Wallboard. Can you imagine any product so basic, so drab, so… boring? Even the name says board. Wallboard is that utilitarian product that gets screwed up over the framing in your home or office. It completely replaced plaster many years ago and reduced the time and expense of construction considerably.

It’s such a commodity that no one really cares about the brand. If it wasn’t for the horrors caused by deadly chemically treated wallboard shipped from China and the resulting removal of millions of dollars worth of the stuff, no one would think twice about the brand of wallboard that they buy.

Wallboard is wallboard. Or is it?

I recently noticed this small line of inconspicuous type printed onto the sheets of wallboard being used in a residential renovation:

Lo and behold – a branded URL! TheWeightHasBeenLifted.com

And the website that paid it off was even cooler than the name itself. Intrigued about who was clever enough to put a marketing spin on such a mundane product, I went to the website and found that it’s owned by USG. The company claims its wallboard panels are 30% lighter and still stronger than conventional panels – important stuff to people who carry wallboard around all day. Hence the URL name.

This is a great example of how using a branded URL can help to expand your brand. When considering your options for a branded URL, keep the following quick tips in mind:

• Be Unique – Separate yourself from the pack. What’s your value proposition? Start by formulating ideas around that and work your way out from there.
• Be Memorable – It sounds like common sense, but if the consumer can’t remember the URL, your campaign is DOA.
• Be Relevant – Don’t get so caught up in the “marketing” that you pick something that is not easily associated with your brand (see #2).

I’m not sure why I cared about this, but it seems pretty neat that USG decided to market its product with a memorable URL. I frequently point out bad marketing when I am assaulted by it, so it’s only fair to give credit where it’s due.

Nice job, USG.

You’ve proven that even the blandest products are capable of having smart marketing.