ABOUT
When the pandemic came along, American manufacturing and construction jobs grew quiet. Zekelman Industries saw their customers disappearing, their sales slowing, and the futures of their 8,000 employees in doubt.
Zekelman Industries is the largest independent steel tube and pipe manufacturer in North America. With operations and products that rely heavily on domestic manufacturing, the company had an opportunity to show the world what’s possible when production doesn’t move overseas.
CHALLENGE
The challenge was clear: How does Zekelman take their vision and values to market and make this moment in history one that serves as a catalyst to recognize the importance of transparency and stewardship of supplier relationships and commit to produce steel right here in America?
"Our goal was to have our leadership be part of the national conversation while demonstrating the commitment to domestic production and rallying our stakeholders to this cause," said Ian Russ, Zekelman Industries' Vice President, Corporate Communications & Digital. "What we lacked were the resources to develop an actionable plan, a unified story, and a broad reach for our message."
SOLUTION
The Mx Group collaborated with Zekelman to build a cohesive pandemic response strategy. The first step was to narrow Zekelman’s message and broaden its challenge to the market: Make it here. Whoever you are, whatever you make, do it domestically.
The Mx Group developed an adaptive plan of action to jumpstart the campaign and get the message in front of global audiences. The Mx Group leveraged thought leadership — a combination of digital PR, social media, content creation and news outreach— to establish Zekelman as an expert voice and supporter of domestic production.
The campaign focused on aligning the organization’s values, embracing their manufacturing expertise and connecting Zekelman’s leadership to thought-provoking conversations about the future of production post-pandemic.
"The Mx Group's expertise combined with Zekelman's reach and commitment to American production enabled us to make an impact on a national scale," said Russ.
IMPACT
The initial campaign goal was to reach 250 million impressions. Within the first few months, The Mx Group helped Zekelman reach their goal exponentially. In total, the campaign garnered more than 314,870,641 impressions with high-profile publications like Fortune, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Entrepreneur.
The Mx Group also helped Zekelman continue to grow thought leadership in the manufacturing space. Thanks to the campaign success, Zekelman is quickly elevating the conversation around domestic production — distancing itself from its competition, and developing a community of stakeholders that embraces and supports their commitment to "Made in America."
To learn more about this award-winning campaign, connect with The Mx Group to learn more about demand strategies to grow your business.