Print + Digital Ads
Environments
Case Study 1
NCGA
Building an omni-channel strategy for the National Corn Growers Association
The Challenge
America’s corn farmers were under attack on multiple fronts -- from big oil to animal rights advocates to viral documentaries -- each assailing America’s growers of America’s biggest crop.
The National Corn Growers Association needed to amplify their voice and rewrite the narrative with a key constituency, Washington DC policymakers and elite influencers.
The Strategy
Extensive qualitative and quantitative research dictated our approach. An approach we called the Joe Friday Strategy, named after the TV character who would refocus witness interviews with the line, “just the facts, please”.
We found that our target audience had little knowledge of the positive role corn played in the economy and the environment and often held beliefs that were grounded, not in fact, but in rumor and innuendo. We also found that when we presented our target audience with the real facts in a pleasing, well sourced, positive, open and inclusive manner, those same influencers would quickly become some of our best advocates.
The Placement
Research and Messaging were critical. Placement of that research driven message was just as important. We built an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program with a behavior, income and geo targeted social media and a demand side platform digital approach that retargeted our audience for 2 months. In addition, we sponsored the special Ag addition of Politico as well as sponsored the Politico App newswire and ran a one-week takeover of washingtonpost.com that performed well over industry standards. Drivetime radio, NPR underwriting, TV ads on the Sunday talk shows and limited print ads added to the IMC. But the hallmark of the campaign was an aggressive Out Of Home campaign that focused on DCs subway stations with as many as 124 pieces of creative per station for three months straight.
The Result
Over the course of the six year run of the campaign, recall tests and favorability scored far beyond the norm. LegiSerive post-campaign surveys revealed 78% of people felt the ads were effective and 79% of the respondents said the ad campaign made them feel more positively about corn farmers.
The 2015 campaign alone reached over 48 million impressions, won the Platinum award for best Public Service Campaign of the year from PR News (edging out a Steven Speilberg campaign for literacy), won a Bronze for overall campaign quality from the Summit Awards, and was put on permanent display in the American Enterprise exhibit at the Smithsonian History Museum.
Case Study 2
GM
Preparing Congress for Collapse of the Auto Industry
The Challenge
GM, the world’s largest automaker at the time of our campaign, saw the future, and the vision of the future was not good. They came to us to run a multi-year, multi-media national campaign to help prepare policy makers for the breakdown of the US auto industry.
The Strategy
Extensive research showed that Americans could support an auto industry rescue if we emphasized three things: 1) the real people who would lose their jobs, and 2) the real damage to the US economy if 1,000,000 jobs were lost all at one moment, and 3) the energy and safety innovation that was being performed by GM scientists and engineers. We went into the factories and the laboratories and we told their story. Which, it turns out, was also the story of America.
The Placement
We started by targeting governors with our One In A Million campaign. They, in turn, worried about shut downs of major factories in their state, became our biggest advocates. Then we moved our print, digital, radio, experiential and Out of Home campaign to Washington DC where we targeted Members of Congress and the White House.
The Result
When financial institutions and the housing market collapsed in 2008, it took the auto industry down with it. When US auto company leaders, GM included, went to Congress, they quickly received an $85 billion emergency loan, allowing GM to stabilize and avoid bankruptcy. The best metric you can get? One lobbyist reported walking into a Tennessee Senator’s office to talk about the bailout and the first thing the Senator said, pointing to a full page ad in the Washington Post, was “we can’t have one million GM workers out of work.”
Case Study 3
nVoq
Sandcherry brand transformation
The Challenge
Given the nature of the tech industry, the initial Sandcherry branding was not resonating with the intended audience. The company needed a brand name that was concise, unique, memorable, and conveyed a sense of innovation.
The result was nVoq.
The Strategy
All products were renamed to further engage and clarify the various offerings. Simply put, we streamlined nVoq’s messaging to make the brand resonate more successfully. Furthermore, the website needed a complete overhaul. We created a visual UX that lead potential customers and existing clients more easily to their desired locations. Extraneous lists were condensed into one specific white paper location while the rest of the site became a blend of compelling visuals with concise, punchy, copy.
The Placement
Getting the word out around the new branding was primary executed via the new website, also launched in 2009. Direct sales teams rolled out the new platform to their clients while reaching out to existing leads. The nVoq sales team lead a robust trade show initiative to further promote their products.
The Results
The nVoq name immediately fulfilled the company’s requirements and the resulting nVoq brand has become synonymous with quality innovations in speech technology. The nVoq brand image is a balance of simplicity and sophistication. nVoq’s speech technology is now among the best in the industry while our products remain quite intuitive and straightforward. Due to the effectiveness of the rebranding efforts, nVoq has realized substantial growth in their share of the healthcare market.