Yale

Situation
Yale Corporate had spent years and many millions of dollars in research and development to bring a new truck, the Veracitor VX, to market. They were introducing the new truck at the largest materials handling and logistics tradeshow in the world, ProMat, which occurs only every other year. Yale needed to maximize their tradeshow investment and drive new truck sales, and called on Princeton Partners to support the launch before, during, and after the show.

Pursuing a number of public relations marketing activities, Princeton Partners worked closely with Yale executives months in advance to strategize and plan events and media outreach at the show.

Our goal was to generate buzz on the show floor among all attendees as well as sell lift trucks. Princeton Partners created and executed a plan to publicly launch the Veracitor VX, increase attendees’ interest in Yale products and services, and generate media interest in Yale engineering developments. With careful preparation and flawless execution, Princeton Partners was able to leverage the Yale brand to become the premier lift truck attraction at ProMat.

Solution
Two months before the largest tradeshow in the industry, we began building awareness with preview articles in the trade media. We sent teaser emails and direct mail communications to attendees from previous years. The day before the show, we worked with CNN to produce two-minute stories about the launch of the Veracitor VX. The stories focused on the new lift truck’s key features, and aired during CNN news shows on 11 different monitors in the tradeshow hall throughout the four days of the show.

The evening before the show opened, a select group of reporters and Yale executives enjoyed dinner and a “pre-briefing” of the news to be announced the following morning. The dinner helped to build anticipation for the launch as well as generate a media buzz on the show floor about the Veracitor. Positive articles appeared in e-newsletters sent in the days immediately following the show.

As the gates opened for the tradeshow, we hosted a press briefing in Yale’s booth – the first official event of the largest materials handling tradeshow in the world. Reporters from the dinner the night before as well as many others covering the show attended. Those who missed the event heard about it and visited the booth for one-on-one interviews with Yale executives later that day.

During the four-day show, we also conducted a live panel discussion/webinar from the show floor, taught educational seminars for tradeshow attendees, coordinated at-the-booth interviews with key trade publications, and oversaw a mobile billboard driving outside the conference center.

Results
The success of the Veracitor launch at ProMat included standing room only participation at the educational seminars, tremendously increased traffic to the Yale website and downloads of the webinar. The trade media loved their access to Yale executives and the new truck; articles about the Veracitor appeared for months following the show.

The greatest success of the public relations efforts at ProMat, however, was actual sales of the Veracitor, which surprised – and delighted – Yale by exceeding the company’s sales goals for that quarter.

Western Pest Services

Western Pest Services is the Mid-Atlantic region’s #1 pest control company, serving local communities from New Jersey to Virginia Beach.

Challenge
Western Pest competes in an incredibly tough industry. Their marketing dollar is outspent 20-1 by their larger competitors (Orkin and Terminix), and they compete with as many as 100 mom and pop shops in every local area. Technology has also made the service offering comparable from company to company, effectively commoditizing the industry. Furthermore, the pest control industry is a declining category, with 5% annual decline over the past few years.

Despite these conditions, Western Pest challenged Princeton Partners with improving their lead generation results. The goal: a 7% increase in leads over the previous year.

Solution
To address this challenge, Princeton Partners completely changed the way that Western Pest approached the market from an integrated marketing standpoint. Through analysis of their target audience, PPI was able to determine where the highest cluster of potential customers resided. With that knowledge, Western’s marketing plan changed from a broad-based general awareness campaign to an effective and efficient local marketing effort.

Princeton Partners created an award-winning campaign based on two thoughts: reinforce Western’s positioning as the “smart solution” for pest control, and use disruptive creative that forced viewers to engage with the message. The campaign was centered on local cable, transit, search engine marketing and minor league baseball sponsorship to geographically target the most potential customers as possible. Additionally, we redesigned the website to improve the user experience. The site also has been optimized and is rapidly becoming an important component of a brand SEM/SEO strategy.

Results
As a result, in another year where the industry declined by 5%, Western saw their lead generation rise 17% over the previous year. Some local branches that saw years of steady lead decline saw rapid lead growth of more than 50%. Furthermore, it reinvigorated the Western sales force and technicians. Western is on a new growth trajectory and is investing in more local, measurable and efficient marketing methods.

Directravel

Founded in 1980 (then VTS Travel Enterprises), Directravel is an industry leader in corporate and leisure travel management. In 2005, VTS Travel Direct was trying to differentiate from other corporate travel companies in a highly commoditized industry. At $300 million in billings, they wanted to reposition the company for sales growth.

Strategic Response
Princeton Partners led an integrated strategic business, marketing, and brand development process with the entire executive team from VTS including the CEO. The agency led the research and discovery process: analyzing the positioning and offerings of key competitors, understanding the complex needs of corporate travel decision-makers and uncovering the key assets and potential advantages of VTS. During the process, VTS was open to changing the name of the company and challenged the agency to help them make that decision.

