CONNECT

We Give you the pieces,

You connect them.
Judges Summary

ION

ORGANIZATIO

WE ARE

PR
EC
IS

COALITION

ail

optimis

det

ve

creati
Clockwise, from top right:
Ashley Gerenday, Morgan Jupina, Jake Green, Mary Booth, Erin England

We are not your average agency. We are COALITION.

After getting to know each other better, we realized each member of our team brings a unique skill to the
campaign process. That is why we chose not to highlight our official titles, but instead the unique aspect
of each member that allows us to produce high quality work - precision, organization, optimism, creativity
and details.
We wanted a strong name that epitomized team work. In comes COALITION.
Merriam-Webster defines COALITION as the action or process of joining together with another or others
for a common purpose. That is who we are, and how COALITION will not only satisfy our clients goals,
but take them above and beyond. No matter what assistance our clients need - whether a creative design
revamp, impelling prose, or strategic marketing - COALITION assures the common purpose is always
success and the betterment of our clients.

THE CHALLENGE
Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM) provides an innovative way to enhance the buying and selling
process for its clients across four different industries including: general merchandise (GM), grocery, health and
beauty care (HBC), and pharmaceutical. ECRM has been organizing its unique one-on-one, cost and time efficient
events for more than 20 years. According to its website, ECRM is dedicated to its integrity, quality and focus,
innovation, and hard work.
ECRM works with sellers to set up private meeting rooms at a resort hotel. The vendors consult with an assigned
account manager to discuss their company objectives. Then, based on relevancy, ECRM develops a schedule for
buyers and sellers to meet in 10- or 20-minute intervals. In the evenings, clients have the opportunity to participate
in laid-back networking events.
COALITION discovered that ECRM portrays itself as not your typical trade show, during an initial interview
with Billy Chapnick, former senior vice president of marketing, and Rachel Schultz, business communications
manager. The ECRM employees expressed that this term is not specific enough to its brand, and there are many
misconceptions about how ECRM operates. COALITION was challenged to uncover a concise method to convey
what the company is and what it does.

THE RESEARCH
Secondary Research
Publications
After an audit of trade publications, COALITION found them to play an important role across all industries served
by ECRM. Publications such as Progressive Grocer and Supermarket News are used to feature industry news and
trends in the grocery industry. Their reach includes analysts, manufacturers, association executives, retailers, and
brokers showing that trade publications are useful platforms for ECRM event listings, client success stories and
advertisement.

Online
COALITION discovered through an online audit that ECRM did not have a strong online presence. Because
85 percent of B2B marketers use Twitter to distribute content, ECRM could use this social media platform as an
opportunity to increase effective engagement with current and potential clients. However, ECRM has an extremely
low engagement rate on Twitter and only received 10 mentions over the last six months.
LinkedIn provides the best outreach and engagement among all of ECRM social platforms. The company has
multiple channels on LinkedIn including: a personal page branded as ECRM, a company profile with limited
information about ECRM, and individual groups for many of the industries ECRM serves. Through its personal page
with 500+ connections, it publishes pictures, how-tos, event walkthroughs, and multiple long-form posts.
COALITION was unable to find any coverage of ECRM events on any of the largest and most influential blogs
related to trade shows including: Trade Show News Network (TSNN), Trade Show Guy Blog, Apple Rock, Skyline
Trade Show Tips, and Trade-Show-Advisor.
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B2B Obstacles
All business to business companies share common obstacles when going through the purchasing process.
COALITION uncovered the specific issues for which ECRM offers a solution to streamline the purchasing experience:
time management, balancing quality with growth, information overload, and financing.
ECRM gives event attendees the opportunity to have more than 60 meetings in the span of four days, eliminating
the challenge to meet with dozens of companies around the country. Further, ECRM works to give all clients the
most relevant schedules possible, matching them with the right buyers and sellers for their business goals. The
proprietary meeting app, ECRM Connect 3.0, which ECRM supplies to all event attendees allows them to quickly
stay organized during and after events. ECRMs all-inclusive model provides attendees with the opportunity to
avoid hidden costs, which cause traditional trade shows to quickly become expensive endeavors.

Best Practices
According to Fleet Owner, cold calling is a flawed sales strategy and it hurts a brand more than helps it. He
provides statistics that say 90 percent of buying decisions today are based on internet research and 92 percent
of buyers are more confident in the information they find on the Internet than what they hear from sales reps. This
suggests ECRM change its focus from cold calls to providing more information online.
CRM Magazine references a study that found that 70 percent of consumers find the basic personalization of
marketing emails superficial. It also says that 79 percent of Americans feel that checking email is a waste of time.
This suggests that email is not the most effective way for ECRM to reach out to potential clients.
Lee Traupel, a digital strategist for the Linked Media Group, wrote a blog post about best practices for creating
and curating online content, specifically for B2B audiences. Mixing original content with content curation is a cost
effective way to drive engagement online.
Content Marketing Institutes 2013 survey on budgets and trends proved that the top tactics ranked most effective
by B2B marketers are case studies (64 percent), webinars/webcasts (61 percent), blogs (59 percent), and videos
(58 percent).

