The manufacturing market typically has a long trial process for suppliers and is reluctant to switch.
It's challenging for mid-size manufacturer suppliers like our client to stand out amongst enterprise competitors.
The B2B target personas are highly niche and difficult to reach.
Ad-hoc marketing efforts had focused on basics with minimal digital marketing and no account-based marketing strategy.
Our Motive3 Fractional CMO was on a call with our client's team when one of them said something that would have gone unnoticed by most. He mentioned that anyone could go to school to learn how to be a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer, and so on . . . but there's no school to go to for paint line engineering. And just like that, an idea was born.
We wondered if this unexpected insight exposed a market opportunity. Here's how we went about answering the question.
We got clear about the problem, who had it, and why. We went on a fact-finding mission to immerse ourselves in the problem and how it's being solved currently. We imagined a solution and presented it to the team at CPI. And they loved it! They started sharing the idea with their clients, and got enthusiastic feedback. Now, we've started building it.
While conducting our fact-finding, we discovered a problem faced by the new generation of paint line engineers: a shortage of senior specialists to train and mentor them. In addition, traditional corporate training programs don't go deep enough to help new engineers solve specific paint line problems. After further research to validate the problem, as well as validating the desire for a solution from the likes of Fortune 100 manufacturers to family-held contract manufacturers, we presented the idea for Paint Line University™. The vision was for a one-stop, online resource that provides in-depth, engaging training while also building a community where the paint line industry can collaborate, share and troubleshoot.
Having time to iterate and optimize the budget before a full market launch was an important priority for our client, Circle-Prosco (CPI), a leading provider of paint pretreatment solutions to the manufacturing industry. We recommended a phased approach, with Phase 1 focused on a core audience group who was willing to provide feedback. With this input, we made adjustments and developed a multi-channel digital "You're Not Alone" themed campaign, focusing on the unique problems our buyer persona faces on a day-to-day basis. Paint Line University will enhance CPI's already stellar reputation as problem solvers, enable them to engage their clients as thought leaders, and ties back to their brand purpose of helping companies solve the toughest chemistry problems to make better products.
"We developed PLU for people who want to be good at paint. We have found that so many people in our market just aren't getting the support they need in an accessible way, given all the other stuff they have to do. Our "Solution Squad" mentality means we want to meet people where they are and help them to get where they want to go. We believe that with the tools in PLU, our community can move toward their goals and that, in the end, people who want to be good at paint will want to use the best quality pretreatment chemistry and that will result in growth for CPI. " - Morgan Fraga, Director of Customer Service & Solutions
Get valuable brand strategy insights from Ginger Zumaeta delivered weekly to your inbox.
By signing up to receive emails from Motive3, you agree to our Privacy Policy. We treat your info responsibly. Unsubscribe anytime.
