La-Z-Boy's Wendall and Al Create Raccoon Craze Among Consumers Across The Country

Furniture World Magazine

Blow-out sales and lower-than-ever prices are tried and true strategies to lure customers into a store. And now, you can add raccoons to the promotional tools list. La-Z-Boy Incorporated's "spokes-animal" raccoons, Wendall and Al, have made the leap from television into the hands and homes of La-Z-Boy consumers across the country and, according to La-Z-Boy retailers, people can't get enough of them. Wendall and Al are the stars of La-Z-Boy's popular television commercials that feature the duo lounging on a living room sofa and reclining in front of the television. Created as a way to communicate the message that La-Z-Boy produces much more than recliners, these two mischievous and talkative rascals have a penchant for comfort and a knack for opening windows, recliners and the hearts of La-Z-Boy customers. Building on its national television campaign, La-Z-Boy created three plush versions of Wendall and Al for retailers to use as consumer incentives in their stores. Most recently, the company introduced a seven-inch bean-bag version of Wendall and Al that has proven to be extremely popular. Also offered are a three-foot version for in-store displays, as well as a smaller 14-inch version. This season alone, nearly 21,000 of the 14-inch plush raccoons have been sent to stores and, as of last month, the number of bean-bag size raccoons ordered by La-Z-Boy retailers reached 148,000. "Our goal is to provide dealers with the tools that make their stores more inviting to shoppers," said Kevin R. Wixted, director of advertising and public relations for La-Z-Boy Incorporated. "Consumers recognize Wendall and Al from our television commercials and immediately want to know how they can take them home. As an added plus, our store owners, managers and salespeople are having fun finding imaginative ways to work the raccoons into their displays and promotions." One of the most successful promotions involving the plush raccoons is an annual event in Oklahoma City at Mathis Brothers Furniture. The store is a "ZooFriend" of the Oklahoma City Zoo and sponsors an annual ZooFriend membership drive at the store. Every new zoo member who signs up at Mathis Brothers receives a free plush raccoon. "The zoo drive is extremely popular," said Aaron Scott, store manager. "This year, Wendall and A1 added extra excitement to the drive and, as a result, our customer traffic was up considerably." "Promotional tie-ins like the ZooFriend drive are just what the company had in mind for the Wendall and Al plushes," said Wixted. "The Mathis Brothers promotion does two things. It drives traffic into the store while supporting a worthwhile cause in the community." Other La-Z-Boy retailers have used the raccoons in a variety of ways, ranging from comical to charitable. At Kauffman Furniture in Jackson, Tenn., shoppers always have someone looking over their shoulders - literally. The store owners cut holes in the ceiling where 14-inch raccoons peek out over customers' heads. In Ft. Kent, Maine, shoppers walk into a raccoon playground at Nadeau House of Furniture. There, owners tied the plush raccoons to poles in the store so they appear to be shimmying up and down. At the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Fairfield, Ohio, store owners donated more than 400 raccoons to patients at the local children's hospital. In Memphis, Tenn., at the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries store, customers do their furniture shopping under the watchful eyes of Wendall and Al who peek out from the storage ottomans throughout the store. Store manager Tracy Gibson says that the raccoons have improved the store's atmosphere and, in light of the latest toy craze, the small, bean-bag raccoons have been very popular. "The first thing customers see are Wendall and Al," said Gibson. "People walk up to the ottomans, pick up the raccoons, laugh and say, 'I just love those commercials.' Lots of people didn't know that La-Z-Boy makes more than recliners and chairs until Wendall and Al came along. They cleared up that misconception, and by having the plush raccoons in the stores, it gives us a great conversation opener with customers." Out of all the ideas, however, only one caused an entire town to stop and take notice. In Savanah, Tenn., Carl Tallent, president of Hunter-Smith-Tallent Furniture, placed an ad in the local paper that said "Free Raccoon with Every Purchase." Tallent said the raccoons generated more excitement at his store than anyone could have imagined. "We got calls from people wanting to know how big the raccoons were and what they ate," said Tallent. "They thought we were giving away live animals." Now in its second year, the promotion has done very well, especially among shoppers with children. "Our Wendall and Al television commercials have been a huge success, and the plush raccoons allow everybody - store owners, managers and customers - to have a little fun," said Wixted. "People go nuts for Wendall and Al." Headquartered in Monroe, Mich., La-Z-Boy Incorporated is the nation's largest manufacturer of upholstered furniture and the world's leading producer of reclining chairs. E-mail link: cwinkler@la-z-boy.com