Direct Mail Information

According to Exhibitor Magazines article, Going Postal, direct mail has become more effective in many B2B
situations than traditional email. In a Response Rate Report from the Direct Marketing Association, the rate of
response for email is 0.12 percent, while postcards and dimensional mailers score between 2.4 and 3.95
percent. Direct mailers can be valuable tools to promote anything from corporate events to exhibits.

Primary

During multiple phone interviews with both ECRM employees and current clients, COALITION found the most
common response was initial misconceptions about what ECRM does. ECRMs account managers revealed that
their messaging is not consistent while pitching in cold calls or emails. Further, many of the buyers felt the companys
initial communications seemed scammy because all costs are covered by ECRM. Paul Jarrett, CEO of Bulu Box, felt
the ECRM buyer experience was too good to be true, comparing it to a free cruise. Nilda Oyola, vice president
of sales for Majestic Drug Company, spoke of many positive aspects of ECRM including, efficient meetings, time
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management and organization. This gives ECRM the opportunity to highlight these solutions to business-to-business
obstacles within its key messaging.
A focus group consisting of ECRM account managers was conducted on January 28, 2015. COALITION learned
that ECRM used its app, Connect 3.0, to enhance the attendee experience. This goes hand-in-hand with why ECRM
is portrayed as not your typical trade show. The account managers expressed that ECRM provides an all-inclusive
atmosphere by assisting with the vendors set-up process.
A COALITION team member attended the ECRM Home and Healthcare event in Destin, Florida from March 2-4
to compile additional research. During the event, Whitney McFee, an ECRM client service representative stated,
We dont only facilitate your meetings, we facilitate your set-up. A lot of companies dont have that middleman
at traditional trade shows. Also at the event, ECRM employees, buyers and vendors all expressed interest in a
referral program. ECRM events allow the opportunity to create new partnerships. Kamal Haddad, senior vice
president of Wholesale Point, Inc., expressed that he would have otherwise walked past multiple booths at a
traditional trade show if he did not automatically see a product he was interested in. Scheduled meetings provide
a chance to find unique business avenues.

THE PROBLEM
Through primary and secondary research, COALITION uncovered that ECRM does not have a concise brand
message because of the use of jargon, the lack of consistency and the use of ineffective communication platforms.
Further, ECRM focuses its current key messaging on how it differentiates itself from traditional trade shows rather
than providing solutions for its clients B2B obstacles.

THE GOAL
Develop a concise brand message to position ECRM as an established connection platform to facilitate modern
B2B opportunities.

THE CAMPAIGN THEME

The campaign theme is ECRM Connect: We give you the pieces, you connect them because ECRM provides its
clients with all the resources they need to have a successful business interaction. We want to express that ECRM not
only connects buyers with sellers, but it also connects its clients with the business-to-business solutions they need to
succeed and its own helpful staff.

THE AUDIENCES
Primary
Prospective ECRM clients
This audience includes prospective buyers and sellers across all four industries. New buyers and sellers indicated
in primary research that they were confused when initially being pitched to about how ECRM operates.
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ECRM employees
This audience specifically includes ECRM sales representatives and account managers across all industries. This
group of people will distribute the enhanced key messaging to prospective buyers and sellers.

Secondary
Current ECRM clients
This audience includes both buyers and sellers across all four industries. These people serve as opinion leaders to
further reach potential clients.

Trade media
This audience includes trade publications across all industries. Trade media operate as an influential source for
disseminating information to the industries which ECRM serves. The following trade publications are organized by
industry. Using Cision, COALITION compiled a list of media outlets based on circulation and relevancy to industry
and audience.

GROCERY

Convenience Store
Decisions, BevNET
Magazine,
Progressive Grocer

GENERAL
MERCHANDISE

Chain Drug Review,

Gifts & Decorative
Accesories

HEALTH + BEAUTY

American Salon,
Bangstyle, Beauty
Launchpad

PHARMACY

Americas
Pharmacist,
DDNews,
Prevention

TRADE INDUSTRY

Business Travel
News, BtoB,
Exhibitor
Magazine

THE KEY MESSAGES

Beyond providing face-to-face meeting opportunities, ECRM works to ensure your meetings are valuable and
relevant.
For 20 years, more than 23,000 businesses have trusted ECRM to help expand their companies.

Catered to sellers:
From beginning to end, ECRM creates your ideal meeting environment.
ECRM Connect 3.0 is the industrys only proprietary meeting app, keeping your meetings organized and
running smoothly.

Catered to buyers:
Meeting your next business partner is as simple as a handshake; the rest is on us.

