Click here for complete CTAM Summit 2009 coverage.
The Cable &
Telecommunications Association for Marketing conducts an annual case-study
competition among cable operators and cable suppliers to find successful
business-services marketing campaigns that were carried out in the past year
(August 2008 toJuly 31, 2009). The first- and second-place winners in
the cable operator category will be recognized during a breakout session at the
CTAMSummiton Tuesday, Oct. 27, at10:45 a.m.
Submissions were
reviewed and scored on a scale of 1 to 5 on separate categories: background,
objective, strategies and tactics, results and format and learnings. Judges
were drawn from supplier andMSO
companies, including AMDOCS (the competition sponsor), Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Armstrong Cable,
Cablevision Systems, Cisco Systems and New Global Telecom.
Here is a summary
(from the case study) of the second-place entry among cable companies, a
campaign for Time Warner Cable Business Class submitted by William Chun, TWCBC
corporate product marketing manager. On Monday: first-place entry Cox
Communications inLas
Vegas.
Time Warner Cable Business Class has a presence in six
regions throughout the United States
in 31 states. But its footprint is not ubiquitous, so there are numerous,
non-contiguous areas where the company does not offer service.
That geographic limitation has long been the bane of MSO
marketers, who strive to effectively reach their target audiences using the
most efficient vehicles available. For instance, that could mean limiting a
direct mail campaign to zip code areas that lie wholly inside the company's
footprint, or only placing print advertising in relevant regional editions of
trade publications.
Even within a company's available footprint, its network
build-out may be limited. Thus, efforts to attract the interest of potential
customers can be sidetracked by a wasteful, non-targeted marketing spend.
Mindful of these challenges, the TWCBC Corporate Marketing
team developed - with its marketing agency, G2 Direct and Digital - a fully
integrated marketing campaign to target prospects in "lit buildings," or
multi-tenant buildings (MTU) that service businesses.
Doing so would ensure that marketing efforts would be
focused solely on prospects within the company's lit building footprint,
thereby limiting the number of non-qualified leads. This would increase the
likelihood of a robust response rate, too.
The 2008 campaign was branded blueCIRCLE, a special
designation specific to TWCBC. BlueCIRCLE was designed to stimulate awareness
of lit buildings, and was symbolic of the inclusive nature of being a tenant in
a TWCBC-served facility.
OBJECTIVES AND GOALS
The overarching goal of the blueCIRCLE campaign was to
efficiently drive divisional/regional sales leads within lit, multi-tenant
buildings.
Specific campaign objectives were tailored slightly from
region to region, to address expectations and nuances in each market. Thus,
this entry will use - as an example - the blueCIRCLE campaign objectives and
results for Region A, which is representative of the nationwide campaign.
Specific campaign objectives for Region A were:
Achieve a campaign response rate equal to or greater than 4%
- well above a previous MTU campaign (2.4%). Responses to include various
actions taken by prospects, including telephone calls (prompted by direct
mail), online requests for sales calls, visits to campaign microsite,
appointment requests from mailed-in collateral and referral forms, and/or
sweepstakes entries.
Generate, on average, 1,500 leads per region.
Drive new acquisition revenue.
STRATEGY AND TACTICS
The strategy was to design and implement a multifaceted
direct marketing campaign that would target tenants within TWCBC-lit buildings
who were not existing TWCBC customers.
The key messages of the campaign focused on simplicity -
namely ... "It is simple and cost-effective to switch to TWCBC for all your
communications solutions."
Driving home the simplicity message: the targets were
already within the special "blueCIRCLE" area or building, so adding TWCBC could
be easily achieved with a short, simple installation.
Messaging focused on the business benefits of advanced
communications solutions. For example: "In a blueCIRCLE building, the
technology you need to give your business a competitive edge is already waiting
for you, right inside your building." Again, ease of access and installation
were emphasized.
The campaign used direct mail - including the blueCIRCLE
microsite URL and toll-free number - and a follow-up sales call.
EXECUTION
The blueCIRCLE promotional period was Sept. 29 through Nov. 30, 2008. The
integrated campaign was conducted in each of TWCBC's 20 divisions with regional
marketing collaboration and execution.
The campaign centered on tactical elements that targeted
non-customer prospects. Each tactic was supported by confirmation emails and
sales force follow-up via calls and collateral materials (such as folders and
slicks).
TWCBC designed a creative, box-shaped mailer to entice
recipients to learn blueCIRCLE benefits and to take action in a number of ways.
It contained succinct messaging on the availability and
advantages of in-building technology and promoted a "blue-themed" sweepstakes,
offering a vacation at the BlueBay Grand Esmeralda in the Mexican Mayan
Riviera.
It also contained a blueCIRCLE flash drive to take the
prospect to the blueCIRCLE microsite; a prospect-specific, unique key for use
to enter the microsite; Web site address information; and a region-specific
toll-free number.
Prompted by information from the multidimensional mailer,
recipients visited the blueCIRCLE campaign's interactive microsite. There, visitors
could easily:
Register for the sweepstakes (also a lead generation tool,
as prospects updated their information and shared email addresses);
Interact with the site via rollovers or blinking blue
circles -- with pop-up information about how TWCBC services give customers a
competitive edge;
Quickly schedule a sales call, or information request.
Link to region- or division-specific TWCBC Web page for more
information.
BlueCIRCLE collateral materials (marketing slick, folder,
door hangers) were created for salespeople to use within the blueCIRCLE
building, and during prospect sales appointments.
RESULTS
The blueCIRCLE lit building direct marketing campaign
garnered unprecedented results in a number of areas. (Note: These results are
specific to Region A.)
The national response rate was an unprecedented 12%, well
above the targeted 4%. In Region A, the response rate was 12.6%.
Total leads generated in the region was 2,597, above the
1,500 target.
The campaign helped drive $1 million in new customers.
TAKEAWAYS
Focusing on lit buildings proved an extraordinarily
efficient means of prospecting, as it eliminated the "scattershot" approach of
traditional direct marketing campaigns that might garner leads outside the
company's footprint.
Heavy use of analytics in developing the prospect database
helped bolster impressive response rates that led to actionable next steps.
Capturing prospect data -- e-mail addresses, length of stay on
microsite, repeat visits -- made sales follow-through simpler, relevant and more
timely.
Integrated, multidimensional campaign elements proved highly
effective -- and gave clients a variety of response options.
Combining traditional tactics (a sweepstakes) with a fun,
interactive microsite encouraged engagement. The blueCIRCLE flash drive was
integral in steering prospects to the microsite.
BlueCIRCLE proved to be a compelling theme and experiential
for customers. It has generated internal excitement and external public
relations opportunities to differentiate Time Warner Cable Business Class.
