Strategic Positioning
Helps Increase Sales by
Millions of Dollars

Subtotal POS Systems develops and markets point-of-sale solutions for quick service restaurants around the world.

Subtotal hired Melon to reposition their suite of products and overhaul their international advertising and marketing materials. Competitive Analysis and Strategic Positioning exercises were conducted to develop a new positioning for Subtotal. During the process, Melon uncovered a powerful insight relevant to the restaurant franchisee. The driving motivation for owning a restaurant was to make money. This insight, coupled with their profit-centric products, gave birth to the promise ‘Subtotal POS Systems protect and generate profits for the restaurant franchisee’. The positioning was then paraphrased into the tagline ‘Turn point of sale into point of profit.’

Creative Strategy Documents were written for trade show booths, brochures, email and promotional items required for upcoming North American and European Trade Shows. While competitors such as Dell, IBM, and Micros Systems relied on computer power and technical specifications, Subtotal needed something that would speak directly to their customers. By showing images of franchisees and the world in which they operated, the messages were relevant. By using images that were unique and in some cases, jarring, the messages became compelling.

Subtotal debuted its new brochures and booth at an industry trade show in Toronto.

“It was phenomenal,” says Joel Doherty, Subtotal’s president. “Our booth was packed, and quite often no one was visiting the competitors.”

Doherty says the campaign’s return on investment was “north of 1,000%.”

In the three months following the trade show, the company did as much business in that time period as it had done the entire previous year.

Subtotal’s sales have since increased by 170%, translating into millions of dollars. They are now the No. 1 technology choice for Subway Restaurants worldwide.

Above: The brochure cover uses tongue-in-cheek humour to engage the franchisee. The cover states a preposterous untruth (franchisees hate the plastic gloves). This begs the franchisee to open the brochure to find out what the real point is. The inside spread spells out the promise, loudly, clearly and quickly. The product features + benefits are succinctly and clearly laid out. The brochure effectively positions Subtotal as the POS provider that protects and generates profits.

Leveraging Bitterness
and Frustration

Above: Digital Video Surveillance Brochure. Restaurant franchisees suffer regular losses from employee theft. As an owner and a boss, there is nothing more frustrating than knowing someone is ripping you off and not knowing who it is. The brochure states the promise on the cover and follows up with a headline/payoff that an owner can relate to on an emotional level.