Speed to market isn’t always about getting a new or refreshed brand out there for public consumption, or facilitating a successful product debut. It can be about sparks of creativity in the moment and capitalizing on timely opportunities.
When strategy, ingenuity and speed are combined with a team of marketing professionals and a client willing to try something outside of the box, the results are impactful and memorable.
AAON, a Kuno client and HVAC systems manufacturer for large-scale and institutional operations, wanted to promote a new video they produced in alignment with a major annual industry trade show. The video was a slick production dramatizing the real-world story of a prison inmate escaping through an HVAC system—that is, until he landed at a prison where the AAON’s secure HVAC system thwarted his attempt to escape.
They needed a plan, and they needed it in a week.
Without a booth in the exhibition hall, the AAON team wanted something memorable, but also actionable. The Kuno team got to work developing a multi-pronged campaign, including programmatic and geofenced paid media, organic social media syndication, targeted email and, the pièce de résistance, an on-premises activation event in Orlando to boost awareness.
The Plan
First, we developed a movie-style teaser landing page, featuring the video and a shareable CTA. To create flow to that lander, the team crafted an email template and messaging that would prompt AAON reps and current clients attending the show.
Creative was drawn up in multiple formats to be used with social and programmatic ad platforms, as well as in-person collateral to be stealthily distributed at the conference along with activation.
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AAON and Kuno: A Breakout Success
The results were immediate: AAON, who again didn’t have a formal presence at the conference, commanded attention and conversations. The short film was shared and reshared across the HVAC community, resulting in almost 900 views of the lander and 50 QR code scans during the conference.
Since the effort went live, the page has received nearly 4,000 views with almost 80 social shares of their movie from the LP.
Some might call this guerilla marketing, and they might have a point. But we argue that this was something more: a perfect match of subject matter, opportunity and industry, making it a targeted, intentional effort that appropriately put our client front and center before their intended audience. Where typical guerilla marketing efforts lack context or consideration, this was strategic and surgical and an overwhelming success within their overarching existing digital marketing strategy.
Now, not every idea hatched in eight days will work, and we don’t necessarily advocate for this approach in every situation. But know that if you need a dynamic concept brought to life with a short runway, the team at Kuno will work with you to make it happen with meaningful – even memorable – results. (Jumpsuits and Rita Hayworth posters optional.)
Bridget Cunningham contributed to this article.
