2019 Best of the Best Winners: Event

Recognizing Marketing’s Finest

FORTY-SEVEN INDIVIDUAL MARKETING EFFORTS EARN AWARDS IN OUR 2019 CONTEST

Judging for tED magazine’s 2019 Best of the Best Marketing Awards Competition took place during April. Our four judges weighed the entries submitted for the contest’s 11 categories, which are separated by company type and sales volume. Ultimately, 47 entries were determined winners, with two companies—OneSource Distributors and Intermatic—taking home the honor of Best of the Best Overall Distributor and Best of the Best Overall Supplier, respectively. “Each year I am more impressed by the creativity we see in these entries,” said Best of the Best judge Jan Niehaus. “From top-of-the-line design to fresh and innovative ways to capture their customers’ attention, marketing in the electrical channel continues to impress.” Here we present all of this year’s winning submissions. Be sure to check out our monthly Best of the Best Awards coverage in this magazine’s “Selling” section for more insight into the winning entries.

EVENT /

Distributor Less Than $100M
Electric Supply Center
Lutron Resi Pro Training at ESC’s CDC

ESC and Lutron teamed up to provide Resi Pro training on Lutron’s Caseta Wireless and R-A-2 residential smart home systems. ESC hosted, planned, and coordinated the training, using text messaging, email, social media, counter TV monitors, and flyers to invite contractor customers to the training sessions, which were led by a Yusen Lutron engineer.

FROM THE JUDGES: “Eleven of those who attended the event were brand-new customers! In total, the campaign netted 83 sign-ups and a 67% attendance rate, plus ESC sold some product at the event—pretty impressive for a three-week, low-budget marketing effort.”

Distributor $101M to $400M
Dakota Supply Group
150-Year Celebration

Targeting current and past customers, along with its employee-owners and vendor partners, DSG designed
an event to show appreciation to the community and people responsible for the company’s 150 years of success. More than 700 people attended the open house, tent sale, and Mississippi River cruises. When it was over, the celebration was commemorated with a 46-page book covering all of the event activities.

FROM THE JUDGES: “DSG maximized attendance, garnered press coverage, and generated income—all over a three-day period—and had fun doing it. This well-executed event was a win for everyone involved.”

Distributor $401M to $700M
Van Meter Inc.
Creating a V.I.P. Customer Experience

After reviewing feedback on past trips from customers and sales leadership, VMI decided to try a different approach: choosing to host four smaller, more intimate getaways at different places and times throughout the year with a new branding experience. Materials included formal invitations, a trip microsite and event app, welcome packets, and trip booklets. Welcome and farewell events kicked off and concluded each getaway.

FROM THE JUDGES: “Participants had all the information they needed at their fingertips, before and during the trip, with a website, app, and printed materials. It really was a series of first-class events.”

Distributor More Than $700M
McNaughton-McKay Electric
Drives, Motion, & Mechanical Expo

McNaughton-McKay worked in alliance with Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Mich., and its vendor partners to gather a group of professionals to discuss emerging technologies in the mechatronics field. The event hosted 136 participants, resulted in an expanded and rebranded separate mechatronics engineering group, and raised awareness and set the tone for future seminars.

FROM THE JUDGES: “McNaughton-McKay has staked its claim in the field of mechatronics by partnering with the Association for Advancing Automation and key manufacturers and establishing its own internal mechatronics team. Other distributors should take note.”

Supplier More Than $250M
LEDVANCE
Lightfair 2018

To promote its attendance at Lightfair 2018, LEDVANCE gave away engraved LED lamps, created a microsite, used geofenced mobile ads, sent e-blasts, and placed targeted print ads. The company also hosted a private event at the Shedd Aquarium and a gangster-themed press party at a speakeasy. The results: 1,456 scans at the booth, 154,984 impressions from social media posts, 224,361 impressions from geofencing advertising, and 150 party-goers.

FROM THE JUDGES: “LEDVANCE didn’t just set up a booth at Lightfair 2018, but also built an entire campaign around it—and the hard work paid off in both booth visits and press coverage.”