OVERVIEW
As the world entered varying degrees of lockdown, concerns surrounding the impact on sales were high, Roland DG’s sales projections predicted a drop of 60% in first the 8 months, due to lack of trade shows and live product demos.
As the world entered varying degrees of lockdown, concerns surrounding the impact on sales were high, Roland DG’s sales projections predicted a drop of 60% in first the 8 months, due to lack of trade shows and live product demos.
In early March I was tasked with meeting the request from the senior directors to propose a PAN EMEA sales campaign to counter these serious losses.
The notion of a sales campaign did not sit well. During a period of harsh financial vulnerability for independent businesses, a hard sales push from a world leading conglomerate could only be perceived as insensitive and out of touch in the current climate.
In its place I proposed a reassurance campaign, supporting Roland customers and the wider industry as a whole during this turbulent period of uncertainty.
The notion of a sales campaign did not sit well. During a period of harsh financial vulnerability for independent businesses, a hard sales push from a world leading conglomerate could only be perceived as insensitive and out of touch in the current climate.
In its place I proposed a reassurance campaign, supporting Roland customers and the wider industry as a whole during this turbulent period of uncertainty.
CREATIVE PITCH
Over-arching headline & The three pillars of Reassurance
Proposing that the campaign be simple and scalable, the premise was to launch an umbrella campaign as a platform to release fresh and repurposed content.
Over-arching headline & The three pillars of Reassurance
Proposing that the campaign be simple and scalable, the premise was to launch an umbrella campaign as a platform to release fresh and repurposed content.
Three vertical pillars were established, these pledged to support, inspire & invigorate both customers and the industry as a whole.
Primary objectives:
Primary objectives:
• Be the first major manufacturer in the industry to proactively address the pandemic
• Create a stopgap to better assess internal resources and available collateral
Positioning Statement
Breaking the silence
Breaking the silence
Due to the unique and sensitive nature of this campaign, it was essential that the first communication released by the company be tonally empathetic & poignant.
Speaking directly to the recipient, using emotive empowering sentiment, unlike that which you would expect to receive from a large corporation.
I believed it important that no grandiose statements be made as we ourselves were uncertain as to what the future had in store.
The ultimate message was clear - we are in this together and we will do everything possible to support one another.
Speaking directly to the recipient, using emotive empowering sentiment, unlike that which you would expect to receive from a large corporation.
I believed it important that no grandiose statements be made as we ourselves were uncertain as to what the future had in store.
The ultimate message was clear - we are in this together and we will do everything possible to support one another.
1st Stage
Campaign Creative & core content
With little time for creative development the core creative consisted of 2 key elements:
Hero image - bold campaign headline overlays the flagship model’s hood plate
Campaign Creative & core content
With little time for creative development the core creative consisted of 2 key elements:
Hero image - bold campaign headline overlays the flagship model’s hood plate
Campaign pillars tabs - clean iconography with colour overlay images
A bright and vibrant colour palette was chosen in contrast to the negativity surrounding the challenges faced by the industry.
The 1st stage communications would direct recipients to a landing page where the positioning statement was reiterated above a contact form to receive future campaign updates.
A bright and vibrant colour palette was chosen in contrast to the negativity surrounding the challenges faced by the industry.
The 1st stage communications would direct recipients to a landing page where the positioning statement was reiterated above a contact form to receive future campaign updates.
2nd Stage
Templates and quick wins
The ingenuity of the campaign’s vertical pillars, enabled the easy repurposing of existing collateral using campaign template files provided to the EMEA content team.
This approach avoided the risk of a communications lag following the initial launch, while providing breathing space for the content team to agree a new dedicated content plan.
Content was posted daily across all social platforms and saw a rise in the social activity, this was attributed to the re-sharing of posts by partners who were not creating original content of their own.
Templates and quick wins
The ingenuity of the campaign’s vertical pillars, enabled the easy repurposing of existing collateral using campaign template files provided to the EMEA content team.
This approach avoided the risk of a communications lag following the initial launch, while providing breathing space for the content team to agree a new dedicated content plan.
Content was posted daily across all social platforms and saw a rise in the social activity, this was attributed to the re-sharing of posts by partners who were not creating original content of their own.
2nd stage
3 new digital platforms
3 new digital platforms
In conjunction with the ongoing social media activity, suitable pipeline projects were brought forward to further bolster the campaign. These platforms were made free to all Roland users during the pandemic as a means to grow their business through external sales and internal growth.
A live webinar program, online training portal, e-commerce personalisation shop and live webinar program were all launched within the campaign umbrella. Joining each project team, I lead on all creative direction and was responsible for all brand and UI UX design.
A live webinar program, online training portal, e-commerce personalisation shop and live webinar program were all launched within the campaign umbrella. Joining each project team, I lead on all creative direction and was responsible for all brand and UI UX design.
coto design
E-commerce webshop enabling customers to quickly and easily start selling a wide range of printed outputs online.
Coto Design was a full ecommerce package bespoke to Roland users. Designed to integrate into an existing printing workflow with a built-in design interface and order fulfillment system.
Coto Design was a full ecommerce package bespoke to Roland users. Designed to integrate into an existing printing workflow with a built-in design interface and order fulfillment system.
Academy Portal
Online in depth on-demand online courses delivered by in-house specialists and industry experts.
Covering a wide range of categories from hardware and software tutorials to better business practices and social media training.
Covering a wide range of categories from hardware and software tutorials to better business practices and social media training.
Academy Webinars
Live webinar program as an interactive extension of the Academy Portal allowing for reactive content creation.
WE ARE HERE
A voice of reassurance
A voice of reassurance
Adopted by U.S, Asia, South America and Oceanic territories, this remains the widest implemented campaign in the company’s 40 year history. The campaign built trust and forged industry bonds during a period of great uncertainty and isolation.
1st stage engagement executed within 2 weeks at zero cost - all from my dining room table
“Be safe, be smart, be kind”
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
WHO Director General