Recognizing Marketing’s Finest
Here we present all of this year’s winning submissions, highlighting a different category each week.
PRODUCT LAUNCH /
Summit Electric Supply
Pre-Assembled Panelboards
At the height of industrywide supply chain challenges, electrical contractors faced the near-impossible: waiting 30 to 52 weeks for a panelboard. Rather than wait for the backlog to clear, Summit invested in building its own internal preassembly program. The Pre-Assembled Panelboards campaign marked the formal launch of this solution.
The campaign focused on electrical contractors hit hardest by panelboard delays, and targeting was defined by various criteria, including NAICS codes and job titles, firmographics and purchasing behavior, and third-party lists; audience reach was aligned to regional supplier availability.
A focused, high-efficiency campaign strategy was built around three pillars: speed of delivery and speed to market, supplier-specific targeting by region, and credibility.
Distinct messaging was crafted for each supplier, with each campaign remaining brand consistent while reinforcing a unified message. Other elements of the launch included email campaigns, SEM and display advertising, paid social media posts, and landing pages.
The judges appreciated that “the creative is clean with a clear benefit communicated right in the headline” and noted that the campaign “is comprehensive and the results are impressive.”
Light Efficient Design
Product Launch Kit
In its plan to introduce its LED Retrofit for Filament Lamps, Light Efficient Design wanted to bring an element of fun to spark curiosity and grab attention.
Selling tools included a custom shipping carton and tape, a product sample, a spec sheet, and a digital assets card. Digital components included a brand statement, a press release, and an example of a digital banner ad.
Also included in the package was a mini candy jar with a custom-branded sticker and mints (packed separately), allowing the recipient to fill the jar themselves—thus, “fill-a-mint.”
The judges called the launch “fun, informative, and well designed” and noted how “the play on ‘filament’ makes the gift appropriate.”
Acuity Brands
Gotham IVO Product Launch
The launch of Acuity Brands’s Gotham IVO was centered around a contractor-first approach to ensure that electricians, contractors, and field installers were well informed, engaged, and supported at each phase of adoption. This approach also extended to distribution channels, which ensured a smooth process from ordering to installation, with an emphasis on making it easier to sell and manage product inventory.
Details of the launch included educating contractors via nine online courses; engaging the industry via a digital marketing campaign that included targeted ads, social media, email, blogs, and online announcements; and supporting contractors in the field via an updated website, installation guides and animations, and product displays.
Acuity Brands also produced two features and benefits videos, an email signature, a family brochure, and a news release.
“I like that research was used to identify a product area with increasing demand to determine where focus should be placed,” said the judges. “The campaign is a nice example of simultaneously announcing and reinforcing the brand.”
Atkore
PVC Junction Box & Conduit Hub Launch Campaign
After designing the PVC Junction Box & Conduit Hub, Atkore wanted to highlight the innovative nature of these products and fully equip outside sales agents with materials to answer customers’ questions and potential objections.
Included in the launch were a sales enablement email, product literature, a LinkedIn campaign, print and digital ads, and a landing page.
The team also designed a sample box with an embedded product video in the lid that played automatically upon opening. The boxes, which were sent directly to the electrical agent contact list, also included messaging on product features and benefits.
“Atkore solved a real problem—in both the product and the marketing—by literally putting this product in the hands of the right people,” noted the judges. “Beyond that, all of the creative elements are great: They consistently reinforce the Atkore green, and the product benefits are right up front.”
INTEGRATED PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN – Honorable Mention
One distributor and one supplier earned honorable mentions in the Product Launch category:
Crawford Electric Supply
FlexSet
Nora Lighting
Apollo LED Downlight Series
Tagged with awards, Best of the Best, marketing