Real, irreverent, human mavericks - challenger brand TheDogsDoodahs taking on the market creator

Sept. 25, 2012 - PRLog -- Challenger brand to Moonpig The Dog's Doodahs reveals a new personalised cards homepage rebranding today at http://www.thedogsdoodahs.com.  The concept, based on the unique humour and witty tonality of the company, is the latest move in a comprehensive marketing campaign that has seen them challenge the £1bn UK greeting cards market through online, PPC, and television broadcast advertising.  The big change is the homely design with new wallpaper and the cheeky bowler-hatted dog.  A prominent menu on the home page featuring age categories, blokey cards, girly cards, kids’ birthdays, weddings, etc adds to an already straightforward and comprehensive search facility, making it even easier to find the perfect card.

The company behind TheDogsDoodahs.com, Emotional Rescue, is an established firm supplying cards to the high street under a variety of instantly recognisable brands such as On-The-Ceiling and The Odd Squad.  Company heads Tony Spooner and David Greaves watched with interest as Moonpig built a completely new greeting cards market online at the turn of the millennium.  Whilst success was slow in coming, Moonpig defined the market and became widely known and recognised through television advertising.

Taking on the market leader when that leader is also the market creator is a daunting prospect.  Emotional Rescue has a recognisable style, but was by no means a household name.  The brands were known, in particular the much imitated On-The-Ceiling with its black and white retro images and witty captions, but not the company behind them.  Decades of experience in the high street card market is not the same as experience of e-commerce.  When Tony and David took the plunge with a web-based brand, therefore, it was a whole new challenge.  

As a challenger brand, TheDogsDoodahs.com straddles two categories.  It is an Irreverent Maverick, attracting a particular audience interested in the niche that its products occupy, predominately a risqué sense of humour.  They had the advantage of owning unique and exclusive card designs that could be personalised, since Emotional Rescue had never licensed their designs for use by other personalised card companies.  The chosen brand name – The Dog’s Doodahs – perfectly illustrates the funny, relaxed and slightly irreverent image that matches the products.  Their first foray into television advertising had a shock factor as a result.  People were surprised by the name and the irreverent straplines such as ‘Easy-peasy buttock-squeezy’, both of which appeal to a unique sense of humour.

At the same time it is a Real and Human Challenger.  Tony and David place a great deal of importance on customer service and a customer experience which really engages with their audience.  The Facebook fan page is hosted by fictional character Delores, a 1920s flapper girl, who engages with the real lives of her fans, helps set the tonality of the brand, and has a taste for gin.  Caption competitions encourage fans to adapt to and embrace the tone, engage with the character, and keep returning to the fan page.  The fan-suggested captions are just as cheeky, witty, and risqué as the cards themselves, demonstrating that TheDogsDoodahs.com has successfully defined and established its niche.

Some challenger brands may be tempted to undercut the market leader on prices, but this is something TheDogsDoodahs.com has always avoided.  It puts the challenger at an immediate disadvantage since the big names attract comparison shoppers by lowering their prices.  Instead Tony and David have concentrated on giving added value to their customers through engagement, and exceptional service, looking to build a long-term relationship rather than one off purchases.

This level of engagement and human element is reflected in the tone of the automated emails when an order is received and later when despatched, the time staff will spend one-to-one on the phone when needed, assisting users to create the card they are looking for, and the disarming honesty of the “shameless marketing ploy” thank you card posted to customers after their first order.  A comment received on the Facebook fan page read:

“Just received my shameless marketing ploy thank you card … I was absolutely delighted!  It made my day so thank you :)”

TheDogsDoodahs.com is carving out its unique niche in an industry still dominated by the market creator but which has also seen a number of challengers.  New television advertising, Adwords remarketing strategies, and SEO work are being utilised as part of a comprehensive strategy to increase brand recognition.   There is still a distance to travel, but Tony, David and their team are continuing to follow their path, and aiming to put a smile on your face at the same time.

Ends./

NOTES:
1.   ‘Irreverent Maverick’ and ‘Real & Human Challenger’ are two of the ten categories of challenger brand defined by Adam Morgan of EatBigFish, an agency that focuses on challenger behaviour and thinking.  More information here: http://eatbigfish.com/type/article/ten-ways-to-tell-a-bra...

2.   The Irreverent Maverick looks to entertain and engage, using wit, humour and sometimes shock tactic to puncture category complacency and attract a particular audience.  

3.   The Real & Human Challenger takes on the impersonality and facelessness of the market leader, engaging with customers and giving a feeling of the people behind the brand.  It is a more personal, human-to-human connection.