Tag: Creative
Raymarine case study: A new life on a hundred-year story
Raymarine case study: A new life on a hundred-year story
Since 1923, Raymarine has been a trusted, leading name in the marine electronics industry. But, due to stiff competition and product-forward advertising, their brand story was getting lost in a sea of sameness for their boaters and anglers in the United States. The writing was on the wall: They had to do something different. And that’s exactly what we did.
Leave doubt in your wake
When it comes to marine equipment, there is no room for error and doubt. Boaters and anglers need reliable products they can count on. So, we tapped into that emotional need in order to give Raymarine a new, refined voice that exudes confidence, rugged reliability and trust. We combined influencer partnerships, lifestyle branding and creative storytelling to deliver a brand refresh and 360 campaign that spoke directly to the hearts of those who dare the deep.
Keywords:
Coast Guard stamp of approval
There’s saying your product is trustworthy, and then there’s actually backing it up. The fact that the U.S. Coast Guard was already relying on Raymarine only reinforced our messaging, and having them as brand ambassadors spoke volumes to our audience.
Not just a new brand.
A campaign with bite to launch it.
From the logo to becoming a lifestyle brand, we made a significant shift, found a compelling new storyline and reinvigorated the brand to be forward-thinking yet in tune with the lifestyle of boaters and anglers. We helped support it on the website, as well as through an integrated digital and social media plan to break through the noise.
Putting the pros at the helm of the story
We also partnered with a wide network of pro ambassadors and influencers to capture their own content and show just how well Raymarine’s equipment holds up, even in the toughest waters.
HealthEdge case study: A rebrand with an edge
A HealthEdge case study: A rebrand with an edge
A new look, launch and collateral
We provided a visual identity refresh, unified messaging and a brand story that elevates their platform. Anchored by the tagline “Become a digital payer,” we paired messaging around the idea of enabling a connective transformation with a strong, distinctly modern and sophisticated visual language.
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A sharper identity to match their vision
The new logo leverages an exponent that we refer to as “The Edge.” It’s suggestive of their evolving line of products and services and their mission to always push the healthcare industry forward. As we’ve been expanding their story and visuals, the one constant is HealthEdge’s desire to lead an industry that has been desperate for a voice. Our approach complements that notion in a way that’s visually impactful without being overpowering.
FIS case study: Hyper-targeted 1: Few campaign creates “More Than” a feeling
FIS case study:
Hyper-targeted 1:Few campaign creates “More Than” a feeling
With the acquisition of payment processing company Worldpay, FinTech leader FIS had more to offer its customers than ever before. Problem was, the new Worldpay client base didn’t know about all the additional solutions FIS could bring to the table. Here’s how Marketbridge and FIS launched a highly targeted 1:Few ABM campaign that built awareness and drove action with key accounts.
A mission to change perceptions
For B2B retailers across the United States and around the world, 2020 was anything but business as usual. Facing significant and increasing complexity in achieving their goals—under the shadow of a global pandemic, no less—even some of the largest merchants have had to pivot, adapt and reinvent to stay in the game.
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The plan takes shape
Working with Marketbridge, FIS launched a highly targeted 1:Few ABM campaign aimed at raising awareness, changing perceptions and building relationships with senior decision makers at 13 existing top accounts, including many of the biggest companies in the U.S. retail sector. We started by assessing the state of existing company/contact data across key titles and target audiences and mapped value propositions for each of our 13 accounts. Data gaps were identified and filled. Personas added depth and a human lens.
Account-customized creative connects and inspires
The lead creative was simple, smart and salient—and highly personalized by account. Through catchy, alliterative headlines, account-customized illustrations and brand colors that hailed the account without specifically naming it (at least at first!), the concept spoke to the power of reinvention for accelerated business success.
Early engagement sends strong signals
After only a few months in-market, this hyper-targeted campaign has delivered over 3.5M impressions and generated 10,000+ clicks—all from key decision makers at top-priority accounts. What’s more, all ad units are outperforming industry benchmarks, a testament to the power of such unique account-based personalization.
accounts targeted
impressions served
clicks generated
“This campaign has set the bar high for future FIS ABM 1:Few programs. The “More Than” concept provided a strong creative foundation to engage accounts in a highly personalized and scalable way. And that’s what best-in-breed ABM is all about.”
