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Case Study:
DHL Express’ Asian Regional Campaign
For years, DHL Express has been the dominant logistics company in the Asia-Pacific region. Operating in Asia for more than 30 years, DHL is recognised for its unmatched reach in 41 markets, its generally superior transit times and a strong brand presence.
Recently though, global competitors have been aggressively taking on the market leader in Asia, investing heavily in aviation and other assets, while leveraging their much stronger US presence. More so, the competition was showing signs of success in narrowing the all-important transit times that had long been a key DHL advantage.
These developments were all the more critical, given that Asia is the fastest growing region for DHL. Intra-regional shipment is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in the world.
With the leadership being challenged, DHL decided it was time to raise the bar. Not with a point-by-point defence that would appeal strictly to time-conscious and price-sensitive business people. Instead, it decided to take on the competition with a little bit of humour. To give DHL a little bit of warmth and personality.
And with that in mind, DHL and Ogilvy & Mather Advertising together launched the logistics company's biggest-ever, most sustained marketing push in Asia - covering 41 markets and delivering consistent and powerful messaging over a unified communications platform.
Objectives and Strategy
Of course, the campaign's true objective was not to humour audiences, but to achieve a serious marketing goal: to reinforce DHL Express' superior market position in Asia, and ultimately, to boost shipping volumes.
According to Shaun Coulter, Ogilvy's & Mather Advertising's regional business director on DHL, the campaign aimed to drive home DHL's main competitive strengths through a single practice consumer takeout. It identified three main facts true to DHL: 1) DHL has more people; 2) DHL has greater resources: and 3) DHL servers 41 markets in Asia-Pacific. These truisms were encapsulated in a final, authoritative and now-famous statement: No one knows Asia Pacific like we do.
Creating in Singapore, the regional campaign focused on reminding consumers what it was that helped DHL be in strong position in the region in the first place: the company's deep knowledge of the region - its geography, people, cultures and customs.
Moreover, compared to its competitors, DHL was perceived by consumers as a 'serious' company. "The client wanted to soften the brand a bit. It was important to get across a bit of humour and be entertaining. And we thought it would resonate if the campaign were on a level that talked to the audience," says Shaun.
Therefore, the campaign had to be simple enough to carry a bit of whimsical humour to different cultures - from the teeming, high-voltage cities of Northeast Asia to the more easygoing markets such as Malaysia. At the same time it also had to bring across a simple message that could be easily translated across the different media, from television to print to billboards to direct markets and online to promotions and public relations.
Execution
The campaign was launched in two phases: first from May-June 2004, the second in the fourth quarter of 2004.
The first stage was started in all 41 Asia-Pacific markets, encompassing a full range of through-the-line activities, external as well as internal communications. TV, print, radio and direct marketing, internet banner ads and a microsite were all rolled out. Point-of-sale, customer giveaways, and an internet contest were also organized to draw the interest of both current and competitors' customers.
"This campaign is a prime example of the strength of the 360 degree idea. It lends itself to many media and markets with a simple idea that translate from TV to print to anything you can think of in the communication tool box," says Shaun.
First-stage print ads depicted country maps of Asia, containing insights on each country that blended humour and interesting facts. The insights varied by country and were based on little-known facts, such as roads closing at certain times in Singapore, roads changing directions at certain times, or elephants crossing roads in parts of Thailand. These things thus demonstrated DHL's local knowledge.
Below-the-line activities included alternative 'pick & mix' direct mailer packs with suitable reward hooks for different customers/potential customer categories. And because DHL customers tend to be heavy internet users, the campaign included strong online elements: a microsite on the DHL website with a drive time game, banner ads and mpeg ads.
To build enthusiasm within DHL, an internal contest and cash prize giveaway was also conceptualised. This helped encourage all DHL frontline staff to promote the campaign objective.
Phase two delivered two new TVCs and five print ads, all bringing together the 'applied knowledge' highlighted in the first phase. The TVCs humorously presented a series of daunting transit challenge, one each in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai and Malaysia; while the print ads were targeted at specific industry sectors.
While the second phase reinforced the earlier message of knowledge and humour, it also addressed consumer misconceptions that DHL was appropriate only for shipping documents or lighter packages. "We needed to address this situation and communicate, albeit indirectly, that DHL also ships heaver items," says Shaun. The idea was conveyed by showing transport modes such as airplanes and larger trucks transporting larger DHL boxes.
Results
The results from the two-stage campaign have been strongly positive. With the campaign's creative platform and strong media presence, many consumers were aware of the new DHL campaign. In November, the campaign scored 6th place among Singapore consumers in Media magazine's monthly ad recall survey.
Moreover, the online components proved very popular. "We found that consumers responded well to the web," says Shaun. "In phase one, about 179,000 people from across Asia went online to play the interactive delivery game developed by the team."
"We know from initial research that the campaign in resonating and we are expecting very good results," says Shaun, adding that the client has indicated significantly increased shipment volumes from previous years.
Best of all, DHL was voted 2004 marketer of the year for this campaign by Media magazine.
A single-minded message of superior performance and reach in Asia Pacific, expressed concisely and with a bit of humour that translates across media, markets and borders. Ogilvy & Mather has helped DHL stay ahead of the competition.
(Courtsey: Ogilvy’s Asia)
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