Client Overview
As a local appliance retailer, Benusa Appliance Sales & Service is our seventh entry in our Best Advertising Strategy series. Benusa has been in business for years in the St. Cloud area, and recently, they’ve opened several more locations throughout central Minnesota including Sauk Centre, Bemidji, Litchfield and, just recently, in Monticello.
With so many locations, you’d think they’re a franchise – but they’re not. Benusa is 100% locally owned and operated.
The Jack of One Trade
If there’s one thing Benusa is known for, it’s appliances. Because of this, the owner, Jack, is the voice you’ll hear on each of their radio ads, along with a consistent female voiceover and a custom sung jingle. We used the owner’s name to create a play on words with their slogan:
“Hi, this is Jack. And at Benusa’s, we’re the jack of one trade: appliances. We only sell appliances, we only service appliances, and we only deliver brand name appliances at any price range directly to your home.”
Their jingle is catchy too. But, how do you make a name like Benusa catchy? By making it rhyme. Benusa is one of those words, like orange, that nothing rhymes with. But that didn’t stop us. Benusa needed a way to get listeners to think of Benusa instead of the big box stores when it comes to appliances. They wanted folks to get used to shopping at Benusa. Thus, their jingle was born:
"You're Gonna Love Getting Used to Benusa!"
Not the Big Box Stores
Big box stores are the biggest competitors in the appliance world. They compete with each other, and with local appliance shops. Unfortunately, for local appliance dealers, they have the reputation of being more expensive than the big box stores. This perception simply isn’t true. Benusa belongs to a National Buying Group so they are extremely competitive with big box stores on price. Yet, because of that notion, most people don’t even think to shop local when they’re buying appliances. Benusa needed a different strategy. They chose to focus on service and being the local appliance experts.
Why the Advertising Strategy Works
Service is something big box stores can't do very well. They also don’t have nearly the amount of knowledge and experience about appliances that Benusa’s team has. Instead of price, Benusa concentrated on service, and being the local experts for all things appliances. The jack of one trade. When it comes to appliances, Benusa just does it better:
Benusa Appliance had a story to tell. They needed to make it known to the public that they were no longer just for contractors and had opened up the local retail store.
Benusa is local and they are the experts when it comes to appliances. And they can service any appliance, even if it wasn’t purchased at one of their stores.
Radio helped them tell their story and gave Benusa Appliance Sales & Service top-of-mind awareness in the area when it came to appliances. It really wasn’t that hard once their strategy message and unique selling proposition were crafted.
Ask someone on the street where to buy appliances, and you’re sure to hear “Benusa!”