Bitrise case study: Buckle up for a really good campaign story
Bitrise case study: Buckle up for a really good campaign story
Following a recent round of Series C funding, Bitrise—the world’s first and only Mobile DevOps company—needed to build mindshare and market share…and fast. To do it, they needed to convince tech leaders and their development teams at big financial institutions that when it comes to creating extraordinary app experiences, the best things in life aren’t free.
Making the case for mobile-first
Mobile has made huge leaps forward in the past couple of years. To stay relevant and competitive, organizations that jockey for consumer attention and membership, like banks and insurance firms, have to go all-in on apps. At the same time, developing for mobile has become infinitely more complex, and legacy approaches simply can’t cut it in a mobile-first world. Free, open-source platforms—the kind traditional web experiences are built on—were never made for mobile. And it shows, manifesting on the back end as sluggish builds, bottlenecks and a ton of manual (read: risk-laden) work.
Keywords:
We needed to shift
the mental model
Bitrise had a strong product offering and an exciting brand. But to drive awareness and consideration, we needed to shift the mental model and convince tech leaders that investing in a Mobile DevOps platform and retooling their development protocols is better than having a mobile-first competitor snatch your customer base.
Selecting and segmenting for campaign success
Leveraging the predictive intelligence capabilities of ABM platform 6sense, Bitrise identified ~200 accounts in the financial services space that fit their ICP and showed a strong likelihood to purchase a solution like theirs. Marketbridge validated the account selection and acquired contacts to fill coverage gaps across the buying committee through sales intelligence platform SalesIntel. We segmented the audience into two groups—Practitioners (the DevOps doers) and Tech Leaders (the budget-holders), creating unique messaging and mapping content that would resonate with each audience’s motivations, challenges and goals.
Creative unites agility and security (Yes, really!)
The Bitrise brand is playful, confident and attention-getting. To amplify it for ABM, we needed to inject relevance for a finance audience whose main objective is maximizing app experience while minimizing risk. “Buckle up with Bitrise” became our rally cry, suggesting a sense of security but also an impending takeoff.
Our creative big idea focused on the elements of Bitrise’s platform that resonated strongest with our financial audience: the increased speed of development it offers teams and the comprehensive security features built into the platform.
The GTM play gets personal(ized)
The program kicked off with a “Surround & Nurture” play designed to capture attention and raise awareness. Channels and tactics included account-targeted media (display, native and social) and marketing-led emails that Marketbridge helped implement and deploy across their martech tools and platforms.
The most highly engaged accounts coming out of the “Surround & Nurture” play were funneled to a more highly personalized “Engage & Connect” outbound play focused on generating interest and engagement. Following outbound tactics, contact engagement was evaluated in Marketo using 6sense data and routed to Sales to begin an Outreach email sequence—which was automated on behalf of Sales.
The head-snap moment: account-personalized benchmark experience
Downstream in the “Engage & Connect” play, we directed contacts to a customized digital experience built and hosted in Marketo. Visually, the page was personalized with the account’s logo and name. But that wasn’t the exciting bit. Drawing on data from competitive intelligence platform Apptopia, we benchmarked the account’s mobile app performance against competitors across three key predictors of app store success. For some, the benchmark results were validating; for most, they were a wake-up call.
Buckle up for big results
The program saw wide reach and deep engagement across targeted accounts, and we added hundreds of new contacts into Bitrise’s marketable database for future campaigns. Additionally, we drove impact in buyer journey progression. Using 6sense to benchmark and track pre- and post-campaign buying journey stage movement, we pushed a third of accounts forward 1+ buying stage and grew accounts in Decision and Purchase by 44%. The campaign has gained traction in B2B awards circles as well. “Buckle up with Bitrise” was a finalist in the 2023 B2B Marketing Elevation Awards for Best Account-Based Marketing Program.
The team attributes campaign success to two key factors:
A highly automated campaign
That leveraged a strategic martech stack to deploy and coordinate the cross-channel experience at scale, reducing manual monitoring and management.
Meaningful use of personalization
Across the creative touchpoints, which helped the work stand out and sink in.
