Nashua’s new Blue Couch campaign tells the brand’s story from the client’s point of view.

A brand message without believability is just words, no matter how much marketing spend might be behind it. To be truly impactful, it has to resonate with a brand’s most important target audience – its existing clients. When business technology stalwart, Nashua, conceptualised its latest campaign, this thinking was kept top of mind.

Founded in 1973, Nashua has a long, rich history that has seen the company evolve over the years from being primarily a hardware supplier to becoming a fully-fledged, integrated business solutions provider. After consolidating its service offerings and closing Nashua Mobile, Nashua needed to be repositioned in the minds of consumers.

While the Nashua tagline, ‘Saving you time, Saving you money, Putting you first’ is etched in the memories of most South Africans, it was time for the true meaning behind the words to be brought to life.

“We’re a technology-based company, but a huge part of what we do is centred around working with people,” says Nashua’s Brand Manager, Jessica Midlane. “We wanted to be sure that at every level of our business, our brand promise is being lived and breathed. So we got out there and spoke directly to our clients.”

A well-travelled couch
Called ‘The Blue Couch’ campaign, Nashua’s marketing team – and a blue couch – set out over six weeks to visit over 80 customers across all four corners of the country. Ranging from small-town entrepreneurs to governmental departments, a broad cross-section of clients were given the opportunity to tell their stories from the comfort of the Blue Couch.

“There’s an increasing tendency to replace human interaction with technology,” explains Jessica. “But when people and technology come together, great things happen. That’s what we wanted this campaign to showcase – that ultimately Nashua is about real people and real solutions.”

Unique points of view
The case studies created from the Blue Couch interviews feature candid moments with Nashua clients – which form the crux of the new advertising campaign. Each case study highlights a unique client experience of a customized Nashua business solution.

The new campaign featuring real people on the couch will be seen across the country through above-, below-the-line and digital executions. All Nashua branches will also feature their very own blue couches – a powerful reminder that real people and real solutions are at the core of the Nashua brand.

“We didn’t want a generic campaign to be rolled out across the country. We wanted to amplify the unique, localised, authentic stories of our individual clients who are already recognisable in their own communities and industries. We wanted them to be the faces of the campaign,” says Jessica.

As the campaign is rolled out, Nashua and its marketing team continue to hold one idea above all else – customers don’t forge lasting connections with payoff lines, they connect with people.

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