Contractor Advantage
Challenge
Longstanding Canadian lumber, building materials and hardware buying group, Castle Building Centres tasked us with the development of their company magazine, Contractor Advantage, to secure its spot as a leader in the Canadian home renovation and contracting industry. With competitors vying for customers' attention, we needed to craft an understanding of what makes Contractor Advantage truly unique - something that could be leveraged strategically within such an expansive market. Our goal was clear: design a magazine that cut through the digital noise to become top-of-mind in this dynamic landscape. We focused on thoughtfully curating a layout for optimal readability and comprehension on both digital and print media.
Solution
To ensure we delivered up-to-date content of unique and exceptional quality, Contractor Advantage sought contributions from renowned industry manufacturers. At Espress Labs, we leveraged access to these top companies to provide valuable content that would challenge and engage audiences while simultaneously making a statement in Canada’s renovation field. To take it a step further, we aimed to broaden the magazine’s reach through the magazine’s social presence on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. On these platforms, we delivered valuable industry insights in a bite-sized format that is easily accessible to audiences everywhere, creating a presence that was engaging and knowledgeable. But we didn’t stop there; we’ve also utilized Castle’s social channels to ensure a smooth consumer journey, and by frequently promoting the magazine on their website. For the layout, we focused on providing an engaging balance between conventional and modern design elements, combined with straightforward language, bold fonts, and large images to help break up the text into more palatable sections. Our careful curation created the perfect environment where readers could scan content or delve more deeply into specific topics quickly. This commitment contributed to winning the coveted Canadian Regional Design Award for Editorial Design!
Results
Winners of the 2016 Canadian Regional Design Award for Editorial Design - Average time spent 3:28 mins - 10,585 average visitors per month - Average social post engagement rate of 12.02% in 2022
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