Summary
Connectwell's "Child's Play" wasn't just a campaign; it was a testament to the power of innovative storytelling in B2B marketing. The decision to feature a child resonated with authenticity, breaking the stereotype of B2B as mundane. The campaign not only achieved its immediate objectives but set a new standard for how B2B brands can engage and captivate audiences.
Challenge
Terminal blocks are not a high interest category and are typically bought in bulk. Not too much senior engineering time at the buyer's end goes into evaluating them. And the purchases are often based on past specifications with most companies not being keen on revisiting established practices when it comes to these low impact components. Therefore the German brands which have been established in the market with strong quality & engineering credentials often get the positive rub of this customer approach to letting the status quo be. For Connectwell, in order to move our image up to being considered as - as good as the German competitors across the world means that we need to be consistently innovative and do things that get customer attention. And help us nudge our way up the perception game. The new Push in Terminal Blocks we felt were a great opportunity to help us create the * Perception of being an innovative company * The perception of being a high quality brand * And as good as any other international brand If presented the right way, this would give us an opportunity to move the needle on brand strength and market share.
Objective
Connectwell, is a 40-year-old electrical & electronic components manufacturing brand. It is India's largest terminal block maker but narrowly so. Its key competitors are mostly international brands often German and they come with the quality credentials of being internationally respected and recommended brands. So while Connectwell leads Market Share in India, it probably trails the German brands when it comes to Brand Strength. And internationally, Connectwell trails on market share and brand strength because it's still early days for us in global markets. Connectwell was launching a new range of Terminal blocks with a Push In Technology. The Push in Technology unlike the screw clamp technology meant that you could push-in the wire and it would get locked firmly into the terminal block. This was unlike the screw clamp technology wherein you need to push in the wire and then tighten the screw from the side to ensure that the wire is held securely. This innovation meant that the process of plugging in wires was * significantly easier * It was also highly time saving * And consequently cost saving as well This presented us a significant opportunity to build the brand and business.
Strategy
The primary objective was to highlight Connectwell's Terminal Blocks' unique feature of being Push-in and pluggable and transform them from a product into a sought-after solution. We felt that breaking the typical B2B communication approaches with left brained communication ideas would hardly get us the kind of exicting cut through we were seeking. We wanted to create an approach that would of course communicate the product's innovative feature but would do that using a human, emotional connect. We felt that we could build on the product's ‘super simplicity' to install and use which could be likened to – ‘Child like simplicity'. The "Child's Play" concept emerged from this thinking and is a universally understood metaphor for . The creative involved showcasing a 9-year-old demonstrating the simplicity of Connectwell's Terminal Blocks, turning a complex task into child's play. The child's authentic expressions became a powerful tool in conveying the product's ease of use. The campaign not only succeeded in communicating the USPs of the Push-in Terminal Blocks but also elevated Connectwell's brand recognition in India – it helped give the brand a start in multiple international markets. The brand's expansion into Brazil, China, and the Middle East are all supported by this campaign. Events and expo participation where this communication was shared generated a lot of interest and discussion and empowered stakeholders to make informed decisions about Terminal Blocks.
Data
"Child's Play" wasn't just a campaign; it was a testament to the power of innovative storytelling in B2B marketing. The decision to feature a child resonated with authenticity, breaking the stereotype of B2B as mundane. The campaign not only achieved its immediate objectives but set a new standard for how B2B brands can engage and captivate audiences. The combination of a fresh approach, global expansion, and industry impact make "Child's Play" a new benchmark in the world of B2B advertising. This is just one campaign in a series of campaigns that we have since created where the communication is built around stories of general human interest. This has been our approach to changing the profile of Connectwell one step at a time as a globally relevant brand of Electrical and Electronic components.
Solution
Results
The impact of the "Child's Play" campaign has been outstanding. The impact of a campaign in B2B markets can hardly be used for direct attribution to sales. What the advertising typically helps to build is * Higher brand awareness / recall and conversation value * Moves the needle on a set of key attributes – innovation, technologically ahead, High quality There was a significant amount of discussion around this campaign at the expos and events that the brand participated in. And the digital advertising aided the general growth in the sales of Push in products. Connectwell's Terminal Blocks transformed from a mere product to a coveted solution. The campaign expanded brand recognition in key global markets. The overall change that we have been able to bring in to the Connectwell Digital presenc over a 2 + year long period is as below (This is not just specific to the Child's Play campaign) * Increase in Traffic from Social Media Sources by 108% * Increase in the Web Traffic from Direct Brand Sources by 44% * Increase in Branded Searches on Google by 400% * Increase in the Website Traffic by 40% and Organic Traffic by 66%
