Sector: Building Materials – Commercial Interior Design
Repositioning a Global Cladding Brand for Growth in the Commercial Interiors Market
Project Focus Areas
Reposition their brand from external cladding into the commercial interiors sector
Increase Brand Awareness & Market Penetration by aligning sales and marketing to the specification process
Improve Customer Engagement and Loyalty within the A&D community
Support Revenue Growth by repositioning the brand
Project Overview
How Astrava helped a client in the building materials sector reposition a global cladding brand into the commercial interiors market, align sales and marketing to the specification journey, and build stronger relationships with the A&D community.
Key Strategic Elements:
Turning Vision Into Actions
Market and Gap Analysis
Competitor Benchmarking
Target Sector Prioritisation
Customer Value Mapping
Audience Profiling and Persona Development
Decision-Making Unit (DMU) Mapping
Customer Journey and Specification Alignment
Sales and Marketing Funnel Integration
Brand Repositioning Strategy
A&D Community Engagement Plan
Defining Marketing Initiatives
Test-and-Learn Marketing Action Plan
Long-Term Strategic Growth Roadmap
The client, a supplier of a well-known global cladding brand, wanted to reposition their offering into the commercial interiors market. While the brand carried strong recognition in external construction, it lacked credibility and visibility with architects and designers in interiors. This created a significant barrier to entry, as competitors were already established in the sector and were seen as the go-to choice for specification.
The supplier faced four key challenges:
Sales and marketing misalignment: The specification process was not being fully leveraged, leading to missed opportunities to influence project decisions.
Perception gap: The product was widely seen as an external, functional material, not a design-led interiors solution.
Limited audience understanding: The supplier had little insight into the priorities, pain points, and decision-making dynamics of the A&D community.
Uncertainty over sector focus: There was no clear direction on which commercial interiors segments offered the best growth potential, making it difficult to prioritise investment.
Without a targeted repositioning strategy and a structured approach to aligning sales and marketing with the specification journey, the supplier risked being unable to establish traction in a new, highly competitive market.
The Challenge
Astrava worked closely with the supplier to design a repositioning strategy that was both data-led and practical, ensuring insights translated directly into action.
Market and Gap Analysis: We analysed the commercial interiors landscape, reviewing trends such as sustainability, wellness-driven design, and biophilic concepts. Competitor benchmarking revealed clear gaps in service and positioning that the supplier could exploit.
Target Sector Prioritisation: Using a balance of market sizing, growth forecasts, and brand fit, we identified the interiors sectors where the supplier had the greatest potential for impact.
Audience Profiling and Insight: Personas were developed for architects, designers, and contractors, mapping their motivations, frustrations, and expectations of suppliers. This provided the foundation for building stronger relationships with the A&D community.
Customer Journey Alignment: We mapped the specification process and integrated it with the supplier’s sales and marketing funnels. This highlighted critical touchpoints to influence decisions, improve engagement, and reduce leakage in the sales cycle.
Brand Repositioning Narrative: The product story was reframed from being a technical external cladding solution to a versatile, design-led interior material with unique USPs around aesthetics, performance, and sustainability.
Action Plan with Iterative Processes: A roadmap of marketing initiatives and A&D engagement programmes was designed to test, learn, and scale. This provided momentum while keeping activity manageable for the supplier’s internal teams.
By combining strategic analysis, customer insight, and practical action planning, Astrava helped the supplier confidently reposition into a new sector and build credibility with the design community.
Our Approach
By going beyond the initial brief, Astrava delivered outcomes that exceeded expectations. Not only did the internal marketing team create a strong communications plan using the provided strategy, by strengthening the customer communications during the long buying cycle, but we also created a sustainable system for growth:
Sharper Market Focus: By identifying Furniture Manufacturing as a priority vertical, the client was able to redirect resources to a high-value sector rather than spreading efforts too thin.
Improved Visibility and Positioning: Targeted campaigns elevated the client’s profile in the sector, making them a recognised partner of choice rather than an interchangeable supplier.
Conversion Gains: Structured touchpoints reduced leakage in the sales funnel and increased conversion rates by ensuring prospects remained engaged throughout the 12-month buying process.
Retention and Loyalty: Post-delivery communications built stronger five-year relationships, creating opportunities for upsell and additional vehicle contracts.
Commercial Confidence: With market sizing and strategic grouping in place, leadership had the data to make informed growth investments rather than relying on intuition.
We had turned an ambitious vision into targeted marketing initiatives. The result was a measurable improvement in brand positioning, customer loyalty, and contract sales positioning the client as a sector leader rather than a price-led supplier.
Project Outcomes
Why Astrava? Turning Repositioning Into Market Opportunity
Astrava’s approach ensured this project was never about repositioning for its own sake, but about creating a practical pathway into a new market. By combining targeted analysis with a deep understanding of the specification process, we gave the client clarity on where to play, how to position, and what steps to take to build credibility in the commercial interiors sector.
The benefits for the client included:
A sharper understanding of which interiors sectors offered the greatest growth potential.
Clear differentiation from competitors by reframing the brand as a design-led interiors solution.
A stronger position to build trust and influence with architects and designers.
A roadmap that aligned sales and marketing activity to the specification journey.
Astrava provided both the clarity and the confidence for the supplier to enter a new market, ensuring they could compete effectively today while building long-term relationships with the A&D community.
Ready to Reposition and Grow in New Markets?
If your organisation is experiencing:
The challenge of moving into new sectors with entrenched competitors.
A lack of clarity on how to reposition your brand and define USPs.
Weak engagement with specifiers, designers, or contractors.
Missed opportunities to align sales and marketing to the customer journey.
…then Astrava can help.
We combine market analysis, audience insight, and specification-aligned strategies to reposition brands, strengthen credibility, and open pathways to growth.
Contact Astrava today to explore how we can help you reposition your business, engage the right audiences, and secure long-term competitive advantage.