IPA Awards: Bronze Award - Best Media: ghd

Title: Creating a premium shopping experience online
Client: ghd
Entrant: TBWA/Manchester
Authors: Andrew Hovells, Peter Harris, Dawn Williams, TBWA/Manchester
Media used: Internet, interactive

In a nutshell

The redesign of the ghd website, which enabled traffic to be converted properly, increased online sales and generated a payback of £3.01 for every £1 spent.

Summary: This is not a traditional communications story about the impact of advertising, but is instead about how a brand was able to take back some control using its website to protect brand assets in an online marketplace. In 2008, the hair-styling iron ghd was faced with a decline in retail sales, and the booming online retail environment was putting pressure on margins and the exclusivity of the brand. The solution was to increase ghd's online sales by improving the website so that traffic was converted efficiently. As a result, the website redesign generated a payback of £3.01 for every £1 spent.

Judge's comment: ghd faced an interesting and unusual challenge, with the brand under threat from third-party mechanics within its marketplace. This case study shows how it protected brand equity, built on it and still developed a sales profile.

- Gerry Murphy, chief executive, The Number.

This article was first published on Campaign