technicians, and patients across the country.
#ThisisWhy campaign launches at a national sales meeting with customers and employees.
A kickoff meeting in January served as the natural launch point for the campaign. Through carefully curated mainstage presentations and visuals, guest speakers, planned employee and customer recognition, interactive mobile applications, and onsite activations that encouraged individuals to articulate their own personal #ThisIsWhy message, the entire audience became united behind the Essilor’s cause, because they saw it as relative to their own ambitions and value systems.
An increased emphasis on advocacy work draws the audience closer to Essilor's brand purpose.
To elevate Essilor in the eyes of both the employees and customers, we placed a distinct focus on communicating the good work of their foundation dedicated to making sure children and other vulnerable populations receive the eye care they need to maintain healthy vision and lead better lives.
A targeted customer engagement campaign increases brand loyalty.
The campaign also included a plan to methodically address each and every single high-value customer in Essilor’s portfolio. Together with Essilor, we identified key customers and analyzed their current buying behavior and brand perceptions. We then arranged intimate 10-person dinners comprised of Essilor leadership and customers to personally address any customer concerns and how Essilor would help independent eye care professionals navigate through the current price pressures in the industry.
More connected than ever before.
After the kickoff program in January — and the customer outreach later in the year — there was palpable change in the attitudes and inclinations of the sales team and their customers. The #ThisisWhy campaign had them feeling more energized and more connected to the Essilor brand than ever before.
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A positive shift in buying patterns.
Essilor’s #ThisisWhy campaign also increased sales activities. The field sales team had more confidence in the brand, and ‘high-risk’ customers that had been selling significantly less product than the average customer converted to selling distinctly more product than the average customer. Brand affinity and sales continued to grow as more employees and customers than ever before became loyal and passionate brand advocates.