THE OBJECTIVES
1. To secure organic placements in at least 10 national trade publications in applicable industries served
in two years.
2. To recruit six top-tier ECRM brand ambassadors in two years.
3. To increase ECRMs social audience by 10 percent in two years.
Social audience is defined by the aggregate total of members in ECRMs LinkedIn groups, Twitter followers,
and Facebook fans. This figure currently stands at 6,520.
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THE STRATEGIES

Use social media as an effective conversation tool

Curate appropriate content that relates to all four industries served by ECRM
Position ECRM as an industry leader among its key publics
Express how ECRM can efficiently solve B2B obstacles
Create a consistent message that expresses both ECRMs experience and expertise
Develop and implement a referral program
Implement ECRM mailing campaign

THE TACTICS
Launch Event
Plan and host an ECRM employee launch party where a list of clear and concise key messaging will be presented
to sales representatives and account managers. COALITION will suggest that ECRM uses the key messaging while
pitching events via email or phone in an effort to alleviate misconceptions by potential clients. This event will also
launch the use of the new company tagline: Connecting you to your next opportunity. By bringing together ECRMs
sales representatives to this event, COALITION will secure a consist message across most of its communication
platforms.

Video
COALITION will create a video to be posted on ECRMs website. The video will include footage from the Destin,
Florida Home and Heathcare event and be used to alleviate confusion about an ECRM event. Interviews from
buyers and sellers will be included in the 30-60 second video to both encourage new participants to sign up and
to explain what ECRM has done for their company. The goal of the video is to highlight how other companies use
ECRM to break down B2B barriers like time, money and creating new business avenues to position ECRM as an
industry leader.

Brand ambassadors
COALITION will recruit two top-tier companies such as Walgreens and Goya, and four smaller companies to serve
as ECRM brand ambassadors. They will create blog posts to share success stories as well as use social media to
promote ECRM and how it can effectively grow businesses. Buyers will receive a flight upgrade to first class, while
sellers will receive a room upgrade for participating.

Twitter chats
Host a series of Twitter chats. Each chat would take place one week before an event on a Tuesday. The Twitter chat
would include the #ECRMconnect and discuss related tips such as how to run an efficient meeting, how to prepare
and what to bring to the event. These chats would be called Tips Tuesdays.

LinkedIn posts
COALITION will create content based on upcoming industry events and trends in that industry to be posted on
LinkedIn and then promoted through Facebook and Twitter. These posts are meant to position ECRM as a thought
leader in the four industries. Content will sometimes be original and sometimes be curated from relevant sources.

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Referral program
Establish the incentive of a room upgrade when referring at least five buyers or sellers to existing ECRM clients. Add
a feature to ECRM Connect 3.0 for buyers and sellers to easily refer new clients. This will be introduced to event
attendees with a flyer included in the resources given to them upon their arrival.

Event coverage
Through a targeted media list based on publication content and audience reach, COALITION will pitch to relevant
trade publications in each industry. Through theses pitches, COALITION will secure placement in ten publications.
The pitches will be sent via email and will discuss how ECRM effectively solves B2B obstacles such as, saving time,
balancing quality with growth, organizing information and managing costs. Implementing the use of an editorial
calendar will ensure that coverage is being pitched to appropriate publications. Reporters will also be invited to
attend events and offered face-to-face interviews so they can see first-hand how ECRM works.
Case studies
Create case studies to be published on ECRMs website that will provide third-party affirmation by highlighting
business that have found success in ECRM events. This will be carried out monthly for a two-year period. We
will pitch these with the intent to show publications why these case studies matter to their readers and why it is
something they need to know. Case studies will be pitched during appropriate industry times.
3D mailer
Create a 3D mailer that strategically recruits new buyers and sellers that would find ECRM beneficial to their
companies to attend upcoming events. The mailer will be creatively designed, incorporating the brand, tagline
and overall appearance of an ECRM event. It will also include a trackable URL to navigate prospective clients to
ECRMs website and to be used as an evaluation tool. The mailing piece will be distributed to those referred in the
referral program, and to businesses that no longer attend large, well-known trade events in their industries. Then,
two months after the mailer is sent, an ECRM sales representative will follow up with companies who did not act.

THE EVALUATION
Objective: To increase ECRMs social audience by 10 percent in two years.
Record the sentiment among ECRMs social media followers
Evaluate on Twitter by number of followers, retweets, Twitter chat involvement, use of hashtag, and comments
Evaluate on LinkedIn by number of connections, comments, and promotion on Twitter and Facebook
Evaluate on Facebook by number of followers, likes, shares, and comments
Monitor the number of unique visitors to the trackable URL from direct mail piece
Guage the increase in ECRMs social media reach
Track the number of impressions made by trade publications
Objective: To encourage organic placements in two trade publications per each of ECRMs industries in two years.
Confirm placement in 10 trade publications across the four industries served
Objective: To recruit six top-tier ECRM brand ambassadors in two years.
Count the number of brand ambassadors ECRM recruits and gauge their impact

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