Overview
Navistar International Corporation is a global holding company whose subsidiaries produce some of the strongest brands in the transportation industry. Its International Trucks division sells preeminent brands of light- to heavy-duty commercial 18-wheelers through the largest network of dealers in North America. The company has been leading the industry for more than 130 years.
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Objectives
Recently, International Trucks developed a new engine technology that would enable customers to adhere to new EPA-enforced emission standards. The company needed a way to promote these environmentally conscious MaxxForce engines to its key market segments as well as a strategic plan to penetrate a variety of new markets.
Challenge
International Trucks turned to TGI for an innovative solution that would communicate the company’s competitive advantage, streamline the marketing effort across the channel network and execute corporate marketing tactics efficiently.
TGI jumped in, recognizing the need to – first and foremost – encourage dealers to support International Trucks’ new marketing drive. In addition, TGI needed to find a way to develop custom marketing materials, personalized to each new target industry as well as each dealer and its customers.
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TGI Solution
TGI’s creative team designed and executed the “Ready Now” campaign – a multi-faceted plan to educate dealers on the targeted industries, introduce them to the prospects in these new industries, and generate excitement about the forthcoming product launch. Dealers were invited to join the “Ready Now” campaign. A resounding success, 100% of dealers nationwide enrolled in the program online.
Once dealers were on board – TGI handled everything. TGI provided dealers with a sales blitz kit featuring a variety of sales support materials, including prospect workbooks (listing key information about the prospect and helping walk the sales representative through the sales process), sales sheets with key talking points, and leave-behind premiums. TGI printed, kitted, managed, and distributed all dealer materials – even customizing each dealers’ package of prospect marketing materials to include their specific contact information, market messaging and special offer. TGI also customized the direct mail campaign to each individual market segment right down to printing materials with specific dealer contact information. A two-pronged approach from TGI made it easy for dealers to sell Navistar’s products, even to new market segments. Mission accomplished.
“Our goal was to capture market share in new market segments, most of which were unfamiliar to our dealers. Right out of the gates, TGI acted as a consultative partner that went way beyond traditional printing support by designing a multi-faceted program that familiarized dealers with these untried markets, improved sales efficiency, and ultimately increased market share, said said Dawn Pelon, Marketing Manager at Navistar International Trucks.
All told, International Trucks’ turnkey marketing support solution included a mix of both offset and on-demand printing services and was comprised of the following:
-Monthly direct mail (to 3,000 prospects in six target industries)
-Six versions targeted accordingly with varied messaging and offers
-Sales Blitz Kits (to 48 dealers)
-DVD of useful industry information for six targeted industries
-Prospect Binder, featuring contact information, industry and current fleet size,
makes, models and year
-Leave behind note pads
-Six versions of industry-specific sell sheets
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Results
With the help of TGI, International Trucks engaged hundreds of new clients and witnessed a notable surge in sales – in fact, the six-month return on investment was $9 profit for every $1 spent.
“These numbers really speak for themselves but even so, TGI’s solution also resulted in nontangible benefits like increased market share in targeted industries and improved relationships with our dealers. Not to mention, we now have six new market segments to sell into – and we can do so efficiently thanks to the TGI marketing execution strategy,” concluded Pelon.