Trainfest is America’s largest operating model railroad show attracting more than 24,000 families and model railroad enthusiasts each year. The show’s organizers turned to Mercury in 2005 to grow event attendance – and that’s exactly what we’ve done.
Mercury implemented a fully integrated marketing campaign including grass roots and social marketing tactics. Two marketing strategic shifts were recommended. First, we optimized lower-cost tactics to stretch the marketing budget and impact the dedicated model railroad audience. Second, Mercury’s research told us to target Moms as leisure attendees because they are the primary decision makers for family entertainment. Nine years later, attendance is up 56%.
Each year, we build upon our success by adjusting the marketing plan to capitalize on current tactical trends. Mercury has even stepped in to develop and manage the Kids Activity Zone.
Dr. Paul Moyer, a Milwaukee Magazine top area endodontist, wanted to update the branding of his practice and increase his online presence. Mercury created a new brand position to distinguish him from competitors.
A responsive website design was launched to serve as a point of contact with current and potential customers. Special care was taken in crafting messages, balancing the goals of providing helpful information while alleviating anxiety. Mercury also guided Dr. Moyer in establishing an online listing presence and provided baseline SEO.
Trane Commercial HVAC has 200+ parts stores in North America. While competition is traditionally brisk in the HVAC category, it’s especially fierce within service parts.
To mitigate the competitive landscape, Mercury was engaged to generate stronger touch points for interacting with current and potential customers, drive store foot traffic and increase incremental in-store sales.
Mercury launched a national promotion effectively enhancing the Trane brand preference, increasing Trane’s share of voice, increasing store traffic and increasing YoY sales by nine percent.
To support the strategic plan, tactical elements included customer affinity programs, an annual incentive program with high end prizes, customized sales flyers, a new website, and the launch of WebWOW — a weekly e-marketing program which exceeded national email open rate averages, with one achieving an open rate of 98 percent.
Tekra, a Division of EIS, Inc., is a manufacturer and full-service distributor of high performance plastic films and adhesives. Tekra serves customers across multiple channels, from medical diagnostics to automotive detailing.
Mercury was chosen to assist Tekra in web content generation because of our ability to quickly understand their technical processes and our expertise in translating that to the web. Based on our success on those initial projects, Tekra enlisted Mercury to provide an updated look and feel to collateral material, bringing a consistency to the Tekra brand. This is reflected in a newly designed and engineered web presence that will debut in May 2014.
To maintain brand consistency, Mercury’s work includes new trade show graphics, product sell sheets, advertisements and other materials, as well as web content generation.
St. Camillus is a continuum-of-care facility, providing retirement living to assisted living, through end-of-life hospice needs. The challenge in developing this website was to effectively communicate all potential offerings, while not alienating individuals based on the content needed for the wide age range of audiences.
Mercury was responsible for the web design and its complete content generation. Woven within the site, content reinforces the facility’s safety and security, and positions St. Camillus as an expert resource for information about retirement living, assisted living and hospice.
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Prosperity 101 is the premier provider of free-market educational resources designed for use in small businesses to large corporations across the United States. The company came to Mercury to refresh and relaunch its brand. Mercury devised a brand positioning for Prosperity 101 to heighten its corporate identity and then implemented it across the website, educational tools, sales materials and more. Mercury and Prosperity 101 are currently collaborating on public relations and social media strategies to build upon that brand awareness success.
DRIcore is an easy-to-install, innovative, modular subfloor system for use over concrete. An established Canadian product, DRIcore originally tapped Mercury to introduce the product in the U.S. market. The assignment grew into a marketing strategy designed to drive traffic and support Big Box merchandising.
To generate consumer demand, Mercury coordinated an integrated advertising and public relations effort to engage, educate, and emotionally appeal to regional target audiences. Program materials included point-of-sale displays, brochures and case studies featuring customer testimonials. the case studies were leveraged for media relations as part of a media desk side visit strategy. The arresting advertising placed in major national magazines were Starch-ranked as the #1 ad recall in their respective issues.
Metal Forms Corporation (MFC) has been a leading manufacturer in the concrete construction industry since 1909. Mercury has helped MFC bring continuity to its updated branding. A fresh creative treatment was applied to brochures, print and electronic newsletters, case studies, advertisements and more.
Metal Forms has established a solid e-marketing program. Mercury provides copy editing, layout, design and delivery of two monthly e-blasts; Concrete Forum to MFC’s contractor audience, and Dealer Insight to MFC dealers. Open rates continue to exceed industry averages.
In 2012, Mercury launched a multi-year, multi-media awareness campaign for Waukesha County Health and Human Services directed at the importance of certified in-home childcare.
A push-pull methodology was developed to encourage end-users (parents) to request a provider’s certification while conversely urging providers to become certified to meet childcare needs.
The colorful creative approach promoting the primary benefits of certified childcare was used across a number of promotional elements including brochures, out-of-home posters, and posters distributed through grassroots efforts.
Nearly 70 years after launching Carmex, the company was ready for its first-ever integrated marketing campaign. Mercury was chosen to define a long-term marketing strategy.
The brand platform was defined to capitalize on the product’s iconic heritage and urban appeal. Creative positioning was developed to promote the Carmex brand attributes and values.
A campaign launch in New York City and Chicago provided the groundwork for a swelling word-of-mouth brand support initiated through public relations efforts. Prime-location billboards (such as Times Square on New Year’s Eve), subway/ transit placements, and guerilla street teams posting Carmex magnets ignited brand interaction. Web traffic peaked when “Flavor Votes” were being cast at 2,000/hour. Viral marketing propelled major network news coverage.
Waukesha Engine, now part of GE Energy, is a major international manufacturer of stationary natural gas, propane and methane powered engines used for either electric power generation or gas compression.
Mercury worked closely with all management levels to completely transform Waukesha’s marketing communications efforts. Beginning with a completely new, integrated and engaging cache of powerful global tactical elements, the strategic communications plan connected customers, suppliers, distributors, and internal audiences. Elements included logos, collateral materials, advertising, distributor communications, trade show/exhibit design, sales promotions, website design and proprietary research.
Efforts eventually extended to corporate headquarter lobby design, multi-media presentations, speech writing and other public relations initiatives.
Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is one of the largest urban school districts in the country and employs 7,000+ teachers for more than 100,000 students. MPS, as a district, constantly faces the challenge of poor public perception.
Mercury faced two challenges – to recruit/retain minority teachers and build the student population. Using multiple research tools including one-on-one interviews and Web surveys, Mercury created a blueprint to focus on both teacher and student recruitment at the same time. Tactics included collateral materials, web advertising, broadcast television, and outdoor boards.
This campaign happens to be one of our favorites from over the years. It’s still working too! Nearly a decade after its creation, MPS is still using the creative.
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