CCS McLays supply all the things that retailers need but don’t sell. Like stationery, carrier bags, cleaning supplies, staff uniforms. And they’ve been doing it for 20+ years.
But they wanted to get noticed alongside the bigger players, while conveying their personality. So they hired …Gasp! agency. And …Gasp! hired me to develop a brand positioning that was distinctive, personable and above all, memorable.
It began with brand positioning
The category is called GNFR (Goods Not For Resale), and all of the brand’s competitors use jargon. So it needed everyday language to make CCS McLays stand out amid .
First I wrote an elevator pitch…
In retail, your products might be the stars of the show. But it’s all the things you take for granted that really set you apart. Like your signage, stationery, bags with the fancy handles, and food containers with lids that actually stay on. CCS McLays are all about the stuff you don’t sell. The stuff you need to keep your business running right. The stuff you’d rather not think about. The little details that make all the difference. CCS McLays sort it all.
And this led me to a new brand strapline that said exactly what CCS McLays do, in a refreshingly simple way…
Next, I wrote some ads
“The detail behind the retail” opened the door to ultraspecificity when talking about CCS McLays’ products and the scenarios that retail managers might find themselves in. So I zoomed right in. And so did …Gasp! with this exquisitely detailed art direction.
The Great Toilet Takeover
Since CCS McLays deal with bathroom and cleaning products, …Gasp! had a maverick idea to sponsor the toilets at the UK retail and FMCG sectors’ biggest event of the year, Retail Week x The Grocer LIVE.
Retail Week had never considered offering their toilet area for sponsorship before, until …Gasp! came up with the genius idea of making CCS McLays the proud sponsors of 1109 sqft of exquisite bathroom space.
To embody The detail behind the retail positioning, I wrote dozens of fourth-wall breaking copy lines across every feasible surface. A proper marketing style brand campaign.
It’s rare to be given the freedom to be strategically silly in B2B. But …Gasp! know how effective it can be in the right circumstances. These were undoubtedly the right circumstances. Here’s their recap of the full campaign.