Panasonic
achieved an impressive ranking of 68th in the ‘Best Global Brands
2016’ report, recently published by Interbrand, the world’s leading brand
consultancy.
Unlike many
other brands ranked in the top 100, Panasonic’s 2016 submission to Interbrand
was based upon the market awareness work it is doing to change its brand from
being perceived as B2C to also include B2B.
Panasonic can do this because, where traditional Japanese electronics
firms have struggled with the pace of change in today’s technology, Panasonic’s
diversification has stood it in good stead, with more than 70% of its global
revenue is now generated outside consumer markets.
So how
could this track record of success in the non-consumer world be made famous?
The story began in 2015 with Panasonic Europe.
Panasonic
Europe helps drive change towards B2B brand awareness
Thanks to
its existing sophisticated digital marketing platforms and ability to measure
marketing impact on sales accurately, Panasonic’s European Business Systems
division was chosen as the ideal proving ground for a global B2B brand
campaign.
Focusing on
the working-age populations of the UK, France and Germany, an awareness
campaign was built around digital advertising – including display, social and
search – a dedicated B2B website and Market tracking technology. Again in a departure from the norm,
advertising was concentrated outside of working hours, when people would have
more time and freedom to browse, absorb and engage with the messaging.
All
creative was designed and delivered by Bristol-based Proctor + Stevenson, and
media strategy by equimedia, both long-term global partners of Panasonic. From
the campaign’s earliest days, the agencies worked in close collaboration with
key members of the Panasonic System Communications Company Europe team to
develop an integrated approach that would help its already successful business
proposition achieve even greater fame.
Time to
think again?
To grab
customer attention, a strategy of “shock and amazement” was used. Sharing the
many stories of world records, world firsts and world-leading achievements
Panasonic has in its locker, ‘wow’ moments piqued interest and generated
curiosity, leaving people keen to discover more about the business.
Also paying
respect to Panasonic’s consumer heritage, but using it to challenge perceptions
of the company, the advertisements all started by asking viewers to ‘think
again’.
The
campaign began in May 2016 and will continue in France and Germany until early
2017, with initial indicators suggesting outstanding success (along with Interbrand’s
endorsement).
For the
May-July UK phase of the campaign…
- 87,772,809 advertising impressions were
served across social networks, programmatic display, YouTube, and search.
- 104,499 users came to the campaign website, which features amazing facts, records, and B2B customer stories.
- 84% of those were new visitors.
- Campaign awareness within the total pool of target respondents was an outstanding 25% (this rose to 47% among the demographic of males in their 20s).
- As of August 2016, the sales pipeline associated with the campaign is more than €900,000, with that figure already growing as search activity increases.
Stephen Yeo, the Marketing Director, Panasonic System Communications Company Europe said “We are delighted at the success of our B2B awareness campaign and this high-profile endorsement from Interbrand. Panasonic has never advertised on this scale as a B2B company, so we are challenging our own ways of thinking and perceptions in the global market. I thank my colleagues in our Central Brand team in Japan for their ambition and willingness to take this bold step, and the European expertise of Panasonic, Proctor + Stevenson and equimedia in delivering such a ground-breaking marketing campaign.”