Comfort Groom

I know, I know, quite the departure from tattoo supplies, right? Comfort Groom is a brand that I led creative marketing efforts for from 2011 to 2018 along with the other Nexus Brands. This included working closely with product development and piloting all facets of branding and marketing ranging from digital and print efforts to influencer marketing and event attendance.

Target: All-level groomers

Insight: There was little to no innovation in the grooming industry

Voice/Vibe: Innovative, Clean, Personable, Relatable

Comfort Groom Catalog

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One facet of the marketing plan included securing booths, and at times, sponsorship at grooming conventions. We wanted and needed to be around our customers. Orders for tables and tubs were taken, deliveries scheduled, emails collected, catalogs passed out, relationships made and even floor models sold. Conventions like SuperZoo in Las Vegas hold over 300,000 sqft of booths and Groom Expo in Hershey, PA sees over 5,000 attendees each year. These tradeshows would prove to be valuable in generating brand awareness, customers, and revenue.

We also knew influential groomers often attended these shows and a primary strategy of ours was to secure relationships with them. We had a great product and they had a large and specific following of what we saw as our future customers. Often times we would offer them products in exchange for testimonials and shout-outs. Influencers also provided us with first-hand user feedback that would be highly beneficial as our primary goal was innovation in these niche markets.

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Market research was done prior to starting any project to asses viability and gain details to see where gaps were to make something groomers not just wanted, but that they also needed. Comfort Groom was doing great but we knew the explosive success of some of our other Nexus Brands on the tattoo side came from consumables. A 2-3 time customer existed but we wanted the monthly customer. During the time of development Nexus Brands would acquire the largest pet shampoo brand (Nature’s Specialties), as well as the largest pet grooming supply distributor, (Ryan’s Pet Supplies) creating what would become the pet sector of the company. Craft would become “True Craft” which is now sold through Ryan’s.