Slack and Company
Company: Slack and Company
Company Description: But for 22 years, Slack and Company has worked exclusively with business marketers, helping to build their brands and generate profitable demand. As one of the nation’s first integrated marketing communications agencies, we were doing IMC since way before it was cool.
Nomination Category: Marketing Awards Campaign Categories - Industry
Nomination Sub Category: Marketing Campaign of the Year - Business Services
Nomination Title: LinkedIn “Fortune”
Tell the story of this nominated marketing campaign for the judges (up to 500 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:
When Fortune magazine made LinkedIn its April 2010 cover story, LinkedIn asked Slack and Company to get it to corporate recruiters, generating demand in a key growth market for its paid solutions. Our response was to create a mailer with copies of Fortune’s April issue and six reprints of the article (plus an offer of dinner with LinkedIn executives); a microsite with video featuring comedian and noted fast-talker John Moschitta reading the entire Fortune article—in under two minutes; emails targeted to corporate recruiters; and a downloadable PDF of the article. In short, the objectives were to generate awareness of Fortune’s in-depth and captivating cover story, motivate HR leaders to read and share the article (via issue and reprints) and get them to accept the dinner and/or meeting offers (with of course, critical follow-up).
LinkedIn offers HR leaders and recruiters powerful tools to find and hire the
most qualified talent. The network also represents the largest pool of passive
talent (those who are currently employed and may or may not be looking for a new
job). The communications strategy involved making sure key influencers had read
the Fortune article and persuading the same senior HR leaders to accept an
invitation to attend an executive dinner, or agree to accept a meeting or free
consultation with senior LinkedIn executives.
In execution, the print direct mailer delivered the April 2010 Fortune issue
with five reprints—all in an overprinted sleeve, with a personalized message
(including relevant offer) from a LinkedIn executive to recipient, in InMail
format. Email was delivered to HR leaders via the LinkedIn network, with a link
to a landing page—and via a standard opt-in email to HR leaders not in the
network. The landing page contained a headline, bold body copy links to various
ways to engage with the article: a live link to the actual story at fortune.com,
PDF, PowerPoint synopsis, and the John Moschitta video. Also included on the
landing page were links to a special LinkedIn group (for discussion), a Twitter
page, a Facebook page and a YouTube channel.
The campaign launched in July 2010. Within three months, LinkedIn had closed new
business amounting to more than $250,000.
List hyperlinks to any online work samples, videos, images, presentations, news stories, press releases, or other documents that support your case. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
http://hosting.slackandcompany.com/agp/stevie/E6_LinkedIn_BusinessServices/index.html
Provide a brief biography of the leader of the team that planned and executed this marketing campaign (up to 100 words):
Marc Linne, Associate Creative Director at Slack and Company, has more than 20
years of experience as a designer and art director. During that time, he has
created advertising campaigns for dozens of formidable brands in a wide range of
industries. He has managed creative staff at several of Chicago’s most
established design and corporate marketing firms. His experience includes
developing and repositioning brands through corporate identity, print and
outdoor advertising, direct mail, trade-show exhibit design, Web and other
interactive design, sales tools, collateral and broadcast.