Accounts moved forward 1+ buying stage
Growth in decision
and purchase stages
Decision maker
Leads acquired vs. Target
Known account
engagement
New contacts added to database
“The level of personalization and automation [Marketbridge] brought to this campaign made all the difference. It up-leveled our execution to get our message in front of the right eyeballs.”
Graebel case study: An interactive DEI journey inspires next-level outcomes
Graebel case study: An interactive DEI journey inspires next-level outcomes
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has become an important part of many corporate agendas. Graebel knew that its experts could provide strategic recommendations and support to clients wherever they are on their DEI journey. But first, mobility leaders would need to recognize that they could be a catalyst for transformative DEI in their organizations.
Connecting the dots between global mobility and DEI
Prior to launching Graebel® DEI Consulting Services, a first-to-market solution in this space, Graebel, a leading global relocation management company (RMC), set out to educate key audiences about the potential role of the mobility team in building diversity, equity and inclusion. An interactive digital experience called the “Next-Level DEI Journey” became a key tool to build Graebel’s subject authority and inspire a new league of DEI change makers.
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Crystalizing a strong POV
To create this asset, we started with category and competitive research, as well as interviews with subject matter experts in both mobility and DEI. Observations and insights were synthesized into a point of view report, which led to a Unique Buying Proposition® (UBP) and a set of key messages. We then crafted a tight narrative that would anchor the interactive journey and all supporting marketing materials. Boiled down to its simplest form, the beats of the DEI narrative were:
1. DEI is the right thing to do—from a cultural and business standpoint.
2. Mobility professionals are uniquely suited to unlock the potential of DEI.
3. Graebel can help you take DEI from baseline activities to something transformative.
A next-level digital experience takes shape
Built on the interactive content platform Ceros, the experience begins by inviting users to jump into a path—Diversity, Equity or Inclusion. The user is then oriented to the journey, a spectrum of maturity in the context of global mobility.
Users explore the three stages of the journey, at each step unpacking what it means from the vantage point of the mobile employee, the mobility team and the organization. Like any great digital experience, it’s most interesting when you try it for yourself.
Persuasion through resonance and relevance
The strategic use of motion, color, iconography and navigational cues guide the user seamlessly through the journey paths while allowing them to pop in and out fluidly. We built persuasion into the experience in multiple ways:
Quotations in the voice of the employee establish empathy.
Statistics add evidence and credibility to fuel cross-functional buy-in.
Actionable steps make progress feel within reach.
“What I love most about the DEI experience that we created together is its utility. Our sales teams use it in relationship-building conversations. Our client teams use it to gauge readiness and build roadmaps. And it gives prospective clients another great reason to consider Graebel.”
Chevron case study: Influencer video series opens minds and inspires decision makers
Chevron case study: Influencer video series opens minds and inspires decision makers
When your entire operation relies on the performance of a single piece of equipment, protecting it shouldn’t be an afterthought or an area to pinch pennies. But when maintenance professionals look at only the input cost of engine oil, they end up doing just that. Chevron Lubricants needed to change that mindset and demonstrate how a compromise on engine oil now could mean bigger costs down the line.
A strategically formulated approach
Nationwide focus groups with target buyers validated by a quantitative survey revealed a skeptical misconception and key insight: maintenance professionals believe “oil is just oil” and that all options are basically the same. With this perspective, why would anyone pay more for one brand over another? We needed to help these buyers realize that their choice was impacting their bottom line well beyond the purchase price and take a social-first approach to show them how the right oil could not only help them overcome obstacles but provide a competitive advantage.
Keywords:
Gather round
the expert table
Since we were dealing with some seriously technical information, we needed an approach that would pique interest and educate the audience. A roundtable discussion format set the stage for natural, organic conversations with two senior engineers from Chevron Lubricants.
But in order for the content to really hit home, it had to come from someone they could relate to and trust. So, we tapped industry influencer Bryan Furnace, founder of the YouTube channel Diesel & Iron and host of the Equipment World YouTube show The Dirt. With his experience as a heavy equipment operator and established social presence (over 8.4 million YouTube views), Bryan was the ideal personality to interpret technical explanations through the lens of an end user and ask the tough questions that would elicit the clarity and understanding this audience demands.
The power of proof
To uncover the truth behind oil formulations and how they keep engines protected, we went straight to the source at Chevron Lubricant’s Richmond Technology Center in Richmond, California. We got exclusive access to the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, for a behind-the-scenes look at how oils are torture tested to prove their ability to protect in the most extreme conditions. This gave us all the proof we’d need to tell the story.
