Charlotte Pipe and Foundry, a 108-year-old company that manufactures cast iron pipes and pipe fittings, recently introduced its first viral marketing campaign, “Rosco's Pipe-Sniffing Dogs.”
The campaign, created by Eric Mower & Associates, Syracuse, N.Y., includes print and online. It is aimed at engineers and building contractors that use cast iron pipes in drain, waste and ventilation systems. “Charlotte Pipe and Foundry is a conservative company. We have been in business for 108 years, and it is safe to say that the company has never produced an ad that even comes close to the concept behind "Rosco',” said Brad Muller, VP-marketing at the Charlotte, N.C.-based manufacturer.
“However, when we first saw the campaign, we immediately recognized how on strategy the concept was, and that the humor and use of social media would create a buzz in our industry, helping us get our message across in ways we have not been able to before.”
Muller added: “The campaign is designed to educate contractors and engineers on the cast iron soil pipe manufacturing standards that we follow and that are required by any company that manufactures cast iron soil pipe,” he said.MORE COMPETITION FROM IMPORTS
In recent years, Charlotte Pipe has faced increasing competition from businesses that import pipes made overseas. Muller said it is hard for buyers to know if these products meet industry standards because, in many cases, the proper inspections are not being made at the time of production.
So Charlotte Pipe turned to Eric Mower & Associates to develop a campaign that would educate and entertain the target audience.
“We wanted to get the word out about imported pipes and the uncertainty about what you're getting when pipes are made in other countries,” said Ruben Lopez, creative supervisor at EMA. “The only way to really know your imported pipe meets industry standards is to ask for the inspection report.”
Scott Brown, associate creative director at EMA, said the agency wanted to come up with a humorous campaign that would generate excitement in the community, while getting the message across that Charlotte Pipe has reliable products that meet industry standards.
“Verifying that your pipe meets the standard can come across as very dry,” he said. “We wanted an idea that adds a little more buzz to it.”
So the agency came up with “Rosco's Pipe-Sniffing Dogs,” which features a fictitious company with dogs that sniff out pipes that do not meet industry standards. The campaign includes print ads, online video, a Web site at www.roscosdogs.com and a viral campaign.
The video, available on the Web site and YouTube, features a fictitious character named Rosco Sparks, owner of Rosco's Cast Iron Pipe-Sniffing Dogs.
The video shows Rosco leading his dogs through piles of pipes, while a voiceover says, “The dogs here at Rosco's have been trained to sniff out one thing—cast iron pipes and fittings that weren't manufactured to the standard.”
One bark means the pipe meets industry standards; two barks means it is questionable; and a growl means it does not meet the standards.
Print ads with pictures of the dogs are running in publications including Contractor, Plumbing Engineer, Plumbing & Mechanical, PM Engineer and Plumbing Systems & Design.
“We developed a three-pronged way to drive home the message,” Lopez said, referring to the print ads, the Web site and a phone number (877-K9SNIFF), where callers are told there are no pipe-sniffing dogs and that the only way to verify whether pipes meet industry standards is to ask for an inspection report.
Visitors to roscosdogs.com and callers are referred to the real Charlotte Pipe Web site (www.charlottepipe.com), where they can learn more about how to verify whether pipes meet the standards.
So far the campaign has had remarkable success. Of those who visited the roscosdogs.com landing page, nearly 40% clicked through to the Charlotte Pipe Web site.
“We have taken a more straightforward approach in previous campaigns, making technical arguments as to why customers can trust domestic cast iron soil pipe and fittings. It's a difficult argument to make,” Muller said. “We thought it made sense to try a different approach—an idea that would break through the clutter. We certainly think we've accomplished that.”
Muller said he is not surprised by the results of the campaign. “We knew we had a blockbuster concept on our hands that—if executed well—would be a huge hit with our audience. I had no doubt that our creative team would pull it off.” M
