Wilkins Marketing Strategy Session -

James leans forward. “So we dumb down the product?” “No,” Mara counters. “We reframe it. We stop selling strength . We start selling certainty .”

This is the Q3 strategy session. Around the oblong oak table sit the usual suspects: the data-crunching CMO (Mara), the product-obsessed COO (James), a restless social media manager (Chloe), and the CEO (Arthur), who is already loosening his tie. wilkins marketing strategy session

The problem is stark. Wilkins, a 90-year-old manufacturer of industrial adhesives and sealants, is the undisputed king of the B2B factory floor. Engineers trust Wilkins. But when those same engineers go home to fix a leaky pipe or build a birdhouse, they reach for a competitor’s duct tape or superglue. Wilkins is the workhorse, not the show pony. The mandate for the session is brutal: Make Wilkins matter to the consumer without losing the industrial fortress. James leans forward

“Our value is zero failure rate. A roof tile stuck with Wilkins stays stuck. That’s boring, but true. If we put a cartoon lizard on the package, the factory guys will think we’ve gone soft.” We stop selling strength

“The factory guys aren’t on TikTok. But the Gen Z plumbers and the DIY renovators are . They don’t want ‘tough.’ They want ‘smart.’ They want a brand that doesn’t waste their time. The current packaging looks like a legal document.”

“Here is the strategy: Vertical Brand Utility. We do not rebrand. We reposition .”

He turns to face the room. “For 90 years, we’ve sold to engineers who read data sheets. For the next 90, we sell to human beings who are afraid of making a mistake. The strategy isn’t ‘make Wilkins cooler.’ It’s ‘make Wilkins easier to trust in a hurry.’”