Thumb through any commercial plumbing publication or scroll around industry 
online sites, and you’re immediately overwhelmed by ads touting a plethora of features and specifications for a dizzying array of products.
So how on earth does a manufacturer introducing a new product break through that kind of visual noise? That’s the challenge Rheem® Manufacturing faced in launching their new Triton™ smart, high-efficiency commercial gas water heater in 2018.
The Bloodhound Group conducted research for Rheem with target audiences—plumbers, plumbing engineers and facilities managers—that revealed powerful emotional reactions to water heater failure. That led to a strategy positioning the new Triton water heater as an effective way to both protect and win with clients.
The resulting campaign we developed was funny and unexpected, breaking through the clutter and resonating with prospects. Sales and market share increases from the launch exceeded the company’s goals and the print ad component of the campaign won a 2019 AMY (Atlanta Marketer of the Year) Award for Rheem and The Bloodhound Group.
Here’s the full story…
Campaign background
Rheem hadn’t introduced a new commercial water heater product in a decade. Triton™, however, was a game-changing contender, with a feature set that leapfrogged the competition. The new commercial water heater was designed with considerable input from plumbers, upping its credibility right out of the gate. Among many other advances, the unit features the industry’s only all-inclusive leak detection and prevention system, capable of detecting leaks as small as a grain of sand. Built-in intelligence enables Triton to send preventive maintenance notices, health checks/performance updates and alerts about any issues through a mobile app as well as on an LCD display on the unit itself.
Launch objectives
- Create a breakthrough integrated market introduction initiative to quickly build awareness and sales
- Generate top-of-mind awareness for Triton
- Re-establish Rheem as a major player in the commercial water heater segment
- Achieve designated Year 1 sales/order targets
Customer insights
- Commercial plumbing contractors are risk-averse and tend to replace “like for like”—that is, install a new version of the same brand and model unit to make replacement easier and minimize call-backs.
- Specifying plumbing engineers seek reliable products to offer clients (architects, building owners, etc.), so, technical specifications like capacity, efficiency and advanced features are most critical to product selection.
- Facilities managers must keeping business operations up and running and so want to be proactive in maintaining equipment; water heater failures often catch them off guard.
Clutter-cutting strategies
Create a highly memorable, emotionally engaging and “pattern-interrupting” launch campaign to stand out in the sea of traditional product/feature adverting.
- Establish the emotional benefit of being able to proactively address a potentially catastrophic water heater failure before it occurs, eliminating the emergency.
- Employ the “hero archetype” to appeal to the unconscious need state of risk-averse commercial plumbers, facilities managers and commercial plumbing engineers.
- Use humor to grab attention, create buzz and enhance memorability.
- Position Triton as the best solution on the market for commercial applications.
Emotion-based creative
We produced a pool of print and digital ads addressing various scenarios where water heater failure could cause headaches for the target audiences:
- “Wet Shoes”—“ankle-deep in water” consequences of commercial water heater failure
- “Dishes”—nasty impact on a restaurant when the water heater goes down
- “Bedroom”—middle-of-the-night calls to the plumber about water heater failure
- “Shower”—shocking implications of no hot water on clients, or customers’ clients
- “No Brainer”—a mini-IQ test for selecting the best commercial gas water heater
Winning results
- Anecdotal dealer-wholesaler/plumber feedback indicates significant, positive awareness for Triton and enhanced credibility for Rheem products in the commercial sector.
- Orders and deliveries of Triton units were significantly above the comps for the product it replaced (SpiderFire).
- Website traffic on com to the Triton web pages increased 478% versus the product it replaced.
- Triton successfully met sales/order expectations in Year 1.
- The Triton print campaign won a 2018 Atlanta Marketer of the Year (AMY) Award.