Axis launches an awareness campaign with global appeal. Jessica McGreal reports
Network video surveillance solutions provider Axis’ new awareness campaign sees the brand thinking outside the box, ironically by jumping right inside it.
This international activity aims to increase awareness of its cargo logistics divisions, specifically the company’s video surveillance products that are used in large postal depots. If a parcel is lost, broken or stolen Axis’ technology allows both the customer and seller to easily discover what happened without spending hours rewinding through video footage. This saves both parties time and money. In addition, the project also hopes to create brand preference and increase sales among third-party logistics companies.
The idea
The ‘Axis box heads’ campaign takes the dry video-based goods tracking product and puts a creative, more consumer-facing spin on this B2B product.
Working with agency OgilvyOne DNX, the creative came from the idea that ‘every package has a story’. The ads feature personified packages in the guise of a smartly dressed man with a box for a head. The expression on the man’s square face ranges from smiling to frowning depending on the journey he has had. For example, one scene features a very sad box head that has been lost. The simple photograph is eye-catching and cute. However, the copy heeds a more serious warning: ‘This package was lost. And even if you weren’t responsible your customers might claim you are.’
The advertisements urge the audience to visit a dedicated microsite. The website showcases the product benefits through brochures and case studies. In addition, an animated informative film takes the viewer on a journey of Smart Logistics, a growing third-party logistics company, in order to highlight how Axis’ technology improved its working practices.
Traditional advertising
The ‘box head’ creative will run across nine global regions, including the UK, Germany, Spain, China and the Middle East from January to June 2015.
Due to the vast nature of the campaign the brand has chosen to begin by focusing on more traditional forms of marketing. The creative will run across print, website banners and animated MPUs. The company has found that these forms of communication resonate with its target audience.
Meanwhile, these formats are much easier for each region to implement and allow the campaign to run as consistently as possible. Each local team is, however, encouraged to carry out further activity via its own marketing channels.
Ensuring success
OgilvyOne DNX is working very closely with regional teams to ensure the activity is successful. Consequently, each location is provided with specialised toolkits, containing creative, copy and advice on when and where each branch of the brand should use it.
Andrew O’Sullivan, senior art director at Axis’ creative agency OgilvyOne DNX, offers advice to brands embarking on international marketing: “Humour, through words in particular, can cause issues. We try to take a more visual approach when dealing with international campaigns as we can control the message better. Simplicity is key too. Language barriers no longer exist when you work on premises that we can all understand and relate to. Cultural differences aside, human truths invariably speak the same language.”
Another issue Axis faces with a campaign of this magnitude is measuring success. However, the brand is putting a new focus on tracking how regions are using the collateral. This will allow the company to find out what’s working and what’s not in order to prove ROI.
Across the next four months Axis will build on what it has learnt so far, and hopes to tell further stories using the box head creative via digital channels
and video.
