Case Study: J.D. Power Family

Objective:  The Power family wanted to celebrate the milestone anniversary of a family business and provide the founder a forum to impart his experiences in the auto industry.

Challenges:  The family that founded J.D. Power and Associates had sold their company prior to its fortieth anniversary but wanted to mark the milestone event for friends, family, and close associates with a modest but highly visual book. At the same time, founder Dave Power wanted to document in detail his fifty years interacting with leaders in the auto industry. The time and text needed to do justice to Dave's biography would make an anniversary book for the family unwieldy—and late.

Solutions:  We suggested a two-book program for the Power family: an anniversary coffee-table book and a trade paperback. A lively, anecdotal coffee-table book was created for the family on a schedule that allowed completion by the anniversary. In interviews with Dave, we helped him distinguish between content that would be appropriate for the family book and recollections that should be saved for his biography. After the family book was completed, we worked with Dave over the course of three years, recording more than fifty hours of interviews with him and other luminaries in the auto industry.

Fulfillment:  We produced 2,500 coffee-table books for the family to distribute to family, friends, and associates on the occasion of J.D. Power and Associates' fortieth anniversary. We also produced trade paperback copies of Dave's biography, securing distribution into the trade and a marketing and publicity program that included a book signing by Dave at BEA, print and broadcast media, and speaking appearances for Dave. www.davepowerbook.com

Results:  Dave and his family were able to see two goals realized: marking a milestone anniversary and documenting a fascinating, half-century career.