Background
Richards Paints Ltd are based in Smethwick in the West Midlands and have been manufacturing specialist industrial coatings for over 160 years. Their core product range covers paint for the protection and decoration of steel substrates and fabrications.

In May 2005 Richards Paints was introduced to id Marketing by Business Link West Midlands, to give advice and help to launch their new product – Good for Wood, an organic, VOC free wood treatment.

The project was funded by an EU development fund and was conducted by id Marketing in five stages; market research, strategic planning, tactical planning, development of materials and direct sales assistance.

Project Stages
Stage One – Market Research
id Marketing began by conducting thorough research into the woodcare market. This was both secondary, desk research which looked into any legal, political, social, economic, technological and environmental issues, either positive or negative, that could effect the future of the new venture. In addition , some primary research was carried out to determine distribution routes and general reaction to Good for Wood, plus competitor research which allowed id to prepare competitor profiles.

Stage Two - Strategic Planning
When preparing the strategic plan, id Marketing took into account the internal resources and restrictions of HS Richards, to ensure that the plan could be effectively implemented. Whilst Good for Wood was very well suited to a consumer market, the resources required to immediately launch against other DIY products meant that it would take time before Richards Paints were in a position to compete. Therefore B2B markets were concentrated on, with opportunities being identified as Richards Paints supplying to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).

Stage Three - Tactical Planning
Once the overall strategy had been decided, a tactical plan was developed, detailing all the actions required to successfully launch Good for Wood. This included detailed information on the distribution routes, product attributes, pricing and promotional materials and campaigns.

Stage Four – Materials Development
From here id Marketing developed the necessary marketing materials to launch. These included naming & branding - the brand Good for Wood was created. Product labels, direct mail and sales sheets for direct sales people were created, as well as a website for easy access to Good for Wood information (some materials can be viewed in our Gallery of Work).

Stage Five – Direct Sales
Id Marketing took sole responsibility of the sales process through organising and instigating a direct mail and telesales campaign. This was followed up with direct sales which resulted in the successful generation of new sales for \good for Wood and HS Richards.