Wilkins Marketing Strategy - Session [top]

The problem is stark. Wilkins, a 90-year-old manufacturer of industrial adhesives and sealants, is the undisputed king of the B2B factory floor. Engineers trust Wilkins. But when those same engineers go home to fix a leaky pipe or build a birdhouse, they reach for a competitor’s duct tape or superglue. Wilkins is the workhorse, not the show pony. The mandate for the session is brutal: Make Wilkins matter to the consumer without losing the industrial fortress.

After 90 minutes of heated debate (Arthur had to stop James from throwing an eraser), three distinct initiatives emerge:

He turns to face the room. “For 90 years, we’ve sold to engineers who read data sheets. For the next 90, we sell to human beings who are afraid of making a mistake. The strategy isn’t ‘make Wilkins cooler.’ It’s ‘make Wilkins easier to trust in a hurry.’”

The smell of stale coffee and fresh marker ink hangs in the air. On the whiteboard, a single phrase is circled in red: “Wilkins: Trusted. But not chosen.”

This is the Q3 strategy session. Around the oblong oak table sit the usual suspects: the data-crunching CMO (Mara), the product-obsessed COO (James), a restless social media manager (Chloe), and the CEO (Arthur), who is already loosening his tie.

Mara erases part of the whiteboard and draws two columns: vs. Life Mode .

The room divides.

“Here is the strategy: Vertical Brand Utility. We do not rebrand. We reposition .”