2024 Bronze B2B

Agency: The Creative Consultancy

Client: Maersk

Entry Title: Handmade Approach to Opening Doors

Executive Summary

Global logistics business Maersk wanted to open doors with two large UK targets: a leading pet retailer and a leading bed retailer. Account Based Marketing (ABM) was the perfect solution.

Strategy

The team heavily researched and developed an ABM campaign designed to catch and hold the attention of a busy senior audience; demonstrate a deep understanding of the prospect, leading to meaningful sales conversations, and support the sales team in nurturing the target towards tender season.

The campaign was ‘phygital’: combining bespoke thought pieces delivered by Maersk’s UK MD on LinkedIn, personalised online hubs, digital whitepapers, and the centrepiece of the campaign: a hand-delivered physical mailer.

The box was filled with handmade papercraft objects, each representing an area of the targets’ strategy and how Maersk could help fulfil it, and a personalised video from the UK MD.

Creativity

The creative idea was to develop what would typically be articulated via a sales deck into elements that would surprise in their execution, delight in their detail and strike a chord in their messaging. It began with a personalised thought piece ‘authored’ by the UK MD of Maersk; who sent it to the target individuals on LinkedIn. The thought piece linked to a bespoke hub page.

The MD introduced the salesperson, who hand-delivered the campaign centrepiece: a fully personalised physical mailer filled with handmade papercraft objects. Making it recyclable was essential to meet the sustainable values of both brands. Each object represented elements of the target brands’ strategy or values, and was accompanied by a ‘receipt’ and brochure that drew parallels with Maersk.

For the pet retailer, this included a green frog symbolising leaping towards emissions reduction in line with its ESG strategy, and a Union Jack collar for post-Brexit customs. For the bed retailer, it included an alarm clock for speed to market and a wardrobe for innovative warehousing to support their infrastructure investments.

Results

The campaign successfully opened doors with both brands and multiple meetings were secured. The relationship with the pet retailer - a new prospect - has been established and the relationship with the lapsed bed retailer has significantly improved. Both have indicated interest in ocean freight and supply chain management.

One brand has already indicated a short-term opportunity for Q4 2024 and are interested in further conversations around fixing a ‘one-stop shop’ supplier for 2025. The other brand asked for a demonstration of Maersk’s supply chain management platform and has invited it to tender in 2025.

The estimated pipeline ROI is 1:195 of the campaign cost.

The Team

The Creative Consultancy - Teresa Sullivan, Executive Creative Director - Nicci Kitchiner, Account Director - Tim Cornell, Creative Director - Beth Alexander, Head of Copy - Rowan O'Duffy, Photography and Video - Dean Chillmaid, Senior Creative - Sophia Sellick, Creative