I partnered with the account team, writers and creative director at Slack & Company, Chicago as lead designer/art director to design and produce all elements of this award-winning campaign.
Gates Corporation, a world leader in industrial engineering and the manufacturing of hydraulic hoses and assemblies, had the right products and solutions for reducing the hazardous conditions encountered in the continuous mining industry; thus making mining operations more productive in the process. The goal of the campaign was to set meetings, drive inquiries and gain new customers through selling the benefits of conversion.
Campaign elements:
An infographic-style illustrated poster educated and demonstrated how under-recognized concerns regarding safety issues and MSHA compliance seriously hamper mining operations.
Hard stats and figures speak to the gravity of safety issues on mine sites and the negative impact they have on liability, productivity and profits. I sourced stock illustrations, combining and reworking them, to design the custom visual depicting the scene for underground mining. I wanted the audience to see a visual of their work environment, and themselves, clearly represented along with the serious statistics. The worn hose and machinery were custom drawn using source photos in Adobe Illustrator. Infographic was featured on Gates website and distributed through social media and marketing automation as a content offer.
An over-sized tube mailer containing a metal file, a Gates hose and a competitor’s hose so recipient could conduct their own abrasion test on the spot. This mailer presented a unique design challenge. I started mapping this out by first determining how to set up the areas for the “test”. Once that was determined, the rest of the copy and photos were placed to support the main purpose of the mailer. It really helped to have a two-sided piece so that one side was devoted to messaging and statistics.
A brochure and conversion guide designed to reinforce campaign messaging and increase awareness of Gates products.
Using a hybrid approach of direct mail and marketing automation (broadening reach and increasing awareness with end market specific content offers), 199 mailers were sent to a targeted list of mine managers and maintenance supervisors across North America. The program was well received both internally and externally as one of the most captivating and engaging campaigns Gates has executed to date.
Since the launch of Gates Continuous Mining program, $1,365,000 in closed-won sales has been documented with many more opportunities in the funnel.