Background and brief
Communicate successfully launched the Mini-Ductor® induction heating tool in the UK on behalf of the distributor. The campaign’s success caught the attention of the US-based manufacturer, Induction Innovations Inc. who asked Communicate to become their PR representatives in the UK. It was the first time they had employed an external resource outside of the USA. Their key objectives included researching media consumption amongst key users and build on current communications strategy, generating brand awareness for the Mini-Ductor II in the UK automotive repair market and educate the user of the benefits of using the products vs traditional uses and generating leads for the sales team.

Results
Awareness significantly raised with over 500 customer leads generated from campaign
3,400 Mini-Ductor® units sold, exceeding expectations
The PR campaign alone generated a 200% return on investment
2017 sales figures were above expectations

The work

• Research showed the target audiences still used ‘traditional’ media, i.e. catalogues, industry magazines and specification sheets. Importantly, 8 out of 10 demos of the tool lead to sales, so focusing on the technology and its benefits is crucial
• Created close relationships with sales team and encouraged customer feedback
• Got to know journalists and editors in trade media and supplied material readers want to read. Follow features, but propose article ideas and use their expert reviewers to trial the tool and write up the results
• Created a content calendar and co-ordinated all activity, used a consistent approach and repurpose content across different channels, e.g. used video content to create ‘how to’ guides in trade publications.
• Created step-by-step guides for the most common applications for induction heat to explain a technical and sophisticated tool.
• Created a series of step by step video guides, with photography, to compliment the articles.
• Created posters, banners, leaflets and promotional items for exhibitions.
• From late 2016, our campaign focused on the new version of the Mini-Ductor®, the Venom™
• We plan and produce the ongoing social media for the UK distributor.

What the client said

“Our decision to use Communicate has helped us increase exposure of the Inductor products in the UK. They have used their marketing and PR expertise to create a marketing campaign that has generated targeted leads. We couldn’t have achieved our success without them.”

Johanna Smith, Director of Worldwide Business Development, Induction Innovations Inc.