Every year, the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing (CADM) honors outstanding direct and integrated marketing work at the annual Tempo Awards Ceremony.
The Tempo Awards are unique in the industry because they honor both marketing thought leadership and creative excellence. In addition, tangible results are an essential component in determining any winning entry.
On July 18, the 2013 Tempo Awards Ceremony was held at The Wit Hotel in Chicago, and Jacobs & Clevenger won nine awards. It was a very rewarding night for our clients and the agency.
Here’s a recap of J&C’s winning entries.
“Summer Savings Campaign” for FirstEnergy Solutions
FirstEnergy Solutions is a leading energy supplier, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers. The “Summer Savings Campaign” was part of the extensive customer acquisition direct marketing efforts for FirstEnergy Solutions.
What impressed the Tempo Awards judges was how quickly the campaign came together, how strongly it energized an unresponsive market and how dramatically it helped increase enrollments.
The Summer Savings package went from concept to completion in less than a month. In fact, it was ready to hit the market at the start of summer and the year’s highest energy usage period.
Above all, the mailing worked. It had the elusive combination of the right strategy, right messaging and right offer delivered at precisely the right moment. It was one of the campaigns that helped J&C drive more than 500,000 enrollments for FirstEnergy Solutions.
“Powerpalooza” for Jacobs & Clevenger
Jacobs & Clevenger has years of valuable expertise and proven marketing successes in the energy and utilities industry. That’s what this campaign was all about.
We called the campaign “Powerpalooza,” and it leveraged the strongest possible incentive: Ideas that are tested and truly work in the industry.
Powerpalooza made utilities and energy industry decisions makers into rock stars. And the J&C team were their roadies. Inside the mailing was a guitar flash drive that drove prospects to a Powerpalooza landing page. That’s where they could learn more and register for a meeting to bring Powerpalooza to their world.
It was a very bold approach. But that’s why it worked so well. The pieces drove response, interaction, engagement and meetings with utilities across the country.
“Cruise Control” for FirstEnergy Solutions
FirstEnergy Solutions wanted to launch a revolutionary new electricity product. It let customers lock in their price for seven full years. The energy supplier also wanted to give back to Ohio.
The campaign that achieved these goals was “Cruise Control.” It embraced the “set it and forget it” mind-set people have about electricity. Now they could get a low price with no worries. It was basically cruise control for electricity, and the campaign brought this to life.
The Cruise Control campaign also included a “Thanks a Million” giveaway. This allowed FirstEnergy Solutions to give back to Ohio schools and residents. It was a slam-dunk, because every enrollment represented another entry for Ohio schools.
Above all, Cruise Control worked. The campaign generated 14% of annual enrollments in just four weeks.
“Friends and Family” for FirstEnergy Solutions
How can you make a sale without a sales force? And how can you create marketing without marketers?
That was the challenge facing FirstEnergy Solutions. The energy supplier needed to create a referral program that would sell itself, and marketing materials that were truly “plug and play.”
The program that made it all happen was called “Friends and Family.” This was a true grassroots marketing effort for FirstEnergy Solutions. In essence, this was a turnkey program that would sell itself to employees with minimal participation from small businesses.
The campaign had all the online and offline materials companies needed to educate customers about electric savings. There were posters, brochures, emails, web pages and a short video.
As a result, the program was plug and play, because companies could access and use all the materials through an online resource website. That’s why 15% of companies participated in Friends and Family immediately, and the number has grown significantly since.
“Mercedes-Benz USA Map Update Campaign”
for NAVTEQ
NAVTEQ needed to create a campaign that would promote the necessity for a navigation system map update to Mercedes-Benz owners. The challenge was to connect with these busy drivers whenever, however and wherever they were available. That meant online, in the dealership and via mobil
J&C responded with a responsive design campaign, enabling our emails and web design all to adapt for mobile, laptops or tablets. This way, Mercedes-Benz owners would learn about the latest map on their terms.
A personalized email drove them to a microsite that fit their vehicles. On the site they found content explaining the necessity for a map update and a hide-and-expand FAQ section that answered any concerns. In addition, we created a counter card for Mercedes-Benz dealerships that included a QR code. When the code was scanned with a smartphone, the driver would see a brief video showing why a map update matters.
It was the perfect solution for NAVTEQ and Mercedes-Benz. It was also perfect timing, because the campaign made it possible to get a map update during a dealership service visit.
Everyone at J&C is grateful to the CADM and the industry judges for these honors. But we’re even more indebted to our clients for encouraging us to produce ideas that win awards and business for them.
Topics: CMO
