Introducing the "New Look" Warner Marine 2012 Additive and Media Line

Discussion in 'Warner Marine' started by Jon Warner, Jul 6, 2012.

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  1. Jon Warner

    Jon Warner 3reef Sponsor

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    Although our Protein Skimmer line has received most of the attention the past few years, our core business product is our additive/supplement and media line. Just to reiterate our own history in additives, By the 1990's I was a partner in a retail store, still involved in livestock on a wholesale level and started my first reef aquarium, a 275 gallon custom glass tank. As a partner at the retail store we would purchase chemicals for our store systems. I would think, $10 for a little bottle of "what"? With my previous Chemistry background in College I knew what compounds were most likely in their products so I figured I could purchase the highest quality chemicals available and mix up my own products for the same price as the commercial products with their unknown quality raw materials.

    I clearly remember going into a small Laboratory Supply store and purchasing Analytical Reagant Grade Calcium Chloride and Magnesium Chloride in little 1kg. jars. So I started mixing up my own chemicals for the store systems and the corals were looking great. Our customers started asking what chemicals "we used" on our system. So the next time I went to the Laboratory Supply store I'd buy the 5-10lb sized bucket of raw material, buy some empty plastic bottles and make some extras for our "special" customers.

    Fast forward a year or so and I was receiving chemicals in drums and pallets. I was working out of a small warehouse and selling to dealers nationwide.

    But we have always maintained the same mission statement. We use the highest quality raw materials in the hobby, better than what the other guys use. We have innovative products, unique formulas that perform better and our popularity with "advanced aquarists" is testament to the performance of our products. We were the first company to add an organic Carbon source to an additive in the 90's and our patent pending ecoBAK released last year is recognized as the leading Solid Carbon pellet in the industry, superior to the "me-too" repackaged pellets sold by numerous companies.

    Our line has always been popular with advanced aquarists. In the late 1990's several "Tank of the Month" selections in Aquarium Frontiers magazine were powered by Warner Marine products. Over the years more and more advanced hobbyists and aquaculturists have trusted Warner Marine products for their proven performance, quality and consistency. At a recent "Coral Farmers Market" in Southern California I counted a total of 21 businesses and individuals selling coral and I know for a fact that 16/21 use our products to grow their own corals. However, as a product geared to advanced hobbyists our line has never achieved nation-wide distribution and notoriety compared to the more "commercially oriented" products on the market.

    Well that's going to change now, with the help of our friends. We are starting a campaign to let the whole world know about Warner Marine products. I would like to personally ask for the support of our hobbyist friends and neighbors to spread the word and ask your local retailer or favorite online dealer to carry Warner Marine products and for everyone to give our products a chance to make your system a better aquarium.

    Jon Warner
     
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  3. Jon Warner

    Jon Warner 3reef Sponsor

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    And about those crazy labels!!

    In designing the packaging for the "New Look" line I decided that the product must be the same on the shelf as it is inside the bottle. The product must be the BEST thing on the dealers shelf. So instead of obtaining some tired old stock-photos of Corals and Fish of some non-descript coral that no one keeps in their system, we went to the best photographers, coral growers and graphics design people IN THE HOBBY. Yes, every aspect of the design was inspired or created by a marine aquarium hobbyist.

    You may notice those corals are not run of the mill google image search corals. Our friends such as Jason Fox made their systems available for photographers like Chris Thomas (gadgets) and Greg Rothschild to take wonderful pictures and the impressive artwork was sent to Jessica Timko (Creative Soup), an incredible graphic designer to finish the design.

    My goal during the project was to make not only the best looking product on the market, but have a product that is so special... I want people to look at the empty bottle and prepare to throw the bottle away but realize they just can't do it. I want people to collect the empties and line them up in their cabinets as decore.

    An awesome shelf presence is important to brick and mortar retailers, the local fish store. With the challenges in the market today, local dealers need awesome performing products that look great and are fairly priced on their shelves. I hope we've provided an option to dealers and distributors beyond the same tired old "ABC" and "XYZ" brands found in every dealer.
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2012
  4. Jon Warner

    Jon Warner 3reef Sponsor

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  5. gcarroll

    gcarroll Zoanthid

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    Although I hated to see the old labels that included some of my photos go, The new bottles look hot!
     
  6. Dingo

    Dingo Giant Squid

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    oh yeah, Jason told me last time I was at his house that photos of some of his corals were being used! Nice to see the packaging now.
    I will have to check out some of the products next time I see them available... Are you guys working out a contract with That Pet Place in Pennsylvania? Or is there a preferred online store?
     
  7. Seano Hermano

    Seano Hermano Giant Squid

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    Congrats on the new packaging. The labels and white text look great against cobalt blue bottles. Packaging and graphic design are definitely some of the key factors in selling a product and sticking out from the rest.
     
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  9. Jon Warner

    Jon Warner 3reef Sponsor

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    Thanks! Right now there are no online dealers but we're hoping they will jump on board when they get a look at the line. That Pet Place is a great store and we'd love to have them as a dealer.

    Retailers and online dealers are sensitive to what their customers want and when they receive requests for the line they will bring it in.
     
  10. Seano Hermano

    Seano Hermano Giant Squid

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    Do you have an MSRP available for these new supplements? Or should they remain within the same general price range?
     
  11. Jon Warner

    Jon Warner 3reef Sponsor

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    Thank you. I wrestled with the color combination for weeks. We had variants with black bottles, foil labels, red bottles, black labels... but I felt that the current design was true to the original WM colors and YES you're right the cobalt blue is amazing against white and bright colors.

    Regarding pricing, we're going to be more aggressive and offer pricing similar to our more "commercial" competitors. Previously we were priced more like ZeoVit and Elos but expect pricing for the "New Look" Warner Marine 2012 Additives and Media Line to be more like the other guys.

    I'd like to see our Calcium, Strontium, Magnesium and Potassium in the $6-7 retail range for the 8 oz size and $9-10 retail range for the 16 oz. size. Some of the others may vary in pricing.
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2012
  12. Dingo

    Dingo Giant Squid

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    I will drop a line next time I am in the store... Also, their facebook always receives a lot of attention when you request items.

    After they discontinued cyclopeeze I complained on their FB and about 60 other people jumped on my post complaining also. They started stocking it again within a few weeks.