B2B product marketing
Creative LinkedIn ad campaign for thermoforming
The campaign that never was: a creative idea left on the cutting room floor. Hey, it happens and we aren't afraid of standing by a good idea that didn't see the light of the (advertising) day!
From boring to badass: selling high-tech packaging machinery in a novel way
Some industries are inherently cool. Others, not so much. Thermoformed plastic packaging falls into the latter category. It’s useful, it’s important, and it’s all around us. But it isn’t fun and exciting! We wanted to change that with a fun campaign leveraging one of the most recognized action franchises of all time: The Terminator.
Challenge
Our client wanted to explore new ways to market their latest product, an advanced thermoforming machine. The product benefits included faster run times, less human involvement required, and more usable surface area per sheet than leading competitors. The client felt that while the machine was good, it wasn’t unique–nor was it a great leap forward from previous models. The campaign would need to rely on branding, messaging, and emotional connection rather than simply expressing product benefits.
Solution
We took the time to evaluate our client’s purchasing audience, finding it was largely composed of technically proficient middle-aged men with engineering backgrounds. Then, we brainstormed a variety of possible campaign directions before arriving on our favourite: “The Thermonator”. The idea was to create a retro microsite mimicking an 80s arcade style. Featuring pixel graphics reminiscent of early Terminator video games, the campaign would express product benefits in the structure of the first movie’s tagline: This machine is powerful, versatile and indestructible. It can’t be reasoned with. It can’t be bargained with. It feels no pity. No remorse. No pain. No fear. It will have only one purpose: to form plastic packaging with extreme efficiency. This machine will be called…The Thermonator.
This campaign intended to steer around the “boring” product benefits and speak to the average purchaser’s likely nostalgia for a beloved sci-fi franchise. The goal was to support the microsite with a branded LinkedIn campaign, using its unique look and voice to entice users to click.
Results
The result was… a rejected campaign! Unfortunately, despite our passion for this particular project, we were unable to get it cleared by the client.
Bold campaigns for bold clients
You may be wondering why we’re featuring a campaign that never launched as a case study. Sometimes, cool ideas get left on the cutting room floor due to lack of client buy-in, insufficient budget, or general lack of alignment. That doesn’t mean the idea was bad! It just wasn’t a fit for that client at that time. We love it when marketing gets weird, cool, kooky, and crazy. If you have an outside-the-box idea you’d like to explore, get in touch with us today!
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