tl;dr

This is a story of how to modernize in an industry that hasn’t embraced digital.It isn’t enough to “be different”. You must explain how you are different (even if it is subtly through pictures or ideas).Leverage those things that can make a difference. For Benchmade, this meant a 3D customization tool. But, they still support their loyal network of dealers.

Meet Emily

Digital Marketing and Sales Manager at Benchmade.Benchmade makes high-quality knives. They have been in business over 30 years. Their knives are seen as some of the best in the industry. They are made in the United States, and have maintained their competitiveness through the waves of outsourcing that the United States has witnessed over the past 30 years.Benchmade was nominated as a finalist for the Adobe Experience Maker ‘Mastermind’ Award, much of which goes to Emily’s leadership. Benchmade was one of over 350 websites that was reviewed.Emily gave a fascinating talk for Adobe Experience Makers live.

Meet Benchmade

Benchmade was started by Les de Asis in California in 1988. It was then moved to Clackamas, Oregon. Les worked to utilize the finest technology to make the highest-quality cutlery. Benchmade has continued to grow over the years—yet its mission and quality stays the same. Benchmade maintains complete control over their quality and this has allowed them to retain their incredible brand reputation.

All Benchmade knives are “Made in USA”. Making a knife is a competitive business (there are plenty of YouTube videos on how to make a knife). If there are videos on this, certainly people from all over the world can do it. As such, differentiation is a massive part of success for Benchmade: and they do that exceptionally well.

They highlight relatable people who love the Benchmade brand.They share their history (with photos).They share pictures of the folks who work at Benchmade.Not only are their knives “Made in USA”, they are “Made in Oregon”. Many of us have driven through the beautiful state of Oregon, and this makes it all the more personal.

You will quickly see that the personal touch augments Benchmade’s claim to quality. Oh, and what happens to knives that are used? They get dull and they might not open/close as easily. Benchmade services their knives for life.

I might start sounding like a “pro-Benchmade” apologist… this conversation was extremely impressive.

However, Benchmade had a problem: they had an impressive dealer network, but everyone else was going digital. How would they keep up? On the other hand, what Benchmade had was working, so maybe it wasn’t necessary to change?

If you know the knife industry or the shooting sports industry, we’re a little bit behind on trends. So kudos to the Benchmade ownership to say we have to invest in digital.Emily Sloan

Benchmade sat down and did a digital audit:

Where are we at on this digital maturity scale?How do we compare to our competitors?What about our dealers?How do we bring our channels (social, blog, direct-to-consumer, business-to-business) through a transition?How can we leverage personalization?

Ultimately, purchasing a knife is often a tactile experience. I, Joseph, remember when I purchased a Benchmade for my brother (as a knife layperson, I was told by a young man that “Benchmade is the best.”). Even thought I was a genuine ignoramus, I felt the knife. I checked to see if the blade was sharp—it was. I made sure it opened/closed smoothly. I checked how it felt in my hand.

How can this be replicated online? Emily made this point clear: “The person can’t hold this in their hand, but it should still feel it’s going to cut them.” Bingo, and they did.

Benchmade underwent a digital transformation.

What’s that? “Digital transformation closes the gap between what digital customers already expec