“The factory guys aren’t on TikTok. But the Gen Z plumbers and the DIY renovators are . They don’t want ‘tough.’ They want ‘smart.’ They want a brand that doesn’t waste their time. The current packaging looks like a legal document.”
He turns to face the room. “For 90 years, we’ve sold to engineers who read data sheets. For the next 90, we sell to human beings who are afraid of making a mistake. The strategy isn’t ‘make Wilkins cooler.’ It’s ‘make Wilkins easier to trust in a hurry.’” wilkins marketing strategy session
Wilkins Headquarters, 12th Floor Strategy Room, 8:00 AM “The factory guys aren’t on TikTok
James leans forward. “So we dumb down the product?” “No,” Mara counters. “We reframe it. We stop selling strength . We start selling certainty .” The current packaging looks like a legal document
“Here is the strategy: Vertical Brand Utility. We do not rebrand. We reposition .”
After 90 minutes of heated debate (Arthur had to stop James from throwing an eraser), three distinct initiatives emerge: