How to Challenge an Established Force in Oil and Gas
Story
DuPont (now known as Chemours) wanted to enter the oil and gas market with a new coating that performed better than an established competitor’s, but DuPont lacked understanding of this market. The marketing strategy challenges were: 1) a new product; 2) a highly regulated industry; and 3) dominant market share by a competitor.
The Alias Group performed detailed market research for DuPont, which included gathering information on major industry players, customers, and the size of the potential market.
This research revealed many actionable insights, but one in particular: Reaching audiences in the industrial sector is about presenting engaging information in a succinct way. By understanding the target audience’s priorities and learning industry jargon, we determined how we could quickly convert prospects into purchasers.
Strategy
Alias used a multi-channel marketing strategy to launch this new coating. The strategy included creating new landing pages; writing press releases, blog posts, and social media posts; and attending trade shows in the industry. We set about aligning sales goals with marketing activities and executing on the platforms and during the times when the target audience was most likely to be captured.
The launch became about making as much noise as possible to reach the widest audiences in an industry with an entrenched, established competitor. Marketing activities are only as effective as the strategy behind them, so we made sure we were using methods and communications that would connect with our target audience.
Success
We attribute our success to the high degree of alignment between our sales and marketing efforts. Almost immediately, we received calls from potential customers that we had previously found difficult to reach by phone.
It wasn’t long before this new corrosion coating became one of DuPont’s top selling products. In a tight industry like oil and gas, it would be a success for new prospects to even remotely consider a different product. Achieving widespread industry disruption was a massive accomplishment.
