When Gates makes a product, good enough is never acceptable. Their brand, however, didn’t embody that ethos. In fact, Gates Corporation branding had become fragmented after years of global expansion, and it was weighed down by the perception that they were only an ingredient brand. Through a deep discovery process, we found authentic brand insights that elevated the Gates Corporation brand in the eyes of customers and employees alike.
We created a new brand-focused messaging strategy, and we reorganized their brand architecture to align the entire organization with this new vision. This gave Gates the platform they needed to launch an IPO and for us to create compelling marketing campaigns.
Brand Building
- Brand architecture
- Positioning, messaging, and voice
- Visual identity design system
Campaign Development
- Art direction
- Creative strategy
- Print and packaging
- Writing and editorial
Media & Activation
- Paid media, traditional and digital/mobile
- Planning, buying, reporting, and optimization
Strategic Planning
- Audience insights
- Brand positioning
- Competitive analysis & benchmarking
Brand strategy
Bringing a global brand together
We started by building a rich understanding of their competitive market and their brand. Analyzing data and crisscrossing time zones, we connected with key Gates Corporation brand stakeholders around the globe and gathered crucial business insights. We found an ownable space within their market that focused on innovation and R&D. This position would stand out among their competitors while generating enthusiasm throughout the organization.
We could not have done this without CMD! The feedback we’re getting internally, externally … you name it, has been universally positive, some of it bordering on downright ecstatic!
Audience insights
Getting to know their customers
To hone their marketing efforts, we developed detailed personas that revealed the mindsets, concerns, challenges, and decision-making processes that customers face in their job roles. We leveraged this information to get inside the heads of target customers and tailor messages to address the issues they care about most.
Thank you … everyone at CMD. We couldn’t be here without you! I love your “can-do” spirit.
Brand architecture
Overcoming decades of fragmentation
The Gates brand had become highly fragmented with a number of sub-brands and hundreds of products. We conducted a deep brand audit—uncovering all the instances of the brand’s use—and architected a simplified new product and brand hierarchy that gave Gates the structure it needed to make crucial decisions on how to employ its brand elements. Now they’re able to maintain brand integrity even as new elements are added. CMD continues to support this effort by reviewing and providing direction to business units on how to use the brand.
Campaign development
Unchaining the potential of gates and their customers
To bring the innovation message to life and drive sales, we created the first external marketing campaign for Gates since their rebrand.
The “Unchain” campaign was a wake-up call to industrial business and equipment manufacturers, urging them to break free from old ways of thinking, shake off the chains that hold them back, and discover the benefits of upgrading to modern belt drive solutions.
Advertising campaign
Taking Gates’ bold new message to North America
We created the “Unchain” campaign concept and messaging and various assets that communicate how Gates belt drive solutions address the concerns and challenges of the campaign’s target personas. Ads on television, digital billboards, videos on social media, and more were placed throughout North America.
