A Solution for Every Paint Need
With the rollout of new POS systems launched, Crown looked to use Datacolor systems in their lab environment as well. “It’s a really good testament to how comfortable we are in trusting Datacolor solutions,” says Lightfoot.
The Crown Paints team didn’t stop there. Today, they continue to invest in color technology from Datacolor with a keen eye on serving the specific needs of customers.
That’s where Crown COLOURKEY® – Crown’s branded version of the Datacolor ColorReader Spectro® – comes into play. The ColorReader Spectro is designed for portable color inspiration identification far beyond the walls of a paint store.
“COLOURKEY® really fits into our brand portfolio because it’s a real personal tool,” says Darren Mcilroy, who focuses on brand and product management, point of purchase and digital marketing for Crown’s Irish Brand Portfolio. “It’s small, it’s handy. You take it with you so you can use it on-site. If you’re a trade guy, you can use it in store. Whether you’re a stylist, an influencer, an interior designer, it’s got all sorts of aspects there as well. So it ticks a lot of boxes on the marketing side for us.”
So far the feedback has been very positive. Contractors and the sales team (who are responsible for selling units) love the accuracy and color range available on the COLOURKEY®, says Mcilroy.
How does the team at Crown Paints determine which color solutions they need—and when?
“Sometimes it’s driven by the technical team and other times it’s driven by marketing,” says Lightfoot. “But ultimately, it’s a relationship between technical and marketing to come up with something that we can agree on and will work in our market.”
“We need bench tools for some, mobile tools for others,” says Mcilroy. “It’s a case of Datacolor being the best for us because you’ve got a bit of everything.”