Recognizing Marketing’s Finest
Here we present all of this year’s winning submissions, highlighting a different category each week.
INTEGRATED PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN /
Distributor Less Than $100M
Atlantic Coast Electric Supply
NEC Seminar Featuring Mike Holt
Atlantic Coast Electric Supply’s (ACES’s) NFPA NEC seminar highlighting Mike Holt was the first event of this kind for ACES and Mike Holt’s first in-person code seminar held in South Carolina. Held at the Lowcountry Conference Center in Summerville, it occupied 15,000 square feet of classroom and meeting space.
The seminar campaign featured both print and digital components and included an eight-page direct mail flyer/brochure highlighting things to do in the Charleston area, the seminar topics, the seminar speakers, and a registration form; promotion on all of ACES’s social media accounts; posters for branches and event flyers for all salespeople; an announcement of the event on the front cover of the ACES Solution Guide; emails sent over the course of several months on various topics; and an advertisement on the ACES website with a homepage web banner, dedicated landing page, and registration site.
FROM THE JUDGES: The judges called it “a wonderful example of a truly integrated campaign” and loved the addition of “things to do while you’re here” in the brochure.
Distributor $101M to $400M
Schaedler Yesco Distribution
2022 EXPO Campaign
Schaedler Yesco’s EXPO has been around since the 1940s, when it was held in a building’s basement with product displays and training. Through the years, the event grew and moved to the Harrisburg, Pa., warehouse, then to a local hotel, and then to the Hershey Convention Center in 2012. It is now held biannually on a single day and is the largest customer event hosted by Schaedler Yeso.
The EXPO is a centerpiece of the company’s messaging for several months during an EXPO year and is supported by a variety of tactics, including a website/registration site, a show program book, a teaser video, social media posts, email blasts, “Ideal Day” planners, show-day specials, a Gold Sponsor Vendor Campaign, and internal communication tools.
FROM THE JUDGES: “This campaign covered all the bases,” said the judges, who added, “If you’re going to do an expo, this is an example of how to do it right.”
Distributor $101M to $400M
Granite City Electric Supply
GCE Night Train Depot
Granite City Electric set out to extend its GCE Night Train overnight delivery service—a no-cost offering that provides a safe, secure, dry location where customers can pick up material 24/7.
After finding current branches that met the requirements needed to house a Night Train Depot, the marketing team went to work introducing the concept to the sales team via training, pictures and videos of the locations, and sharing success stories.
To introduce it to customers, the team created campaign elements that included a branded look for the logo, depot areas, collateral material, website promotion, internal and external email blasts, flyers, branch posters, social media, and events.
FROM THE JUDGES: “This was a great idea that Granite City really amped up by adding locations. The team communicated it completely and successfully through this very comprehensive and attractive campaign.”
Distributor $401M to $700M
Kirby Risk Electrical Supply
Connected Magazine
In an effort to support and promote the launch of its Connected magazine, Kirby Risk’s marketing team developed a full-scale integrated promotional campaign to run throughout the year with a quarterly focus.
The campaign included a comprehensive email campaign, a Connected marketing landing page, a web banner on the Kirby Risk website that is updated with each new issue, a digital flipbook of the current version of the magazine hosted from the website, a social media schedule, a blog, and banner ads placed in emails and on flyers to promote subscriptions.
FROM THE JUDGES: “An excellent example of using multiple channels to promote a magazine,” said the judges. “The campaign nails effectively driving people to the magazine and making it easy for those interested in receiving it to do so.”
Distributor More Than $700M
Van Meter Inc.
Van Meter Robotics
Van Meter decided to expand its robotics offering to help its manufacturing customers face business hurdles like the need to increase productivity; have more flexible equipment to achieve more product customization; and have safer, more secure machines.
Once the decision was made, Van Meter needed to educate and create awareness among both internal and external customers and create an integrated marketing campaign.
After meeting with key stakeholders on the industrial leadership team, robotic product experts, and key robotic supplier partners, Van Meter developed a marketing communication strategy and plan that utilized a variety of marketing print and digital platforms: organic social media, social paid ads, email, a press release, a website landing page, video case studies, and industry events.
FROM THE JUDGES: “This makes me want to do business with Van Meter,” said the judges. “Flawless execution that showcases their expertise and capabilities. I love that they do their research, know their target audience, and go after it.”
Supplier Less Than $250M
Electri-Flex
American Made Liquatite
To bring awareness that Electri-Flex manufactures America-made Liquatite conduit to the supply chain, the company’s marketing team analyzed the target audience to build media elements to effectively communicate to the market.
The target audience included reps, distributors, contractors (including government contractors), and general brand awareness to MRO and OEM manufacturing, specifiers, and engineers. The selected media included video and a print advertisement. The images and message created for the print ad were used to build additional media for trade shows, literature, and digital media.
FROM THE JUDGES: “The visual of a worker created from images of American infrastructure is striking and memorable, and the red, white, and blue conduit works nicely,” said the judges. “The campaign does a really nice job of underscoring the heart of American made.”
Supplier Less Than $250M
Intermatic
ARISTA Case Study and White Paper
After launching the ARISTA Advanced Lighting Control System in 2021, Intermatic needed a way to build excitement for the product and showcase its potential to new customers.
Working with the sales and product management teams, the marketing team identified a building owner who had installed ARISTA and saw immediate benefits. An off-camera interview with the building owner and other stakeholders was conducted and footage of the installation site collected. The story was paired with an on-camera interview with the ARISTA product manager. With interviews in hand, video and written assets were created and shared via online, email, social media, and sales channels.
For the technical portion of the campaign, an in-house IoT expert drafted a white paper highlighting the technical benefits of the Bluetooth mesh technology ARISTA employs.
The 2,000-plus-word white paper was broken down into bite-size content pieces and used to reinforce key messages and drive back to the primary asset.
Lastly, an ARISTA applications guide, which complemented both anchor pieces, was created.
FROM THE JUDGES: “This is a well-thought-out and well-done effort,” said the judges. “They hit both themes—customer success and technical superiority—right on with the white paper and video case study.”
Supplier More Than $250M
ABB Electrification
Focus on the Factory Communications Toolkit
While touring U.S. facilities, ABB’s global president of electrification told employees, “We all work for the factory” and set a tone that all ABBers were responsible for ensuring the success of its manufacturing operations. For some that meant physically assisting on the factory floor; for the communications team, it meant using its resources to support those colleagues.
Internally the team wanted to educate employees about how their individual role impacted the entire company, expand their knowledge about who ABB is and what it does, and help them communicate more effectively.
Externally, there was a need to attract and hire new employees, provide strategic ideas to connect with the community, and increase overall brand awareness for ABB.
The theme for the campaign rolled out first as a billboard with the message “You Belong HERE,” implying the person reading the sign was needed in that exact spot. Additional elements of the campaign included postcards and mailers, banners and posters, social media content, a LinkedIn and YouTube paid campaign, facility posters, videos, and a PR educational kit. Internal employee communication tactics also featured digital signage for morale, employee and veteran spotlights, and employee referral.
FROM THE JUDGES: “Wow…a suberb effort,” said the judges. “The communications team took an idea and ran with it—and put together a complete package to engage employees and the communities they serve.”
Tagged with awards, Best of the Best, marketing