elevation marketing | elevationb2b.com

J.C. Bamford Excavators LimitedCASE STUDY

Elevation Marketing helps the third-largest construction equipment manufacturer build a brand awareness strategy resulting in 2,968 qualified leads in less than three months.

The Beginnings of GrowthJ.C. Bamford Excavators Limited, universally known as JCB, is a leading multinational supplier of construction, agriculture, waste handling and demolition equipment. The company was founded in 1945 with headquarters in Rocester, United Kingdom.

Now, JCB employs more than 12,000 people worldwide with 22 manufacturing facilities on four continents: 11 in the UK, six in India and others in Brazil, China and U.S. The company manufactures more than 300 different machines, including: backhoe loaders, Loadall telescopic handlers, tracked and wheeled excavators, wheeled loading shovels, articulated dump trucks, rough terrain fork lifts, mini excavators, skid steers loaders and JCB compaction equipment. JCB products are sold through 2,000 dealer locations throughout 150 countries.

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND

Quickly Establish a Foothold in the U.S. Agriculture MarketThe growth in demand for agricultural products and increased productivity has made the U.S.a more attractive target for farm machinery manufacturers. JCB saw the potential to fill a void inthe new demographic and seized the opportunity to expand into the U.S. agricultural marketplacewith the establishment of its North American headquarters in Pooler, near Savannah, Georgia.

JCB is recognized as the world’s third largest construction equipment brand, but as a relative newcomer to the American market, it was experiencing low buyer awareness of its line of agricultural machinery.

The company was missing the mark, being perceived primarily as a construction brand with U.S. customers. JCB partnered with Elevation Marketing to figure out where the company stood in terms of brand awareness. The company launched a survey wherein a number of respondents reported a lack of awareness of JCB in America’s agricultural communities.

“Most of the market didn’t know that JCB exists,” said a JCB dealer representative. “The ones who had heard of us saw us as a heavy construction supplier, not an agricultural supplier.”

Breaking into the U.S. represented a challenge due to its highly saturated marketplace and maturity. To compete as a global brand with well-known heavyweights like Caterpillar and John Deere, JCB needed to solidify a long-term relationship between dealers and consumers.

“To find success in the U.S., we needed to find a personal way to engage qualified buyers and establish buyer trust. When farmers know well about the operation, quality and performance of agricultural machinery, their purchase intention increases,” said JCB Vice President of Marketing Thom Peebles.

To achieve a higher sales volume, farmers first needed to be convinced that JCB’s machinery was designed to increase agricultural productivity. Facing an awareness challenge in the U.S., JCB tasked Elevation Marketing with driving brand recognition and authority – its first major campaign in the market.

CHALLENGE

“We met the Elevation team at a trade show and were impressed with their experience in the agriculture industry.

They demonstrated the right background to enhance our internal marketing resources and help us quickly establish a foothold in the U.S. agriculture market.”

— Thom Peebles,

JCB Vice President of Marketing

Elevation Marketing began identifying farmers’ perceptions, reviewing the social and economic factors affecting their machinery purchase decision. Specific attention was paid to the patterns of communication accompanying farmers’ purchases and the human factors that drive decision-making processes at the farm level.

Using Elevation Marketing’s geo-targeting capabilities, the team launched the “Get More Done,” campaign aimed at local economies in the Midwest, where agriculture is one of the biggest drivers. The brand awareness campaign ran across five states — Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota.

Campaign copy and creative were built around the core concept of increasing agricultural productivity by doing more with a single machine — the power of one. Strategic distribution of messaging included print ads, radio spots, digital banners, dedicated landing pages, press releases, e-blasts and direct mailers with content shown only to farmers within a 20-mile radius of 32 JCB Midwest dealer locations to ensure audience relevance.

BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH DEALERS TO BOOST SALES

For the most part, most Midwest JCB dealers had been with the company for better part of a decade, however others were less than four years with JCB. The company saw an opportunity to strengthen strategic supply chain relationships and profitability through increased collaboration.

In the past, JCB corporate did little advertising on the national level directed at agricultural customers. Corporate communications were reliant upon existing database intelligence, which was limited on the Ag side specifically. Most exposure for JCB’s Agriculture products was based on local dealers’ trade show participation.

