Recognizing Marketing’s Finest
Here we present all of this year’s winning submissions, highlighting a different category each week.
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Distributor $401M to $700M
Summit Electric Supply
New Service Center Postcards
In November 2021 Summit Electric Supply opened two new service centers—one in Richardson, Texas, and one in Glendale, Ariz.—within eight days of each other. Before each grand opening, Summit wanted to let its target audiences know about the new sites. A series of three postcards was sent to more than 2,500 customers and
prospects within a 20-mile radius of the new service centers. The postcards introduced Summit’s “Brand Basics,” including service guarantees, product selection, and overall convenience. D&B information from MDM Analytics was used to perform a sweet-spot analysis and find more targeted customers, and the marketing team focused on simplified but critical messages, clean creative, and straightforward calls to action.
FROM THE JUDGES: “This makes me feel like this is a company I would trust with my business. Also, it goes beyond simply saying, ‘Hey, we have a new location’—Summit created a real program out of it.”
Supplier More Than $250M
Service Wire
Feeder MC Print Ad
Conduit was becoming increasingly more difficult to source at the beginning of 2021, and Service Wire saw an
opportunity to gain market share by promoting its conduit-free, Feeder MC cable. A full-page ad was placed
in the contractor-centric EC&M Product of the Year magazine to promote this readily available alternative to traditional pipe and wire. Marketing worked with the sales team to identify the top features and benefits of Feeder MC and how the product alleviates contractor pain points. A QR code directing potential customers to a “Feeder MC vs. Pipe and Wire” cost comparison document and webpage was also created.
FROM THE JUDGES: “I like that they led with a benefit, and it’s a really strong headline. Service Wire really gets it.”
BRAND AWARENESS /
Distributor $101M to $400M
United Electric Supply
OnPoint Automation
To create a sub-brand that reflected the value proposition of both the building automation and industrial automation teams while leveraging United Electric Supply’s corporate branding guidelines, an internal group of subject matter experts (SMEs) was formed to ideate on a name and associated logo that would encompass the capabilities of both automation groups. Once that was accomplished, a go-to-market plan was created to include a tagline, primary and secondary messaging, and short and long descriptions and keywords that described the group’s expertise and certifications. The original automation webpages on unitedelectric.com were redesigned and new collateral was produced outlining the team’s capabilities for both print and digital use to be versatile across any channel. To complete the launch, a press release was published and business cards were created for the team to help continually generate awareness.
FROM THE JUDGES: “A well-researched, well-thought-out brand launch. Using an internal group of SMEs to develop the name and logo really helped make this effort a winner.”
Distributor $401M to $700M
Summit Electric Supply
New Location Brand Basics
Summit Electric Supply uses its “Brand Basics” strategy, which helps link different visual elements across media while sharing “customer promises” foundational to the brand, every time it enters a new market or encounters new customers. Elements of the strategy include campaign posters, lightboxes, ESPN.com banner ads, “opening soon” collateral (announcement cards, flyers, and pull-up banners), direct mail, and social media posts. Customers were directed to summit.com, where the use of similar visuals assured consistency of message to new customers and reinforced that they were at the correct website. For the first 10 weeks after the doors opened, one strategic manufacturer partner was showcased each week (“10×10”) and hosted counter days, participated in joint sales calls, held raffles, and was highlighted in targeted weekly social media ads.
FROM THE JUDGES: “A very comprehensive campaign that used just about all the marketing tools available to meet its goal—to drive repeat customers. The ‘10×10’ idea is smart too!”
Distributor $401M to $700M
Van Meter
Establishing Van Meter’s Brand in Newly Acquired Markets
When Van Meter Inc., a 50% partner in Werner Ventures, the legal entity that owned Werner Electric since 2001, completed a stock purchase of the remaining business from MacDonald Ventures, it was decided that Werner would transition to the Van Meter brand identity. Over the next six months, the Van Meter marketing team put together a progressive strategy, timeline, and budget to rebrand the Werner business to the Van Meter name and introduce customers to Van Meter. The change was communicated via a variety of in-person meetings, news releases, a series of audience-specific emails, social media posts, and more. Prior to launching any new materials, the marketing team conducted a brand pre-test that tested key brand statements with the newly acquired customers to use as a benchmark. This same test was repeated about a year after the launch to measure the effectiveness of the campaign and other brand efforts.
FROM THE JUDGES: “Superb planning and execution ensured the Van Meter team met its goal. Nicely done.”
Supplier Less Than $250M
Robroy Industries
Rocket Rack
Prior to the acquisition of Rocket Rack, there was no collateral beyond a very basic product catalog with part
numbers. Robroy’s team expanded the catalog by adding part descriptions, updated photos, practical installation
photos, load ratings, and more. In addition, an eight-page brochure was created and two different sample kits were produced, along with videos, a trade show booth, branded swag, product and installation trainings, and an infographic of a facility layout showing different ways/places that Rocket Rack can be used. A social media strategy and account-based targeting campaigns were also employed. Finally, Robroy obtained case studies to gather the first-hand perspective of the customer.
FROM THE JUDGES: “Getting the product into customers’ hands is key, so we love the sample kits! The entire campaign was well planned, created, and executed.”
Supplier More Than $250M
Current
Daintree Wireless Controls
Current changed the sales strategy of one of its growth product lines: Daintree Wireless Controls, which was originally intended to be a networked solution that was sold direct to key national accounts. The product management team simplified the product line to include Daintree ONE stand-alone controls and the Daintree EZ Connect appbased control for zonal, room-based controls. The rebranding and repositioning coincided with the launch of a new website and included product and training videos, commissioning and design tools, on-demand interactive training, brochures, catalogs, ebooks, user guides, energy code resources, and a social media campaign that leveraged LinkedIn as the primary vehicle.
FROM THE JUDGES: “A very well done effort. The materials are easy to read and understand and nicely designed and branded. The short, but informative videos are particularly well done—and many of them are translated into Spanish.”
Tagged with awards, Best of the Best