Collins & Associates

A Marketing Solutions Consultancy

Case Studies

by

Accelerated Revenue Growth by Ten Times for A Luxury Travel Consortia

Background

Our client, the premier consumer luxury travel consortia that targets ultra-affluent consumers, needed to develop a five year strategic plan to ramp up revenue growth ten times the company’s current revenue of $50 million.

Analysis

Given the company’s aggressive growth target, we sought to identify the most logical and scalable plan for international expansion. We began by analyzing the entire business model and recommending key strategies to assist the client in developing new revenue opportunities while increasing the effectiveness of existing product distribution channels. We conducted a “deep dive” business review, followed by extensive discussions with the firm’s international suppliers of luxury travel products. We then began negotiating a strategic alliance agreement with MasterCard International and their newest card, MasterCard World Elite.

Results

We successfully negotiated the industry’s first travel card services with MasterCard and the World Elite program which generated a new sales opportunity and a greater than $70 million revenue stream. Our international market entry strategy helped our client develop a plan to launch in Europe and Japan within their five-year goal. We were able to secure cruise line contracts which provided extended product amenities for the client’s exclusive customer base. Overall we were able to increase our client’s net margin by 17% over the previous year while providing them with a strategic business plan outlining strategies and operational requirements to ramp up future growth.

by

Increased Revenue Trade in a Sluggish Market for a Brokerage Firm

Background

Our client, one of the leading brokerage firms in the country, hit a rough patch in 2000 when the internet boom went bust. The president of the firm’s active trader division needed help increasing revenue trades in that sluggish market environment.

Analysis


We conducted a deep-dive analysis to understand key business drivers, measuring business health, and program results. This analysis included identifying “sweet spot” segments to assist the client’s active trader household penetration and revenue trade volume. Then we created a two-part strategy. First, we redefined and implemented a cohesive sales process that included their recent acquisition of a day trading firm. Then we marketed a mass active trader offer that would appeal to the majority of consumer active traders and compete head-to-head with industry giant, DATEK.

Results

Our reengineered pricing structure and gain/share strategy, placed the client in a competitive position. By leveraging the day trading firm, we developed, launched, and marketed an online active trading product that was directly competitive with firms including Charles Schwab, DATEK, eTrade, and Ameritrade.

The result was a 26% year-over-year growth in retail daily average revenue trades and a 25% increase in new active trader households. Our strategy also lowered client attrition rates from 23% to 15% within the first year and increased the overall market share beyond our client’s 29% goal.

small business banking, small bank marketing, credit union marketing, brokerage firm marketing, financial institute marketing, marketing for finance, marketing financial institution

by

Brand Refresh and Recapitalization for Bank Franchise

Background

Our client, a regional retail bank with franchise offices in California and Florida, faced a huge setback when they fell out of compliance on meeting capital ratio requirements. They were able to execute one of the industry’s largest capital raises in the amount of $451 million.

The client was in need of a total brand refresh in order to achieve a 15% return on investment for investors. The bank needed to significantly increase its consumer deposit transactions to reduce its reliance on wholesale borrowing from capital markets. In addition, they needed to devise a strategy to increase their consumer interest income in order to tackle the interest they were paying on borrowed funds.

Analysis

Our analysis determined that consumer awareness for the client’s brand was below two percent. Essentially, consumers thought the bank had been closed. Our approach was twofold.  First, differentiate our client from other banks. Second, revive the brand and immediately drive consumer deposit, transaction, and lending business into the bank, organically.

We started by turning the branch and loan officer sales forces into an aggressive customer-driven, retail-sales, oriented team. We hosted a six-month sales and service training boot camp for bank associates designed to ensure that the consumer experience exceeded customer expectation at every delivery touch point on the frontline and in the back office.

Once the new sales and service culture was in place we assisted the client in developing the most aggressive integrated marketing strategy in banking history by targeting clients at top-tier commercial banks in California and Florida—Bank of America, Wells Fargo, First Interstate, and Barnett Bank.

Results

We were able to increase consumer brand awareness from 2% to 19% in less than 13 months. Within 24 months, the bank was successfully delivering a 15% return on investment to shareholders while increasing the share price from $1.50 per share to $19.00 per share during the merger with CalFed.

The marketing campaign added new checking accounts at the rate of 10,000 a month. Our client increased its checking account portfolio by 30% over a 24 month period totaling $1 billion in overall deposits. This increase allowed our client to reduce its reliance on wholesale borrowing from capital markets from 47% to 33%.

small business banking, small bank marketing, credit union marketing, brokerage firm marketing, financial institute marketing, marketing for finance, marketing financial institution

by

Integrated Marketing Strategy for Packaged Goods

Background

The CEO of a $30 million company, North American Produce, wanted to take his 124-year-old fresh produce packaging and distribution company in a new direction. He wanted to develop a business-to-business, customer relationship management system that could serve current and future large-scale, fast-food, franchise clients. We were asked to work with his senior management team to develop the company’s internet site and create an integrated, strategic marketing plan supporting the launch of this new business model.

Analysis

We conducted a two-day business review session with the client to gain an exhaustive understanding of the business, industry challenges, and environmental forces impacting the ability to launch this new business channel with flawless execution. Once the business review was completed, we designed a competitive matrix to determine market positioning and launched a market research study to gain greater insights on the produce business channel from the order/delivery process all the way to the retail store distribution center.

Results

Within six months, our client launched his new business channel which exceeded his initial goal. Simultaneously, we quickly established market awareness for the new product distribution and servicing through aggressive integrated communications and event promotions campaign.

As a result, within a year of launching the new business channel, the client was able to sell their holding, Taylor Farms, and negotiate a partnership with Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group to acquire 37 Burger King restaurants in Chicago.

Clark Collins marketing, marketing advisor, banking marketing, marketing strategy, public relations, media relations, digital media relations, market research, marketing consultant, small business, strategic marketing consultant, small business marketing consultant, mid-sized marketing consultant, financial marketing, energy marketing, renewable energy marketing, luxury travel consortia

by

Retail Strategy in Newly Deregulated Energy Market

Background

When California deregulated its utility industry, our client—a public utility and energy solutions company—wanted to develop a renewable energy product for consumer households and businesses. They also wanted to develop commercial and private consumer energy consulting services, home security and warranty services, electric car charging stations, and develop an outsourced utility infrastructure. They needed a solid market entry strategy to develop desirable products and reach consumers in this brand new, untapped market.

Analysis

We conducted a full-scale market analysis to appraise the market size and determine energy supply needs and pricing economics. This led to deeper consumer research to fine-tune brand positioning, product offerings, and determine the appropriate product launch strategy.

Results

This effort resulted in the development and introduction of an environmentally smart renewable energy offering called EarthSource. Our client was able to market a unique product line targeted to the key decision maker in households (women and gen X-ers) who expressed concern about protecting the environment from invasive energy production.

Our client successfully generated nearly $200 million in revenue across multiple, newly developed product lines. They attained new customers within 24 months of the new market launch and introduced the first environmental, retail energy product sourced from natural resources in California state history.

solar energy marketing, renewable energy marketing, solar power marketing, satellite marketing, aerospace marketing, satellite energy, small business banking, small bank marketing, credit union marketing, brokerage firm marketing, european vacation, destination vacation, luxury travel consultant, luxury travel advisor, environmental energy advisor