How do you get homeowners excited about replacing their windows in January? That was our guiding question as we prepared to open two Window Nation locations in Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Our goal was clear: establish Window Nation as the trusted, local window replacement provider within 90 days of opening. We knew that generating a swell of brand awareness before opening day would be key to early success, especially as homeowners transitioned from the holiday season to focus on winter weather-related home issues. As a national company with 30+ locations, we also knew that localization was a key component of our messaging.
Detroit and Grand Rapids are two distinct cities, each with its own unique culture, traditions, and favorites. At the same time, at just two hours from each other, residents easily travel from one location’s service area to another while commuting, visiting friends, or traveling locally. Our launch campaign needed to cohesively speak to homeowners on both sides of the state, with creative that highlighted overlapping culture and tied that uniqueness to our services in a fun and light-hearted way.
We flipped the script on the traditional, problem-focused creative typically used by home improvement companies, creating a campaign that built awareness and local credibility pre-launch, drove leads as the market opened, and strengthened trust and loyalty from day one.
We designed a three-phased, multichannel approach to build awareness, momentum, and trust of Window Nation’s new markets. Our pre-launch phase built awareness and credibility through a combination of digital, social media and out-of-home activations, including paid and organic social media, emails, billboards, landing pages, and a giveaway. In phase two, launch week, we layered community-based goodwill activations to our digital strategy, including a ribbon cutting ceremony with local dignitaries, a community donation to regional nonprofits, and associated digital content. Post-launch, we built trust and momentum, continuing creative continuity while shifting to conversion-focused strategies to scale during month one of operation.
To align campaign creative with this phased approach, our team researched Detroit and Grand Rapids history, infrastructure, and lifestyle to discover potential overlap between the two cities. The iconic Motown genre originated in Detroit, but didn’t have deep roots in Grand Rapids. Detroit was in the midst of a housing renaissance with fix-and-flip investors, but this niche didn’t extend beyond the city’s limits. Outdoor recreation, though, had a huge footprint across the state and touched those living in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. This was the hook to connect the East versus West Michigan rivalry under one theme. Ice fishing specifically tied outdoor recreation to January’s winter weather, was accessible to all residents, and offered a perfect complement to our three-phased approach.
Our creative mirrored the journey one takes during their ice fishing adventure. Pre-launch, we connected the routine of readying your cooler for day on the lake, switching the fisherman’s bait, beers, and supplies to a sneak peek at Window Nation’s many offerings. During launch week, we mirrored the excitement and pride of hauling in a prize catch, replacing a record-breaking fish with the opportunity of reeling in new windows for your most prized asset, your home. After launch week, we focused on the critical eye we bring to the fish market as we choose the perfect fillet, highlighting the key features that set Window Nation apart from its competitors. Anyone who fishes, or loves someone who fishes, could instantly recognize the language and imagery of this beloved hobby.
Our ice fishing journey across paid digital and billboards evoked a nod towards nostalgia, and we paired this creative with existing Window Nation branding across organic social media, email, and in-person activations. We knew tried-and-true creative focused on energy-efficiency held an important place within the brand recall formula, and this messaging would last long after our ice fishing motif melted away in the spring. By combining evergreen creative with a catchy nod towards a local past time, and mirroring the experience thousands of Michiganders have each winter, we flipped the often-dreaded window replacement project into a journey of intrigue, anticipation, and excitement.
The launch campaign exceeded expectations and enabled both locations to immediately begin serving homeowners from day one. Instead of slowly ramping up awareness after showrooms opened doors, our campaign spurred intrigue and generated leads six weeks ahead of opening day. Once doors opened, digital strategies shifted to trust-based conversion, continuing momentum post-launch and allowing Window Nation to increase its share of voice and brand recall throughout its first month.
Our pre-launch, awareness-first messaging primed customer demand, driving attention and winning clicks:
Paid social achieved CTRs 1.1 percentage points greater than our average and highly efficient CPMs
Creative drove 40,000+ website visits ahead of the market opening
With users already familiar with our brand and unique offer, launch week and post-launch creative led to faster engagement and more efficient leads:
Paid social CTRs increased linearly by phase, achieving CTRs 4 and 5 percentage points above average
Lead volume shot out of the gate in Meta, with CPL tracking well below averages
62K organic social media reach
With the strength of this campaign, Detroit paced 286% above lead and 148% above opportunities goals during its first month, while Grand Rapids paced 163% above lead goal. When compared to openings in similar DMAs, Detroit secured 245% more leads throughout its first month serving homeowners, while Grand Rapids secured 150% more leads.
Our Detroit and Grand Rapids launch campaign now serves as a playbook for opening new locations, illustrating how connecting to community passions and building demand before opening day impacts immediate market success.
