“Welcome aboard”—the accordion six page folder format makes for an interactive and entertaining super-stretch sales brochure that contributed to the launch of a new Christchurch brand entering an already well served Canterbury regional market. Scale and weight are used to their fullest advantage in this lively, inviting flier.
Superior Hummer Limos’ super-stretch Hummer limo, the largest of its type in Christchurch, is a real head-turner, literally its own best advertisement and the obvious element to be dominant on the page, and being black it has plenty of visual weight to do the job well and give the reader strong visual direction and make for an effective page that is easy to read. The client, a keen rugby fan, wanted the colours to be red and black, the Canterbury colours, used in print and on the website, tell a story of Superior Hummer Limousines being a proud local brand. To reinforce this visual impression I obtained from the client a shortlist of the stretch Hummer’s most common destinations around Christchurch city and went on a quick photoshoot around town to capture signature images of these spots.
The “Welcome aboard”, accordion six-page folder was a component in the launch campaign that involved the newly completed website, an innovative “Hum-for-a-Hummer” competition on local radio station The Breeze, an upscale pair of promotional posters based on the brochure art, and a targeted launch email. It was also distributed to selected tourist information sites around the region and direct mailed with an accompanying letter of introduction to corporate event managers, wedding planners, entertainment industry promoters and selected tourism operators nationally as a follow-up to the direct email.
Riding in style, the brand communications strategy
In 2010, the Superior Hummer Limos’ black super-stretch Hummer was only the third to enter operation in Christchurch. Two established firms had stretch Hummers in operation for a year or so. SHL’s limo was the first black super-stretch Hummer to enter the Christchurch market. Entering the already well served market presented a unique brand communications challenge and opportunity. The two incumbent operators promotional material rested entirely on the obvious novelty value and “wow!” factor of the vehicle’s exterior, along with their established positions in the limousine hire, wedding car hire and corporate transport operators industry.
You only get one chance to make a first impression
The colours of the Canterbury region, Christchurch City, and The Crusaders rugby team are red and black. The colour story of the website, and printed matter, the decision to photograph the stretch Hummer in picturesque signature Christchurch locations—this creative direction was the product of the marketing communications strategy I developed for SHL. Thorough research into the stretch Hummer limo market niche worldwide informed the creation of a coordinated set of original, punchy positioning statements. Combining these ‘headline’ statements with the big, graphical images we shot made for entertaining and informative printed brand collateral, and a strong design alliance between print and web which connects customers with our client and contributed much to the establishment and ongoing success of a great Christchurch brand.
Credits
Printer: Croft Printing Limited
Font credits: Antique Olive Nord, Javelin
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