Step 1: Clarify the Message
Step 2: Build the Brand
Toilet water and sink water don’t typically mix. In short, that was SinkPositive’s hurdle. This innovative and eco-friendly sink saves water but required entirely different messaging — even for eco-conscious consumers. Now available at Home Depot and Amazon, see what we did to influence their early journey to success.
The Challenge
SinkPositive is a revolutionary water saving device that takes freshwater normally dedicated to filling a toilet bowl, and routes it to a sink-like top for hand-washing after a flush. The water is clean and potable, but the proximity to black water was confusing to consumers and hard for the Company to market. As an upstart, niche product SinkPositive had mostly attempted grassroots and word-of-mouth initiatives. Even that suggests more than the bootstrapping that was actually happening.
The company's website was its only storefront but most visitors (70%) stayed less than 30 seconds – hardly time to learn about the brand, much less consider a purchase. Knowing online buyers make decisions in three to five seconds, we set out to position SinkPositive as an easy DIY option for eco-conscious homeowners.
Our Approach
Our first step was to optimize their website from a design, search and navigation perspective. We created a friendlier, more assuring online experience with strong conservation messaging, effective CTAs and an enhanced transactional system to enable purchase confidence.
Now with more brand credibility online, our team turned to earned green media and influencers to generate new publicity. Our pitch featured SinkPositive among numerous smart and easy solutions that homeowners could use to “green up” their living space. Instead of broadcasting to media outlets en mass, we selectively pitched a sustainably-minded daily newspaper in SinkPositive’s primary distribution area. Then we helped identify other eco-friendly products to include in a broader story.
Our Results
The “Top 10 Ways” story was syndicated by the Gannett News Network and appeared in a dozen daily publications nationwide, including the preferred consumer outlets in North Carolina, Cincinnati, Hawaii, Oregon, Indianapolis, Tennessee, New Jersey, Mississippi, Nevada and Missouri. In all, we influenced almost 1 million reader impressions (960,000 actually).
The coverage inspired roller coaster publicity for the next 20 months or so, landing the NY Post, Fast Company, Huffington Post, and Wired Magazine (UK), among many others, and being named Innovation of the Year by Workbench Magazine. Other features included Business Week’s 25 Products that Could Change the World, Bob Villa’s “Ask this Old House”, the London Science Museum’s “Sustainability Exhibition” and Home Shopping Network’s “I Want that, Baths.” SinkPositive was also specified for all bathrooms in San Francisco’s eco-conscious The Good Hotel.
The website and earned media campaigns moved SinkPositive from a virtually unknown product into multi-fold sales increases that created consistent back order situations. Soon, SinkPositive caught the attention of a private equity firm and new leadership which eventually landed Big Box retailers and Amazon. Today, SinkPositive carries a 4+ star rating on HomeDepot.com and other stores.
