A Slow Burn to A Big Bang: Breaking Hunter Douglas into the Smart Home Space

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“In our testing, Hunter Douglas’s shades performed excellently and were just as quiet and smooth when opening and closing as the Lutron Serena Shades. They also had multiple, simple control options, including a sleek “Pebble” remote control, an app, and voice control with a PowerView hub system.”

 – Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, New York Times The Wirecutter

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  • Hunter Douglas needed to advance awareness of its PowerView® Automation solution to gain market share in the smart shade space, both with custom installers and homeowners.
  • Caster Communications kicked off their PR introduction at CEDIA Expo and created a news cadence through their next major launch the following year, establishing Hunter Douglas as the new top brand for smart shades.
  • In one year, the Hunter Douglas Custom Installer Program membership tripled, and their smart shades were covered in tech publications including CNET, SlashGear, Digital Trends, TechHive, and more.

Hunter Douglas Inc. is the leading manufacturer and marketer of custom window treatments in North America and a major manufacturer of architectural products. They offer one of the largest product portfolios in the market, with over 20 shade styles from blinds to shutters to their flagship Duette® Honeycomb Shades, available in a range of sizes, colors, and fabrics to suit any home.

The Challenge

Hunter Douglas leads the window treatment category with unmatched quality and hundreds of customization options. As demand for technology and smart home systems heated up, technology manufacturers entered the market with smart shade offerings. As an innovator in the market, Hunter Douglas created its own competitive solution to automate its window treatment portfolio: PowerView® Automation allows most shade styles to be integrated with smart home systems and controlled via voice, the PowerView app, remotes, and more.

Paired with the Hunter Douglas window treatment portfolio, offering design and size options that don’t require homeowners compromise on aesthetic, PowerView was unique in the market. Hunter Douglas’s existing window treatment installer network took on adding PowerView, which introduced a learning curve as technology was completely out of their wheelhouse. While some exceled and advanced in the adoption of PowerView, there was still room to grow. The custom installer base that integrates the smart home systems compatible with PowerView, such as Control4, Crestron, Savant, and others, were carrying other smart shade brands. The limited design options of other brands’ smart shades presented an opportunity both for the integrators and Hunter Douglas to make a bigger play in the smart home market.

Where the technology might have been intimidating for the design dealer base, the wide range of sizes and design options calling for measuring and aesthetic guidance was also intimidating for technology integrators. To lessen the learning curve for both design and tech installers, Hunter Douglas created the Custom Integrator Program specifically for the custom installation market with support, an award-winning training program, and select design options and demo materials. Even with these resources in place, Hunter Douglas was foreign to the technology markets and needed to launch the Custom Integrator Program while simultaneously building thought leadership in the trade press, as well as awareness in the consumer market.

“Motorized smart blinds are increasingly a must-have, particularly in renovations, which is just where Hunter Douglas’ latest PowerView models aim to discreetly slot in. The PowerView+ and PowerView AC promise to be quieter and more flexible than existing powered shades, and without the need to change batteries or periodically plug them in to charge.”
– Chris Davies, SlashGear

The Strategy

Hunter Douglas selected Caster Communications to introduce PowerView and the Custom Integrator Program to the installer channel, starting with the launch of the program at CEDIA Expo. With experience in the installation and smart home market, as well as a range of clients in the CEDIA space, Caster had the press relations, knowledge, and approach to reach their goals.

Following the program launch at the show, Caster continued thought leadership through a cadence of news, bylined articles, dealer case studies, and editorial outreach. The team developed content that highlighted trends in the smart shade market as well as the range of Hunter Douglas shade offerings, with dealer testimonial case studies as proof of the CI Program success. In tandem with outreach in the trade market, Caster also tackled introducing Hunter Douglas to the consumer and smart home tech press with messaging and pitches highlighting the PowerView platform and the unmatched customization options Hunter Douglas offers.

Next, Hunter Douglas planned a launch of two new power options for their smart shades offering specific use cases and benefits for both trade and consumer markets. Caster’s program had built up Hunter Douglas in the press, with some product reviews underway and regular editorial coverage smart home and custom installation publications. Caster developed messaging for the new hardwired solution, PowerView+, and the Rechargeable Battery Wand to resonate with both installers and homeowners, and planned a launch strategy including separate press releases and materials for each announcement, along with a breakout of both new press targets and existing relationships for interviews under embargo and distribution.

“Smart shades can be real battery hogs, but now, Hunter Douglas has a better way to keep your luxury window dressing fully powered.”

– Ry Crist, CNET

Results

A year after its launch, the Hunter Douglas Custom Integrator Program grew in both membership and reputation in the technology market. Stories about smart shading in both installer- and consumer-facing publications regularly included Hunter Douglas, noting the customization options, the flexibility of PowerView, and the integrator program.

By highlighting the tools, benefits, and potential of the Custom Integrator Program through five dealer case studies placed in trade outlets, the program grew from 60 beta participants to 250 active installers. Caster also advanced thought leadership with bylined articles, editorials, and podcasts in publications such as CE Pro, Residential Systems, Residential Tech Today, AVNation, Home Theater Review, and others. To break into the consumer space and drive homeowner interest, Caster gained coverage in Digital Trends, Family Handyman and Reader’s Digest, SlashGear, The Wirecutter, Forbes, CNET, Seattle Times, TechHive, Mansion Global, and more through the PowerView+ and Rechargeable Battery Wand launch, as well as through regular proactive pitching around smart home, wellness, energy savings, and other related topics.

In total, there were 118 unique stories after one year, including 15 unique stories at the start of the program at CEDIA Expo. After 5 pre-briefs under embargo, the PowerView+ launch was covered with 12 unique stories and was followed with 8 stories on the Rechargeable Battery Wand launch, also spurring conversations for new product reviews in SlashGear, Apple Insider, and others to continue the momentum.

The Numbers: 

  1. 118 unique stories in one year
  2. Over 300% increase in Custom Integrator Program membership
  3. 15M consumer story UVM
  4. 7 dealer case studies
  5. 3 in-depth product reviews posted, 3 in progress

118+

unique media stories

300%+

increase in Custom Integrator Program membership

3+

in-depth product reviews published