Professional Financial Services Agricultural Specialty Markets ROI on Equipment & Team Growing a Client's Reach Establishing Media Goals Branding/Positioning Branding & Corporate Identity

Click above to review more of RF Timberlake & Company's abbreviated marcom case studies.

Case Studies

Case studies provide affirmation and assessment of the intended goals of a marketing project or campaign. Every business should measure the success of each marketing component and the overall success of marketing with case studies. Our abbreviated approach here is to provide you with highlights of some of the challenges met with solutions by our marcom professionals. Measurement can be made in many forms, but it needs to be made. We would like to discuss your company's challenges to see if we can turn them into solutions with positive measured results, and write another successful case study.

Increasing Professional Financial Services in a Weak Economy
Despite a struggling economy, our integrated marcom services helped a long-time financial services client move forward while many fell behind. Marketing research showed the client needed to realign some individual services and focus more on company and government services for growth. We developed a marketing strategy to reflect that and a plan of direct marketing was developed and implemented to seek the internal services business. Keeping appropriate messaging directed at the individual target audience, another advertising campaign with a more corporate image was developed and put into targeted media. We also blended electronic, web and social media into the mix, integrating it with productive traditional media. The firm, our client for 23 years, reported its best year in the history of the company.

Quick Campaign for Agricultural Specialty Market Share Increase
Comfortable with primarily international business for greenhouse specialty products and media, the company was presented with an opportunity to gain quick U.S. market share due to unforeseen competitor problems. While drawing attention to the situation would have been inappropriate and might have cost the client some existing share, a carefully structured communications plan was developed to position the client company as a source of helpful approved crop procedures. This information was disseminated through trade media, and distributed as email newsletter blasts through the channel to dealers and growers. The company realized greater-than-expected sales while protecting its positive professional reputation.

Increasing Specialized Medical Services: ROI on Equipment & Team
A multi-office specialty medical practice found that its primary satellite office was underutilized in special preventative practices patient service. The practice spent large sums investing in specially trained staff, a nuclear cam and other equipment. Research and assessment revealed that to achieve the goal of more patient visits and usage of specialized equipment a fully integrated plan needed enactment. Public Relations and direct marketing were used to promote an open house event attended by community officials, members of the media, and local referring doctors and administrators. The open house introduced local physicians to a non-threatening media campaign that was launched to the public shortly thereafter. The media campaign caused prospective patients to ask their physicians about preventative specialized examinations. Referrals tripled within the first month. The satellite practice fulfilled the needs of the community preventing local patients from having to travel for the specialized services and the practice fulfilled the needs of the medical partnership.

Growing a Client's Real Estate Reach & Recognition to Increase Sales
Our challenge was how to help an independent real estate company specializing in agricultural and recreational tract lands increase both the company's potential buyer base and to increase marketing tools and opportunities. We helped with the conversion to a franchise real estate operation of both traditional and timed sales. There was a mutual coordination of marketing services that developed national and international buyer and sales prospects. Positioning was careful. The reputation, identity and branding of the local company was carefully preserved to achieve usage of a franchise image that was not overshadowing. Meanwhile the client allowed our company to oversee marketing relations with the franchise in order to fully use all components and benefits of the franchise. The goals of increasing both potential buyers and sellers have been realized and the franchise has consistently ranked and recognized the client for outstanding achievements in multiple categories.

Establishing Media Goals & Increasing Added Value for Medical Media Client
With an increasing number of medical service sectors without substantial budget increases, a hospital client needed to grow specialized segmented services with separate strategies. Through a revised media strategy approach all the separate components were pooled together for media placement, brought together for budgeting and negotiating purposes. Apparent to media sources as to what was actually on the table, negotiations increased buying power by over 15%. To insure no loss to particular service sector promotion, the individual service sectors were purchased separately and done so quarterly to keep the system at optimum buying power levels. Added value increased from insignificance to nearly 20 % of budget. Gross rating points and impressions now are nearly double of those set out in the annual goals.

Branding/Positioning for Highly Specialized Furniture Maker
Dependent on word-of-mouth referrals, a slow-growth custom furniture designer and manufacturer wanted to transition from higher quantity, less expensive pieces to higher quality, more one-of-a-kind, custom furniture. Through PR an identity of the craftsman was established featuring high-end, custom designs and furniture. Awards for design for reproductions were publicized. Using a new website, the identity and capabilities of the transitioning craftsman and his company were positioned using, at his request, the company's existing name. New positioning made the company a prime candidate for direct marketing focused on upscale demographics and regional geographic targeting. Testimonials from the previous referrals appeared in all ad forms. Media blended with direct mail using the website for contact proved successful enough that the company has abandoned all less expensive furniture lines and now focuses only on custom reproduction furniture.

Branding & Corporate Identity: Generic/After Patent Crop Protection Co.
An international company selling generic compounds, desirous of capturing sales increases decided the method to achieve that end would be to market generic products under its own name and to combine after patent crop protection products to its product line. First, a successful corporate identity was established from which collateral materials, sales tools and advertising specs were created. A series of target channels were researched and identified. From that information detailed plans were drawn on marketing strategies, tactics and goals. Marketing assessments for each product were made and appropriate advertising through targeted media was launched. By the third year of the plan, most products achieved phenomenal sales level, surpassing the company's forecast several times over.