ANDREW BRADY
Work
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Hayward
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We Build Better
Client
My Contribution
This started as an ask to help Hayward Pool Products announce the release of their third generation of variable-speed pumps. This was a big deal for Hayward, since they had poured millions into the product R&D and were preparing to make a play for the #1 national pool company rank.
Well that escalated quickly
During the initial ideation phases, I wrote one line on one concept that I didn't give a ton of special thought: "We Build Better." Long story short, the client embraced it with both arms. Before I knew it, I had accidentally given Hayward its new company tagline and provided the fundamental building block for an entirely new visual branding system.
The defining factor of the campaign was the superiority statement: a singular claim that each pump was the best or only of something. Hayward had developed the bad habit of listing all the product features on their marketing, which clouded the message and undermined the confidence. It took a lot of convincing, but we finally got them to stand behind a single statement. But boy, did we have to go through a lot of lawyers to vet "#1 Rated Pumps in Energy Efficiency."
Pool Heater
Pool Pump
Pool Cleaner
The ethos of the brand was what our strategist called "dirt under the fingernails" — time-tested smarts with a blue collar aesthetic. In the voiceover recording session, I described it to talent as "Mike Rowe giving a TED Talk," which he seemed to intuitively understand. Regardless, the WBB tone was much more confident and no-nonsense than anything Hayward had ever produced.
Pool Sanitization System
Pool Heater
Hayward was pumped
What began as a solo ad campaign became a full-blown rebrand for all their high-efficiency pumps. We created brochures, landing pages, sell sheets, digital ads...and way too many other tactics for me to list here. The dramatic design and bold tone cemented "We Build Better" as the new brand look and feel. Even better, we were told that the campaign received rave reviews at several industry expos and trade events.
This was the old sell sheet design.
And this is the new one.
It's simple, it's memorable...and it's the sharpest campaign I've seen Hayward produce in a long time.
Jeremy J, Hayward Director of Marketing
