Client Brief

Culligan Water is an innovative world leader in filtration systems and water treatment solutions for the residential, commercial and industrial markets. Its experienced network of local water treatment professionals provides bottled water delivery, water testing, installation and maintenance of all water treatment solutions. Supporting this highly trained dealer network with high-impact communication tools, promotions and incentives is key to the 84-year-old brand’s enduring success.

Goal

To develop an engaging dealer incentive program that will challenge each Culligan water treatment professional to become a sales “HERO” by focusing on the sales of the HE (High-Efficiency Water Softener) and the RO (Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System). The “Year of the HERO” dealer incentive program encourages individual sales professionals as well as dealers to earn HERO status (including cash and prizes) by selling “doubles” of these top-performing units – the HE and the RO.

Strategy

In a thematic and stylistic departure from previous dealer promotions, HMG partnered with the Culligan marketing team to render playful yet heroic characters that resemble the actual HE and RO water filtration units. The classic, comic-book-illustration style pairs this new “dynamic water-filtration duo” with Culligan’s unmistakable brand identity and color scheme, along with utility belts and matching capes, to embody an inventive theme that will impact Culligan’s selling efforts.

Tactics

The HERO characters form the basis of the year-long Culligan dealer incentive program and will appear in various promotional materials including emails, collateral and life-size cutouts at trade shows. The Year of the HERO poster, also developed by HMG, serves as the first piece and the introduction to the program.

With the tongue-in-cheek swagger of a giant 2×3-foot comic book cover, the poster provides a splashy, eye-catching tease and quick overview of the new dealer incentive program. Bold, comic-inspired pronouncements such as “With great water comes great responsibility” entertain the troops in the field while educating them on this important new opportunity.

“Heinzeroth brought the ‘Year of the HERO’ characters to life with professionally rendered comic book illustrations and a fun, high-impact poster design. Excellent work.”

Merle Schafman, Director of Creative Services Culligan Dealer Division