Case Study: Brand Building

Client: Limitorque Corporation

The Situation

A leading manufacturer of valve actuators experienced a lengthy postponement of the launch of its new product. The dilemma was what to do about advertising in the interim; they did not want to disappear from trade ads, yet they were definitely not ready to advertise their new product. They were even reluctant to advertise their existing product, because it would soon be superceded by the new technology. One ad from Blair Marketing delivered the solution.

The Solution

Blair Marketing opted not to fall back on the traditional corporate image ad. Instead we felt that the overall marketing goals of the client would best be served by an ad that managed to achieve three distinct purposes:

- reinforce the image of the company
- give credit to the generation of product that was about to be retired
- pave the way for the next generation of technology

Reliability had long been the hallmark of Limitorque and its valve actuators. The older products had firmly established that reputation, and the marketplace needed to be assured that the next generation of products was prepared to carry on that same tradition.

Accordingly, the theme Blair Marketing devised was “When there’s no second chance, there’s no second choice.” It was exactly the right message for the company and for its products. Limitorque actuators had served for decades in such extremely demanding applications as nuclear power plants and petrochemical plants—situations in which leakage or failure could mean disaster. They had earned such respect inthose settings that for many technicians, Limitorque actuators were truly the first choice. The “no second chance/no second choice” message enhanced the Limitorque name while setting a dramatic stage upon which the company’s next generation of actuators would make their debut.

Graphically, the ad also had a complex job to do: naturally, it had to look confident, bold and dynamic—but it also had to allude to the company’s earlier products without highlighting them, and it needed to avoid being industry-specific. It achieved these goals using the faint suggestion of an earlier product line blended into a stylized, process piping image. Colors and typography completed the effect.

Rounding out the ad was an element that was as significant as anything found above. Recognizing the importance of getting Limitorque actuators written into project specs, we employed the language of specs in our tag, “Specify Limitorque—no equal.” This phrase is not only used by specifiers to preclude substitutions, it also conveys the notion that Limitorque itself is without equal.

The Results

Limitorque maintained a presence in key trade publications. Project decision-makers did in fact specify “Limitorque—no equal.” And sales of their retiring product held steady until the launch of their next generation of actuators. (Equally gratifying was the fact that peers in the industry took notice of the ad and commended Limitorque on its effectiveness.)