Electing to Market Through Video

With Tuesday being Election Day, far be it from me, or a rep agency, to try to influence an election, but the debates have captured our attention.  Living in a \”swing state\” I can say unequivocally that I am tired of the election advertising … by the presidential candidates as well as every state and local electable role. And after awhile (okay, less than a week), I got tired of them because none broke through the clutter to capture my attention. And capturing attention is what marketing is all about. And video can be an effective tool.
Last week I received an email from Locust Electric Sales, a manufacturer rep in the Philadelphia marketplace.
There were a couple of things remarkable about this email.

1. A rep that was proactively marketing their suppliers to distributors, contractors and specifiers.  Trying to create demand.  Yes, others do it also and many do it in support of their distributors or calling on end-users, however, this had another angle…
2. It was creative.  It used video and cultural references with creativity.

Consider these videos:

For Universal Lighting Technologies … Donald and Hillary Debate LED Lighting

Or, I\’m sure the Brangelia break-up broke you up.  This was for Austin EnclosuresOrr

Or did you realize that the secret ingredient to the show \”Diners, Drive-ins and Dives\” is AFC?

Or, we all remember the Ryan Lochte episode in Rio.  A simple sale by a local manufacturer rep could have solved the problem … especially if they represented EIKO.

And while these are all on YouTube they are also on Locust\’s new website on a page devoted to Locust Original Productions.
The key is creativity to break through the clutter.  No one said that marketing required significant budgets.  It requires ideas, risk taking, knowing your audience and a willingness to put forth the effort.
According to Locust, they intend to continue to continue through video marketing efforts (and perhaps their manufacturers and distributors want to contribute some ideas?)  Video, especially short, engaging, videos, can be a very effective communication tool and can be inexpensive.  If you\’ll recall, Werner Electric effectively used video marketing to document / promote the development and launch of their new Central Distribution Center.
If you like Locust\’s videos, I would encourage you to either \”like\” them on YouTube or email them your thoughts at sales@locustelectric.com.

• Distributors, are your reps marketing to you? What have you seen from reps or manufacturers that \”breaks through the clutter\”?
• Manufacturers, what have you seen from your reps? Do you advocate that your reps market your products to distribution? Are you providing them tools?
• Reps, what do you think of Locust\’s efforts? Do you have marketing tools you\’d like us to highlight as industry creativity?

Congratulations to Locust for breaking through the clutter and promoting their lines.
And yes, it can be done with as little as an iPhone … use your digital natives!