2019 Best of the Best Winners: Brand Awareness

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.

BRAND AWARENESS /

Distributor Less Than $100M
Vaughan Electrical Supply
Lighting the 6ix/Vaughan’s Very Own

From retail to new talent in the trades, Lighting the 6ix relates to a younger demographic and promotes Vaughan as a distributor that continues to adapt with the everchanging industry landscape. The “Vaughan’s Very Own” slogan was a second rollout designed to create an emotional connection with new and existing customers, young and old. Both strategies have become a key part of the business, with images all over Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe.

FROM THE JUDGES: “Dramatic and stylish. The reference to [Canadian rapper] Drake is a smart way of growing the brand and making sure that it stays youthful.”

Distributor $101M to $400M
Springfield Electric Supply
L&D Expert Video Tips

This series of nine videos portrays the skills and knowledge of Springfield’s L&D sales associates while providing useful lighting tips for end-users. Created so that homeowners, designers, builders, and other end-users could meet the experts behind the company’s L&D brand, the videos are used in social media, on its website, at events, and to accompany campaigns and promotions.

FROM THE JUDGES: “The videos feel very heartfelt and genuine. Each one provides a lot of information in a very short period of time. It’s a very effective way to demonstrate the employees’ in-depth knowledge and, in doing so, further build their brand.”

Distributor $401M to $700M
Summit Electric Supply
Digital Billboard in Sulphur

To promote a new location in a petrochemical manufacturing market, Summit (in partnership with Eaton) ran a targeted outdoor advertising campaign in Sulphur, La., intended to grow brand awareness and increase sales within its new service center. The billboards were placed at strategic locations near petrochemical plants, along a highway frequented by electrical professionals. The campaign generated more than 500,000 impressions and the Sulphur location grew 8% on a year-over-year basis.

FROM THE JUDGES: “We love the strategic approach, smart placement, and creative execution of this branding effort.”

Distributor More Than $700M
OneSource Distributors
Company Rebranding 2018

OneSource rebranded in October 2018, introducing a new logo, which dropped “Distributors” and introduced an updated, modern look and feel. This process of rebranding included not only the logistics of new documents, web pages, and signage, but also clear communication about the logo change to employees, suppliers, and customers.

FROM THE JUDGES: “The three-dimensional, circular quality of the logo gives it a sense of energy and motion. I also appreciated the judicious use of the logo’s elements. It wasn’t stamped everywhere. Rather, pieces of the logo are used as design elements on brochures, trucks, and even vending machines.”

Supplier Less Than $250M
NICOR
Branding Strategy

For its rebranding initiative, NICOR developed a strategy that included a full website redesign and a complete showroom remodel. The use of new social media strategies and advertisements played a large role in the announcement of both, along with new product and service offerings and the addition of a company-branded van.

FROM THE JUDGES: “NICOR did a great job of reinforcing the brand throughout the copy and imagery. Even the image of the light coming through the door is reminiscent of the ‘O’ in the NICOR logo—which also reinforces the brand. This was a very comprehensive and consistent execution.”

Supplier More Than $250M
Lutron Electronics
Get Smart

Lutron Electronics created a very strong foundational package of smart home collateral, marketing, and training materials for its distributors to share with contractors— plus incentives for participating. Contractors could even become Lutron PROs and take advantage of promotions, warranties, and referrals. The first Get Smart promotion, which ran from June 1 to Aug. 31, exceeded sales goals by double digits. Because it was so successful, Lutron ran another promotion for the rest of 2018—with even better results.

FROM THE JUDGES: “This was a smart program and campaign for a smart product category.”