Leading Herman Miller Dealership
There is more to space planning and furnishing an office than meets the eye, but CRI proves it can be a smooth and successful experience. As the largest and oldest Herman Miller furniture dealership in the San Francisco Bay Area, CRI has earned something of a five-star reputation among its corporate clients. When asked about the power behind the reputation, a CRI client’s response is always the same: it’s the people.
The company wanted to attract new business opportunities beyond its referral base, but lacked a brand marketing platform to connect with commercial architects, designers and facilities planners about its new services and important furnishing trends on the horizon. In addition, CRI wanted to recruit new talent and potential industry partners. The question was ‘where to begin?’ CRI’s website was a throwback to the 1990s and prospects searching online weren’t finding their site.
CRI brought in Designworks to review the landscape and provide insights into web strategy, storytelling, design and functionality. We evaluated the company’s business model and marketing differentiators. What we found was a highly skilled team of specialists with a refined process and resources for space planning and furnishing that are unmatched in their industry. Our first step was a site re-organization to highlight these key strengths, followed by a re-design of the visual style and interactivity to set CRI apart from contenders and to immerse visitors in the site. New photographic imagery provided greater emotional brand appeal. With new messaging and content, the company’s ‘best people, best results’ story comes through with real impact.
CRI’s preview of the new website was an instant hit with Herman Miller representatives. The company reported across the board improvement in brand communications with more relevant information and a more compelling identity to drive home CRI’s real competitive advantage. With the re-branded website, CRI saw increased site traffic, downloads and qualified inquiries.
Looking ahead, CRI envisions more collaboration with Designworks for emarketing, online recruitment, new consulting services and initiatives with the website at the core of brand communications.