Mission accomplished
The primary objective of this campaign was to get operators thinking about their choice of engine oil as a strategic business decision and to move them to engage with educational assets. The roundtable conversational video series garnered 435K views and 4M impressions at one-third the cost of the CPM benchmark. The social content resonated extremely well with our target audiences and has consistently been Chevron Lubricant’s top-performing content since launch.
impressions
engagements
clicks
views
“We knew the information we had to share was complex. So, we took an experienced industry influencer and sat him down with our experts to unpack the stories in a way that our audience could relate to and clearly understand.”
| Americas Brand Manager for Delo engine oils and ancillary products
Graebel case study: Proving “people first” is second to none
Graebel case study: Proving "people first" is second to none
Throughout its 70+ year history, Graebel has maintained a reputation for authenticity and high-touch service. Its brand promise, “people-first mobility,” is true through and through. Yet, in early 2023, a key competitor was beginning to look and sound a lot like Graebel. This ABM campaign proved that a brand is more than skin deep and that Graebel’s people-first mobility promise is second to none.
Using ABM to show you’re un-copycat-able
Well beyond a logo or tagline, brand is how a company shows up in the world, how it approaches challenges and how it delivers on its promises. Graebel, a leading global relocation management company (RMC), has been uniquely living its people-first mobility belief—and brand—for decades. But lately, it seemed like everyone (including a large, key competitor) was jumping on the “customer-centric” bandwagon—and Graebel had something to say about it.
Through the ABM program, we needed to make clear that people-first mobility with Graebel is not just a surface-level claim. It’s a promise. Following a thoughtful ramp-up that included a Martech Stack Audit, ABM Readiness Assessment, Martech Roadmap and Sales and Marketing internal alignment and buy-in, we launched a 1:Few program targeting 62 accounts that had existing contracts with or were displaying intent toward this key competitor.
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Preparing the roadmap
With multiple decision makers in the mix, we needed to fire on all cylinders—channel, content, creative and tech strategy—to differentiate Graebel and plant seeds of doubt against our competitor. Working closely with the Sales team, we identified our target accounts. We assessed the health of account and contact data in Graebel’s database leveraging Demandbase and RampedUp while also acquiring contacts using SalesIntel to ensure we adequately covered the buying syndicate.
To maximize reach and engagement, we planned online and offline touches coming from both Marketing and Sales. Content and creative would need to be clutter-busting, insightful and resonant. And martech would need to undergird everything, helping orchestrate and automate a complex program with ease.
An unwavering creative concept
With competitors evolving toward more customer-centric positioning and messaging, the apparent contrast between them and Graebel was diminishing. But people-first mobility is more than skin deep, and Graebel had a set of values and ways of conducting business that were 100% un-copycat-able. Our creative needed to affirm our strengths and challenge assumptions without slinging mud at competitors—because that would be so un-Graebel.
The resulting concept was undeniably on brand but with a proud and polished swagger. The campaign headline that anchored all creative assets (“Often imitated. Never duplicated.”) made clear that while others may waffle or overpromise, Graebel maintains an unwavering focus on people-first mobility.
A people-first program
We developed an ambitious, multi-channel, multi-touch campaign that spanned three phases over several months.
The Engage phase was all about nurturing the relationship. Inbound activity through personalized Demandbase display banners and LinkedIn paid social drew audiences into the campaign story, while outbound email linking to Uberflip-hosted landing pages sent key messages out. A Drift custom chatbot encouraged direct Sales outreach.
The nexus of activity was an industry expert-led, Zoom-hosted webinar. Contacts were sent a personalized direct mail gift that invited them to attend an insightful discussion on the criticality of people-first mobility—and how to begin making the switch if they’re dissatisfied with their current RMC. By integrating Zoom with Pardot, we were able to then surround registrants and attendees to the webinar with Sales and Marketing reminder emails and branded follow-up content.
The Connect phase aimed to secure Sales conversations with highly engaged contacts. Sales took the lead by sending a personalized video via Drift and LinkedIn InMail. Marketing emails supported the program with bottom-of-funnel, credibility-building content.
