Company: Cub Cadet, Cleveland, OH
Entry Submitted By: Brunner
Company Description: Cub Cadet is a leading provider of outdoor power equipment. Since 1961, the company has delivered industry leading innovations and full lines of high-performance,first-to-market lawn care solutions for homeowners and professional groundskeepers, including zero-turn riding mowers; lawn & garden tractors; snow throwers; handheld and chore products, and utility vehicles among more.
Nomination Category: Marketing Campaign Categories - Specialty
Nomination Sub Category: New Product or Service Introduction of the Year

Nomination Title: Cub Cadet RZT S ZERO Product Launch

Tell the story of this nominated marketing campaign for the judges (up to 525 words). Describe the genesis, planning, execution, and results to date of your campaign. If applicable, remember to describe what's unique or innovative about your campaign:

In 2013, Cub Cadet unveiled its most dynamic product ever, the RZT S ZERO. A next-generation mower, the ZERO would be the world’s first fully electric zero-turn rider with the stability of four wheel steering control. It was designed for the eco-friendly, tech-savvy, early adopter.

GOAL: To execute a highly visible, non-traditional outdoor power equipment product launch on a limited budget.

OBJECTIVES:
•Earn national media attention with high-profile trade, consumer, & broadcast outlets
•Elevate the perception of Cub Cadet as an innovator
•Achieve recognition & validation in the form of third-party awards/endorsements

INITIAL CHALLENGES:
1.Launching a new product that claims to offer a world’s first technology requires an extraordinary amount of third-party validation
2.Earning high-profile national media coverage is particularly challenging for us as a smaller, privately-owned company in an industry that traditionally doesn’t see much airtime in the national spotlight
3.Strict budget constraints compelled a creative, dynamic, and multi-channel marketing communications strategy with PR front and center.

LAUNCH STAGE 1 – INTRODUCTION TO LAUNCH-MARKETS: The ZERO’s first introduction came in April 2013 and resulted from months of consumer research and evaluation. For the first time in the brand’s 52 year history, a test-market launch strategy would be initiated. Seattle and Portland were chosen as research revealed both city’s populations to have an above average propensity for adopting new technologies, a concern for the environment, and an elevated desire for the latest and greatest. To maximize awareness, public relations, digital outdoor signage, local newspaper & TV advertising, mobile, social media & paid search tactics were used. Test-drives were also given at unique, high-trafficked locations, such as a Seattle Mariners game.

STAGE 2: ANNOUNCING NATIONAL AVAILABILITY - Focused around winning the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovations Award, this mass-market launch strategy would be unique for our industry and get consumers excited about an innovation being independently touted as the future of lawn care.

Winning the CES Innovations Award presented a huge PR opportunity for us to capitalize on. But due to budget constraints, we decided to exhibit the ZERO at the Pepcom Digital Experience Media Event, which takes place the night before CES begins. With over 1500 reporters in attendance, Pepcom offered us the reach and scale associated with CES, but at much less the cost.

With no outdoor power equipment brand precedent for exhibiting, we were concerned with how the media might react to our presence. Would they think that we didn’t belong? Would they embrace us? Would they know anything about us? Not knowing the answers to these questions, we knew that it would be important to not just tell our story, but to position it for a media audience that would be largely unfamiliar with our brand and industry.

NOTABLE RESULTS:

•Total Publicity Value (12 months): $9.1 million
•Total Investment: Less than $750,000
•Total Earned media Impressions: 595 million
•Two Today show segments
•Earned Media Snapshot: Consumer Reports, Popular Mechanics, Men’s Journal, Huffington Post, The Weather Channel, WGN, Wired, DIY Network’s I Want That
•Social Media: 150% increase in organic engagement
•Microsite: 18,000 views with two minute retention rate

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2. Provide a brief biography of the leader of the team that planned and executed this marketing campaign (up to 125 words):

Cub Cadet's director of marketing is Jeff Salamon and the RZT S ZERO represents his vision for the future of lawn care. He is supported by two marketing managers and Brunner, a communications agency that oversees all of his brands public relations, advertising, social media and marketing communications.