automotive

Troy-Bilt Campaign Touts Passion, Engineering

MTTBiltTVMoment-BLawn maintenance equipment company Troy-Bilt is widening its marketing focus from peoples' passion for their lawns to the manufacturer’s passion for its machines. The company is also doing something different for the category: partnering with music site Shazam. 

The effort, with the new tag "Built for Life," includes TV, digital, mobile, radio, social media and POS advertising, plus SEM and a sweepstakes program on Shazam. Cleveland-based Marcus Thomas handles. 

A 30-second branding spot uses split-screen visuals to show people using Troy-Bilt products and simultaneously, Troy-Bilt engineers putting the same products through design and testing. “At Troy-Bilt," says the ad, "the dirt on your hands is the reason for the grease on ours.” Featured is the company's String Trimmer and JumpStart cordless starter. “This is the moment ... our 18 years in the lab pay off, so you no longer have to mix oil and gas, thanks to our new four-cycle engine,” says the voiceover.

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The national media buy includes cable networks A&E, History Channel, TBS, TNT, USA and the Weather Channel. Support media include a regional radio :60, rich media pre-roll on video sites (via BrightRoll network), paid Facebook advertising and mobile advertising.

The Shazam tie-in gives users of the music recognition mobile app enter a chance to win one of 35 trimmer/starter combo packs. The sweepstakes follows a two-year test of Shazam’s ability to convert multi-screen interaction into active brand consideration for Troy-Bilt (last year’s call-to-action was an original music download).

Heidi Ketvertis, brand manager of parent MTD Products, tells Marketing Daily that the program with Shazam is a category first. "It's much more common with CPG brands. Our products are technical and about 70% of consumers are doing research online; it's an informed decision, so we wanted to come up with way to connect to people watching spot; we are hoping that after this, we will have a more holistic view of how they want to engage with us on multiple fronts."

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