An ABM victory
Within three months, we achieved 98.4% account engagement and 36% conversion through new contact information acquisition. What’s more, as a direct result of the ABM campaign, active sales opportunities, representing millions in potential revenue, are in motion. By staying true to their brand and following foundational ABM practices like smart targeting, savvy orchestration and strong creative, Graebel proved that “people-first mobility” belonged to them and them alone.
Accounts reached
Account engagement
Account conversion
In Pipeline
“We’ve been on a journey to experiment with ABM.
Working on this campaign with the Marketbridge team has validated how powerful account-based can be as a GTM motion, when done right. It was a really big deal for us, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with what we’ve achieved together.”
A major rebrand for a consulting giant
A major rebrand for a consulting giant
In a crowded consulting space dominated by the Big 4, Guidehouse—one of the world’s largest consulting firms—needed branding and messaging that stood out from competitors and demonstrated its ability to help clients take on the toughest challenges at scale.
A new look,
launch and collateral
Its new tagline, Outwit Complexity, was based on Guidehouse’s unique expertise at problem-solving. The tagline served as inspiration for a brand-new visual treatment that used stylized topographical maps as a metaphor for the way Guidehouse enables its clients to navigate safely through any challenge. The generous use of white space, dramatic imagery, clean typography and distinctive color palette all combined to give Guidehouse a unique look and feel that set it apart from competitors.
An evolved
web identity
The homepage is the primary venue for telling the Guidehouse story, so we carried the new look and feel to its website by leveraging the new design elements and reinforcing the core message.
A cross-channel rollout
In grand style, we launched static and video-based takeover ads on publications like The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, as well as more targeted campaigns to some of Guidehouse’s key verticals and audiences. Presentations, white papers and other collateral were rebranded to tell a consistent and compelling Guidehouse story.
Upending the status quo with an unexpected ABM approach
Upending the status quo with an unexpected ABM approach
Industrial powerhouse Chevron Lubricants needed to demonstrate how a compromise on heavy-duty engine oil now could mean bigger costs down the line. Together, we developed an ABM campaign targeting ~220 high-potential accounts that blended best practices with an unconventional approach designed to stand out and shift thinking.
Addressing a serious business challenge…with humor
To effectively reach time-starved decision makers at our target accounts, we needed to cut through the noise—and appeal to both the emotional and rational sides of the brain. Our creative concept was a bold departure from the usual territory for this industry, leveraging a series of humorous, out-of-context scenarios that commanded attention and got the audience thinking about something that isn’t normally on their daily agenda: their choice of engine oil.
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Imagined by humans, generated by AI
To bring the idea to life, we tapped into generative AI, offering greater latitude to think and create outside of the box. Each creative execution drove home the key strategic insight: There are times you shouldn’t compromise; the heavy-duty engine oil you depend on to protect your fleet is one of them.
A curated journey of discovery, deployed at scale with new martech
To entice our audience to discover and engage with educational content, we helped activate targeted display ads and personalized landing pages by augmenting Chevron’s martech stack with short-term trials of Demandbase and HubSpot. Later touches featured video clips that further inspired prospects to engage, explore and learn. The pinnacle of our educational content was a video podcast featuring industry influencer Bryan Furnace and two Chevron SMEs, housed on a dedicated information hub complete with a HubSpot-powered chatbot.
Old-school tactic gets a digital facelift
A subset of core decision makers received a video direct mailer (DM) featuring a customized preview invitation from the influencer host. With real-time DM interactions tracked using 5G, prospect activity and intent signals were shared with Sales teams, enabling timely follow-up with tools that included personalized emails, phone calls and LinkedIn InMail.
Big strategic and creative swing, home run payoff
The campaign reached 96.8% of targeted accounts, with 80% showing engagement. It also proved the role strategic direct mail can play in demand marketing, with 59% of contacts viewing the video mailer. Importantly, Chevron discovered the value of ABM—how channel, content, creative and tech can work seamlessly together—and now have a solid foundation for future campaigns.
accounts reached
account engagement
video mailer engagement
This campaign showed us how different a strategically targeted ABM program is from a traditional media play. In addition to delivering on objectives, it provided learnings we can use in future campaigns, including optimizing martech and tracking to help our sales force capitalize on momentum and connect with engaged prospects.