The Challenge

The company is one of the largest global spirits company with a portfolio of 40 distinct brands. The number of diverse marketing and merchandising elements needed to support all of these brands at retail outlets, events, and on-premises can be staggering. Displays, case bins, stands, trade show booths, racks, apparel, advertising specialties, marketing and promotional materials all need to get to the right venue, on time and in pristine condition. The diversity of products can be as simple as on-premises signage or as complicated as delivering 87 Bar Carts to 32 delivery locations in less than a week.

Covid effectively put the world on ice for a year. To a great extent, the liquor business depends on social interaction. Around April 2021, restaurants, bars, hotels and events that had been shuttered suddenly came back to life. And along with a nationwide reopening, came the need to ramp up our customer’s marketing efforts in record time. Cinco de Mayo was the target. But to us, it was D-Day, as thousands of divergent elements needed to be compiled, aggregated, delivered and deployed virtually overnight.

Our Insights

After being in an unprecedented lockdown for so long, a nationwide vaccination program gave the nation a large measure of control over the pandemic. Customers emerged from their depression with a new-found confidence and peace of mind to get back out there and begin to reclaim their lives. This pent-up desire was unleashed like the pop of a champagne cork. Our customer needed to be there, in the forefront, with their customers, raising a glass in celebration. This would be a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take advantage of unparalleled customer exuberance.

Our Approach

Using nexTouch™, our proprietary intuitive software solution, together with a team of 40 Harte Hanks fulfillment and logistics professionals, we were able to quickly customize and build out orders while maintaining flawless inventory and cost controls.

Each order was large and comprised of a disparate array of trade engagement items resulting in asymmetrical, often non-stackable pallets, creating challenges that would rival a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. Cost-effective, time-sensitive management of LTL and truckloads, which many companies would find daunting, were handled with military precision.

To add even more complexity, Covid had wreaked havoc on the client’s location roadmap. Some venues couldn’t hang on and closed their doors. Other new bars and restaurants took their places. Due to Covid, some of the field reps had temporarily or permanently changed addresses. Logistics needed to be recalculated and rerouted without the luxury of time.

The Results

Cinco de Mayo was saved, as our customer’s brands were able to reinvigorate their presence at exactly the right time, in the right places.

No shipments were lost. Nothing arrived damaged. Every account received exactly what they needed.

And all of us at Harte Hanks went out for a drink to celebrate.

70

large orders fulfilled

in less than 2 weeks, equating to 35,537 total items