Case Study | Lennox
Repositioning a legacy HVAC brand
to be relevant and distinct.
The HVAC category has spent decades advertising its functional attributes. They heat, they cool, they provide comfort. Virtually every brand in the HVAC category has embraced this unwritten convention, or rule, and continues to compete on product features, functions and durability. Lennox, as the third largest brand in the category, couldn’t afford to play by the leader’s rules. So with new marketing leadership and big ambitions, we smelled an opportunity to challenge the status quo and have the Lennox brand stand for something bigger.
Through close client collaboration, research and consumer understanding, we were able to piece together a new narrative for their history of innovation and current technology. You see, we connected the dots to show that all of their cutting-edge technology was designed to perfect the air around you and make what you live and breathe every day cleaner, healthier and more comfortable.
It started with a new tagline and a statement of intent to reclaim the environment that means the most to us: The air in our home.
Rethink Your Air
The next step in repositioning Lennox was to essentially challenge people to take another look at the air in their homes and the vital role it plays in SO many aspects of our lives. The argument went something like this:
People go to all kinds of crazy lengths to improve their lives.
Diets. Exercise. Meditation. Herbs. Designer bedsheets. Sound machines.
The list goes on.
But what good is all that if the air where you live and breathe isn’t what it should be? If you want to feel better, live healthier and improve the environment you live in, wouldn’t it make sense to start
by improving one of the most basic building blocks of life? Could it really be that simple?
Instead of spending so much energy rethinking how you live your life,
why not relax, take a deep breath and rethink you air?
Elements of this argument were crafted into messaging that felt warmer, more approachable and, dare we say, human. Importantly, this new emotional way of communicating was infused into not just advertising, but every touchpoint through both B2B and B2C channels to allow us to reinterpret the brand broadly and consistently no matter who the audience was. We were even able to leverage our new voice to encourage new people to make a career in HVAC.
If you want to look at hard numbers, in the two years since we launched the new Lennox brand we have grown brand equity by 8 points, thus improving the brand’s unaided awareness and first-mention position. Lennox has also experienced record highs for their two main KPIs, site visits and dealer lookups, exceeding annual goals by 17% and 6% respectively. Dealers are adopting our message and using Lennox advertising materials like never before, effectively multiplying brand presence.
But if you really want to know if we’ve made a difference, look no further than the fact that Trane, their biggest competitor (and biggest category spender), has taken notice and tried to pivot their messaging towards this emotional place that Lennox now owns. When you can deposition the 800-pound gorilla in the category and make them follow your lead…you’re doing something remarkable.