New China Towne ad campaign stresses quality

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Feb 11, 2005 by Tampone, Kevin

SOLVAY - China Towne Furniture is launching a new advertising campaign in March, aimed at reinforcing the store's existing customer base and eliminating perception problems.

Some people have the erroneous idea that the store's merchandise is not on par with other area stores, says David Bellso, vice president at Designworks Advertising in Syracuse, the firm hired by China Towne to produce the new campaign.

"That's not the case at all," he says. "The stuff you find in the store is as good or better than what you'd find [at] our competitors'. It's a gorgeous showroom with beautiful merchandise."

To drive that message home, Designworks is creating a series of newspaper inserts, radio, and television commercials for China Towne, which has its main store at 2320 Milton Ave. in Solvay. China Towne's chief competitors include Raymour & Flanigan Furniture and Dunk & Bright Furniture. .

Bellso says part of the reason for the mistaken perception of China Towne results from the store's location in an old china factory, which is where the company name comes from. When John Yennock, the father of current owner and president Jay Yennock, bought the building in 1970 to house his growing cabinetmaking business, all the leftover equipment and dishes from the defunct Iroquois China Factory were still inside.

The family auctioned off some items and eventually began selling the leftover china from a small storefront in the building. Over the years, the store grew and sold everything from men's and women's clothing to furniture, Jay Yennock says.

China Towne began concentrating exclusively on furniture and bedding in 1999, he adds. The marketing campaign's goal is to reinforce that focus.

"There's always a difference between perception and reality," Yennock says. "We just need to get our message out there and educate people as to what we're all about."

China Towne and Designworks will roll out the new campaign gradually because the store wants to maintain its existing customers, Bellso says.

"We don't want to scare anyone away who's already a loyal customer," he says. "We want to make sure those people continue to have a great experience at the store."

The advertising campaign will also include new features inside the store, creating a cohesive brand consumers can easily recognize, Bellso says. People will see something on television or in a newspaper that will then be reflected in the showroom.

The whole campaign will be tied together with similar looks and themes, Bellso explains. He declined to comment speciflcally on creative aspects of the effort.

Yennock declined to comment on China Towne's revenues or say how much the new advertising campaign will cost. However, he did say that Designworks' fee is tied to how well the store does during and after the campaign.

Yennock says he takes a similar approach with his employees. "If we do better, they do better," he, says.

Before hiring Designworks, Yennock produced all his own advertising inhouse.

"We just wanted to take our advertising to the next level," he says of his decision to use an advertising firm for the first time. "We felt we needed a new look."

The company employs a total of 26 at its two stores the 50,000-square-foot Solvay store and a 20,000-square-foot store at 8011 Brewerton Road in Cicero.