PROBLEM:
Charley’s Guitar Shop, a locally owned retailer of high-end custom and vintage guitars, needed to differentiate itself from deep-discounting, chain retailers, such as Guitar Center, and expand its marketing base beyond Dallas, Texas.  The 20-year old brand had recently changed ownership and was struggling to find its true identity when it hired MarketGarden to handle the account.

SOLUTION:
Based on customer input from a 360º MarketCasting™ Survey, MarketGarden identified the source of fierce loyalty among Charley’s regulars.  If you purchased from Charley’s, you might pay more, but you would always be assured of owning a genuine article.  MarketGarden recommended “Only The Good Stuff” as the brand positioning theme for the store and helped the shop put together an integrated campaign of Internet, print advertising, event sponsorship, and public relations to take the message nationwide.

RESULTS:
Aiming to increase its business at least 20% by the end of the fiscal year, Charley’s ran maintenance ads in national collector’s magazines pointing readers to the Charley’s Guitar Shop website.  Meanwhile, the shop sponsored a benefit concert for the Southwest Blues Foundation, generating national and local press.  By the end of the fiscal year, Charley’s had achieved 102% of its goal, despite having yet to implement its full website redesign.  Customers began commenting at the store that they had come to purchase “only the good stuff.”