The sublime intersection of understanding your audience and effective engagement… Bravo!!
By Robert Wheatley

Business goal: effective introduction of a major new product. Launch strategy: deliver the news in a meaningful way by surrounding the potential… buyer in an immersion of subject matter they will naturally resonate to. Who is it? Perhaps a leading-edge video game company or maybe a blue-chip consumer electronics brand? No, it’s Navistar International — the venerable maker of big-rig trucks and the introduction of their new top-of-the-line LoneStar model.

Navistar recognizes what some marketers fail to fully grasp: nearly every category has sub-divided many times over into narrow “tribes” of consumers who possess unique interests and motivations and who relate best to one another. They also understand that building a brand relationship based on relevance to the users needs and lifestyle is a fundamental requirement going in.

Navistar has created a documentary film called Drive and Deliver about life on the road. The story line follows three real-world truckers who represent different segments of the long-haul life — from the seasoned career trucker to the younger guy trying to get started. Yes, they’re driving the new rigs (on loan) as they crisscross the nation – over 5,270 miles worth. The saga was produced and filmed by Brett Morgen who created the “Nimrod Nation” small town basketball series for Sundance Channel. Viewers will hear “up close and personal” about their lives in an authentic, unscripted production. Is the truck getting a plug? Absolutely. But the manner of it isn’t heavy-handed or overtly self-serving. Just brilliant…

The 45-minute movie debuts later this month at a “Tread Carpet” event to be staged at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. Followed by screenings at truck stops around the country. In Stuart Elliott’s New York Times ad column about the launch, he quotes Al Saltiel, Navistar’s marketing chief: “Unlike a lot of consumer companies we don’t have to debate how much we spend on TV because the answer is zero. This is about generating positive word of mouth for the LoneStar.”

It’s a real life look at the challenges, hardships and rewards of the people involved. Here we have truckers speaking to truckers in their voice about their lives. This isn’t a glossy video brochure or dive into the typical feature and benefit sales proposition. The brand handlers at Navistar understand that the flow of a purchase decision begins with how consumers feel about the brand. Analytical information comes further downstream and often as justification for making the Yes decision.

Importantly the campaign is centered on compelling content creation and will undoubtedly achieve pass along value among the intended target.

Design Differentiation

If that weren’t enough, the truck itself forges new visual lines, marrying the brawny musculature you anticipate in a big rig with an unexpected mélange of retro and swoop — as if famed Hollywood Director Ridley Scott had designed a truck to appear in the industrial chic world he created for his gritty Blade Runner epic.

Speak Authentically

Years ago we worked for the number one home safety brand in America, First Alert. We experienced first hand how the nation’s fire fighters, an important home safety category influencer audience, would connect profoundly to stories from their peers about heroism and life safety events. These stories were always told in their own voices. Yes, you can talk AT someone but WITH them on their terms and in a manner they immediately gravitate to is so much more effective. Hats off to Navistar…