Case Study
Exmark Case Study
Headquartered in Beatrice, Nebraska, Exmark is a leading manufacturer of landscaping equipment, specializing in zero turn lawnmowers for commercial and residential applications.
Relevance
Channel program development, national and local media planning and buying, multi-touch media, co-op program
Situation
Exmark was faced with a variety of marketing and operational challenges across their network of dealers, including:
- Lack of consistency: Dealers were using marketing assets that were outdated, not brand compliant, or disconnected from the national strategy.
- Operational Inefficiencies: Dealers were forced to manage their marketing campaigns manually, with assets and information spread across numerous vendors and locations.
- Inconsistent messaging: Dealers were operating independently, leading to a lack of cohesive messaging across the network, diluting brand awareness.
- Limited budgets: Decreases in corporate funding made it even more difficult to support cohesive, nationwide strategies at the local level.
Solution
Working closely with Exmark, we designed and implemented a comprehensive Dealer Channel Program to efficiently and effectively align local dealer tactics with national strategies, without the need for additional corporate budget spend.
Key Features
- Creative Execution: Providing local dealers with a source for national creative materials that could be tailored to support regional and local messaging needs.
- Budget Flexibility: The co-op program allowed for budgets ranging from $500 to $250,000, giving dealers the flexibility to participate at a level that suited their specific marketing needs.
- Platform Integration: By developing a centralized platform that centralized all marketing and advertising assets, dealers had a “one-stop shop” for accessing the tools they needed.
- Continuous Evolution: Continuous feedback, analysis, and optimization have allowed the program to evolve, adjusting and implementing features and assets to fit changing media landscape and dealer needs.
- Vendor Relationship Management: Strategic America manages all external vendor relationships, becoming the single source for dealers to access and acquire the full range of marketing and promotional materials, for increased ease and efficiency.
- Media Management: Offering of local tactics align with national media strategy to ensure corporate KPIs are supported.
Results
The impact of the program has been transformative for the Exmark network, significantly reducing the time dealers spend managing their marketing efforts, allowing them to focus on sales while still maintaining brand consistency. The success of the program is largely attributed to the ease of participation and personalized program offerings that allow dealers of all sizes to engage effectively.
1,500
dealers
Expanding Participation
Participation has grown from 300 dealers (less than 20%) to over 1,500 (more than 75%), with some distributors enjoying 100% dealer participation.
$500-
$250,000
budgets
Customizable Budgets
Effective programs customized to fit budgets ranging from $500 – $250,000 per month.
2-to-1
over next leading brand
Exmark Leads the Market
Exmark remains the leading commercial brand, preferred 2-to-1 over the next leading brand, and has increased their share of the crowded residential market by 2% over the last five years.
Complement
not compete
Complement Nation Media Plan
Local dealer marketing now supports media tactics that complement the national media plan. Working closely with both entities, we can ensure digital campaigns are not competing, driving up cost per lead for each group.
