Max Stores Corporate Communication
A brand is a story unfolding across all customer touchpoints.
MAX STORES is a toy, book, schoolbooks and seasonal products chain in Attica, Greece. It is a nine? “brick and mortar” business and has a digital presence with an online shop, too. MAX STORES is a family business, with great tradition in quality toys which developed into a multistore within the last decade.
When acquired as client by MOZAIK, MAX STORES was looking for a trustworthy agency that would lead the brand towards the digitized era but keep its strength in the physical stores. It needed to become a top of mind brand with good quality, great variety and good prices. It was already well known in the areas of Attica where it held physical shops but was little known in the rest of the municipality. MOZAIK’s call was to raise brand awareness, reposition the brand with a consistent corporate imprint and create memorable and sales driven seasonal campaigns.
Part of the brand’s repositioning was to create a descriptor. We wanted it to include a non-expected element. Toys and books were the evident. But there was a third element we wanted to add, and we decided on the word IMAGINATION because without it both toys and books remain useless and powerless. MAX STORES. TOYS. BOOKS. IMAGINATION.
MAX STORES were known as the “Sta MAX. Sta MAX. Sta MAX” – (At MAX. At MAX. At MAX) brand. This was a music sting that had been used for years by the client in radio communication and created a benchmark of recognition for the brand but was more of a successful firework than a true, effective tool of communication. Still the brand missed a true strategic heart and a true strategic positioning. Being a family business MAX STORES reflect the caring and quality of its owners. It is not an impersonal toy chain but a truly, well-thought creation of a family with vision and love for children and their parents. This is the DNA of the brand and unfortunately it was never properly communicated. MOZAIK came up with the proposal from a true insight: that parents and children create quality time through play, reading, studying and doing activities together. What if we reminded them of how important this quality time is? What if we stressed the importance of play, reading and creating things with hands? What if we reminded them that the presence of a parent is irreplaceable for children of all ages? Because after all, what is even better than playing together and creating memories together? We created a corporate video with STEFI PRODUCTIONS, reproducing moments of children and their parents and the end line “The most beautiful things are those you do together”. We supported the video with a blog in MAX STORES website with articles addressing parents on how to create quality time for their children. We also introduced the use of mum influencers into the campaign and the brand communication in general, strengthening the brand’s online presence.
The MAX STORES corporate campaign accentuates the parent-child relationship and how it strengthens through interaction. The key role for this is time spent together through playing, studying, reading or painting. All these activities are the connecting element for a happy parent-child relationship. The slogan underlines this aspect. ‘The most beautiful things are the ones you do together’ and the campaign shows families in action. A sentimental and warm message comes across, all dressed up with a beautiful song written and performed by the famous singer and composer, Marieta Fafouti.
The musical sting “Sta MAX – At MAX” also needed to be rejuvenated and modernized. It was a keeper element but needed a facelift. We cooperated with a talented musician and incorporated him fully to the team. We brainstormed and worked together and came up with using “The Pizzicato” by composer Leo Delibes to deliver seasonal jingles with unique lyrics and a new sting. We used the voices of man and woman, girl and boy, to cover fully our family target audience and developed a whole new approach to the brand’s tone of voice.
MOZAIK was also called to reinvent the seasonal language of the brand. Each year five new campaigns are created. Carnival, Easter, Summer, Back to School and Christmas. Every season is a challenge for new ideas and KPIs and the reach of different target audiences. These seasonal campaigns are the spinal cord of MAX STORES communication. The challenge is for them, to be visually connected and based on fun, simplicity, uplifting in mood and with a pop feel. We created a stylish and sophisticated character so that we would stand out from competition.
