Kreski Marketing builds eyecatching campaign for keyboard manufacturer

by Don Kreski

The most enjoyable project we worked on this spring was the “High Security” campaign for Wireless Computing, a manufacturer of RF wireless keyboards.

Martin Phillips, president of the company, hired Kreski Marketing based on work we had done for Starin and others. He wanted a campaign that was, above all, eyecatching, that would gain his new encrypted keyboards more attention among the dealers and integrators who bring in the bulk of his revenues.

We based the concept on Mel Brooks’ classic movie “High Anxiety,” shifting the wording to emphasize the key benefit of the encrypted product line. The creative process came down to a strong idea plus original photography, design and copy. Serving as the subject as well as the photographer, I also had a chance to gain some appreciation for what professional models go through. Posing for this photo was hard work, and it took several hours to get it right.

“I love the ad,” says Phillips. Among the places Phillips has used it was a five month run in Presentations Magazine, with a message aimed at end-users, and another on-going run in Systems Contractor News, with a message aimed at dealers. Philips has also used our artwork on the company’s home page, for their booth at Infocomm, and for ads in the Infocomm Show Daily.

“I know you’re looking for something like, oh yeah, sales went up 20% as a result of this ad,” says Phillips.

“Some of the bigger companies are more sophisticated and have the resources to try to dig that information out. But it’s difficult for us, because we go through manufacturers’ reps, who call on dealers, who in turn call on the end users. By the time you get at the top of that distribution pyramid, it’s hard to tell what created the initial end user lead. On the other hand, we do ask readers to visit our website, which we are able to track, and that has grown steadily.”

Despite the difficulty of measuring results, Phillips is very pleased with the campaign. When we finished the first version he wrote me, "I love, love, love it! The bright colors really make it jump off the page. And I think the head/sub-head are perfect. It is SERIOUSLY ATTENTION-GETTING.”

Attention, after all, is the first priority of any marketing campaign.