During our discovery we uncovered a key insight: Corporate Travel Managers are caught in the middle between their customers (employees who are often frustrated with their travel options and experiences) and their bosses (CFOs and CEOs who want to reduce corporate travel expenses). We also uncovered a key advantage of VTS: a superior technology platform that was able to help optimize the needs of both travelers and financial managers.

Creative Idea
Through multiple rounds of positioning development, we convinced the client that their “Unified Brand Idea” could be simplified to the platform: “smart and easy”. We then embarked on a creative exploratory process that included a new name, a new graphic identity and a new way to speak to the market from the inside-out. After considering hundreds of name options and using objective and subjective evaluation criteria, VTS decided on the name “Directravel” because it spoke to the ease and culture of the company. Once the new name was established, the next challenge became how to further communicate their unique positioning. The solution was a new identity called “Travology™—the art and science of travel management. Travology was incorporated into every aspect of Directravel’s business and every employee’s work life, who were now called “Travologists”.

Launch Materials & Media
The major goal was to create a new culture from the that would enable every employee to understand the brand promise and to become brand ambassadors. The agency orchestrated an inside-out branding strategy that included the following components:

• New corporate identity
• Repackaged employee orientation and training to create certified “Travologists”
• New website at www.dt.com and eNewsletter
• Tradeshow materials
• Direct mail and collateral
• Print Advertising

Additionally, we executed an online and offline media campaign to drive awareness to the new Directravel brand and Travology philosophy, and to drive traffic to its new website at www.dt.com.

Success & Results
The impact was immediate. Traffic to the website increased. Employees enthusiastically and universally embraced the new brand. Employee excitement and adoption resulted in immediate higher sales success and retention rates. The pipeline of new business grew significantly with $10 million in new opportunities coming through within the first three months. This required the hiring of new customer service and sales representatives. Directravel also established a new sales growth trajectory that has put it on a path to achieving its aggressive five-year goals. Directravel has since grown to become one of the top ten business travel company in the United States, according to Business Travel News.

Client Testimonial
“Princeton Partners worked with us to establish our now trademarked Travology™ concept” said Pat Fragale, President. “Travology makes us stand out in the travel industry. Princeton Partners married our exemplary travel management strategies, expert staff, and leading technologies under an umbrella theme and messaging that is completely unique and memorable in the industry. It accelerated our sales pipeline, improved our close rates, and motivated our employees.

Thomas Edison State College

Thomas Edison State College (TESC) is one of New Jersey’s 12 senior public institutions of higher education and was one of the first schools in the U.S. designed specifically for adults. The College provides flexible, high-quality, collegiate learning opportunities for self-directed adults and offers degree and certificate programs in more than 100 areas of study. Because of its flexible course offerings, students from around the world can take courses and graduate from Thomas Edison State College.

Challenge
Adults considering going back for a college degree may take up to two years to determine where and how they can go back to school and still manage their work and family lives. TESC competes against online universities and traditional brick-and-mortar schools to attract these adult learners.

Princeton Partners’ challenge was to reach these prospective students with targeted messaging, and drive them to TESC’s website or admissions call center to inquire, apply and enroll as students. Our goal was to expand local awareness of the College in New Jersey, the New York City region and eastern Pennsylvania, and also explore opportunities to reach students anywhere in the world.

Solution
Princeton Partners developed a new unifying branding idea for TESC – “Personalized Achievement”. This new direction sparked a campaign concept that was highly visible and different from other colleges in the marketplace. The campaign concept, which was inspired by actual commentary during TESC’s commencement ceremony, resonated with adults considering going back to college. The messaging was approachable and humorous, assuring the target audience that they are not far from achieving their college degree, and affirms that Thomas Edison State College can help them get there.

Princeton Partners executed a multi-media campaign, leading with radio and transit advertising and supported with print and online marketing, to capture the attention of adults (age 35 – 54), who have a personal, unfinished goal of finishing college.

Results
The College’s published goal for the campaign was to increase applications by 15% and student enrollment by 10% over four years.

The actual results of the campaign were dramatically successful: in the first six months the campaign ran, student applications increased by more than 20%.

After the campaign had been in market for 18 months, the College reported:

• 35% increase in applications over the previous year
• 25% increase in enrollments over the previous year

The campaign far exceeded the goals set by the College, in a significantly reduced timeframe than projected.

Now three years later, the campaign continues to run, and is still managed by Princeton Partners. The agency has optimized the media placement schedule to maximize returns for the College, and is currently in process of updating the campaign to ensure continued success.