Therefore, the Elevation team launched a complete dealer engagement program to expand JCB’s marketing support. Radio ads were developed to promote and draw foot traffic to trade show booths, as well as customized to promote each dealer location.

STRATEGY

Leverage Targeted Marketing to Increase Brand Awareness and Attract Qualified Leads

IMPRESSIONS IN JCB'S TARGET LOCATIONS

1,635,050

In addition, local retailers received direct mailers and support materials to sell on JCB’s behalf. Each direct mailer could be customized to mention the dealer-specific location. “The marketing collateral gave dealers the tools they needed to show how JCB beats our competitors, as well helped promote their individual location.” said Peebles.

WIN BASED ON CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Buyer research revealed when purchasing expensive capital equipment, such as excavators, farmers’ decision-making often surpasses rational economic decision-making processes, and is driven by a combination of stress, intuition, heuristics and the stage of farming lifecycle.

Based on captured findings, the campaign was executed during particular phases in farming life when farmers are most likely to be enjoying the rewards of a harvest and ready to make heavy equipment purchases (August-October). Messaging focused on matching the product qualities of machinery to the needs of farmers, highlighting how one machine and its countless capabilities could get a farmer through the workday.

Marketing sought to arouse a deep desire in farmers to have a hands-on experience with JCB featured products. Facilitated by strong user experiences and targeted, relevant messaging, Elevation Marketing established a marketing presence in the U.S. for JCB and successfully enhanced American farmers’ perception of product quality.

STRATEGY

THE CAMPAIGN HAD ONE GOAL:

Getting farmers to visit their local JCB dealer and demo an Ag Purpose-Built Telehandler, Backhoe Loader or Fastrac High-Speed Tractor. Ads featured a $500 new-ag machinery discount with every demo.

$

REQUESTING DEMOS OR FURTHER CALLS

WITH DEALERS

MORE THAN

QUALIFIED LEADS76

JCB Microsite

DELIVERABLES

• Direct Mailers

• Email Templates

• Print Ad Creative

• Dealer Microsites

• Dealer Banner Ads

• Media Buy Plan

• Customizable Radio Ads

• Trade Show Collateral

JCB Microsite (Desktop View)

IMPRESSIONS IN 90 DAYS

400%

FOCUSED ON 5 STATE GEOGRAPHIC AREAS WITHIN

A 20 MILE RADIUS OF 32 JCB DEALER LOCATIONS

JCB Print Ad

JCB Direct Mailer

Within three months, the campaign generated 1,635,050 impressions in JCB’s target locations. More than 2,968 prospects engaged with these impressions by clicking links, opening emails, visiting landing pages, stopping by JCB’s farm show booth, or contacting a dealer. This resulted in more than 76 qualified leads requesting demos or further calls with dealers. The campaign proved a cost-effective solution for JCB with just under $.15 per touch point.

“Elevation Marketing based the campaign on extensive research about our target customers. This allowed us to promote the right equipment in the right regions and ultimately hit our aggressive growth goals,” said Peebles.

“They also gave us deeper insights into the U.S. agriculture market that will be invaluable when planning future campaigns.”

BUSINESS WINS

Generated 2,968 Top-of- Funnel Leads in 90 Days for Target Dealer Locations

Cost-effective solution for JCB, with just

under $.15 PER TOUCH POINT. PER TOUCH POINT

$.15

Scott Miraglia, President Sales@ElevationB2B.com 275 East Rivulon Blvd., Suite 411 Gilbert, Arizona 85297

480.775.8880

elevation marketing | elevationb2b.com

Elevation Marketing is a full-service B2B marketing agency, providing exceptional client experiences that result in more business wins. We go beyond tactics to inspire experiences that build brand believers. From a holistic perspective, we focus on all aspects of operations and strategy to ensure alignment between marketing and sales.

We have a strong command of inbound marketing, and know how to effectively manage, deliver and retain buyers. We offer full-cycle web development services for the enterprise. We build bridges of communication, streamlining the dissemination of information to targeted entities.

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If you have a B2B product or service that solves real-world problems, then you’ve done your job. We’ll do ours by connecting you to the B2B decision makers that will benefit from what you have to offer.

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