Someone needs to be blamed for the increase in sales.
– Aarne Kauhanen, CEO of Jussin Pyöräpiste
Jussin Pyöräpiste, or Jussi’s bicycle point, is familiar to most people in Oulu as a long-term specialist in bicycles and small home appliances. The company has two stores that also serve customers with maintenance and spare part needs. For a long time, Jussi’s bicycle point had relied on traditional newspaper advertising as the primary marketing channel. They were ready to boldly renew and modernise their marketing with Avalon.
Jussi’s bicycle point had awoken to the fact that old marketing methods were no longer serving their purpose as the competitive landscape had grown fiercer and there had been a structural shift in sales. They chose Avalon as their partner to renew and revitalise marketing with one simple goal: to increase sales.
What is noteworthy, is that the annual marketing budget for Jussi’s bicycle point was not increased. The marketing spend was simply redistributed, so that half of the money that had formerly been spent on print advertising was redirected into digital marketing. This alone was enough to significantly lower the company’s threshold for trying out a more modern marketing mix. In the beginning of the collaboration, an additional investment was made into developing a brand identity and to renewing the company’s visual identity.
The partnership with Jussi’s bicycle point commenced in 2018, when Avalon helped define the brand identity, renewed the corporate identity and crystallised the marketing themes, which formed the basis for the marketing plan and content strategy.
The corporate identity renewal included a logo update, new window decals and signage for the store fronts. The corporate website was also audited and optimised to support search engine discoverability. It was agreed that a more comprehensive website renewal would follow later during 2019.
In the summer of 2018, we rolled out a delightfully attention-grabbing campaign: Jussi protects. Bicycle seats across Oulu were given protective rain covers during selected local events. The protective covers showed the company brand upfront, while hidden inside were a competition and a servicing offer. Avalon also produced a customer newspaper, which was distributed as direct mail to homes around the company’s core business area.
After the successful start, the relationship with Jussi’s bicycle point advanced towards a partnership model. Currently Avalon takes cares of day to day marketing activities for the company; oversees that the content strategy gets executed according to the annual marketing calendar, updates the company website with new content, manages social media accounts and campaigns as well as Google ad campaigns, and produces videos. Good old print advertising has not been completely abandoned either. Ads are still run regularly, but the emphasis is now heavier on digital marketing and communications.
The revenue for Jussi’s bicycle point climbed up 4% during the 2018–2019 accounting period and they are confident that the growth will continue. Growth was achieved despite increased competition, delivery difficulties with certain suppliers and fallen margins for more expensive products.
”I must say, I have a good feeling about Avalon’s influence on the revenue growth. Even though our print visibility has significantly diminished, sales have gone up. So, blame has to be allocated somewhere. The collaboration with Avalon must have had an affect.”
Aarne Kauhanen, CEO for Jussin Pyöräpiste
HELSINKI
Kanavaranta 3-7 E 24
00160 Helsinki
OULU
Kasarmintie 21
90130 Oulu