CertainTeed

Matterhorn Metal Roofing North American Launch

Situation

Founded in 1904, CertainTeed is a leading North American manufacturer of building products and one of the country’s premier makers of roofing products. In response to the growing popularity of metal roofing in both residential and commercial applications, CertainTeed acquired the Matterhorn® Metal Roofing brand from a smaller competitor.

With superior wind, fire and impact resistance, energy-saving ‘cool roof’ color options, and a long life expectancy (50 years or more), Matterhorn answered a growing market need for long-term, maintenance-free roofing solutions. At the time of the acquisition, however, the product faced several challenges, including limited supply, contractor unfamiliarity and reluctance to use the product, brand confusion (the product was initially know as Presidio® Metal Roofing in West Coast markets) and price barriers. K&A was engaged to boost the profile of Matterhorn and ‘prime the market’ for Matterhorn’s North American expansion.

Challenge

K&A was tasked with overcoming several key challenges – including educating contractors, consumers and industry skeptics about the benefits of metal roofing and how to install it, and helping contractors and homeowners recognize the long-term value in selling or buying a more expensive roofing product.

Because CertainTeed offers a range of asphalt roofing products that have significant market share, it was crucial to position metal roofing as an additional roofing option that enhances CertainTeed’s existing roofing brands rather than a “better” option.

The overarching goals were to establish Matterhorn as CertainTeed’s signature metal roofing brand in all U.S. regions – promoting metal roofing as an attractive, long-term, energy-saving solution for residential, light commercial and religious buildings – and introducing Matterhorn to Canadian markets.

Approach

To overcome contractor resistance and misinformation around metal roofing, the K&A team worked closely with CertainTeed Metal Roofing product managers to craft a series of thought leadership pieces explaining how metal roofing works and highlighting similarities in installation to traditional asphalt roofing. We also provided installation tips and selling strategies for contractors.

To boost appeal to contractors and homeowners, visually impactful project profiles featuring Matterhorn installations on homes and on prominent landmarks such as restaurants, churches and community centers were published in Architectural West, Midwest Home, Roofing Magazine, Traditional Building and other high profile publications. In addition to aggressively pursuing media opportunities in the U.S. and Canadian markets, K&A targeted specific regions to cement Matterhorn as the premier metal roofing brand.

Results

Through this integrated public relations and thought leadership program, K&A developed and placed 7 project profiles and 19 feature articles. We secured a total of 84 earned media placements – netting more than 4.5 million potential impressions.

These efforts helped to eliminate misconceptions among contractors and homeowners about metal roofing, increased visibility for CertainTeed and the metal roofing category, and cultivated important B2B and B2C brand advocates.