ZF CASE STUDY
CLIENT: ZF AFTERMARKET
PROJECT: ZF HOTLINE
With over 100 years of unparalleled expertise in developing OE quality parts across automotive and beyond, ZF Aftermarket is a global manufacturer and driving force in the automotive industry. Leading change. Driving innovation. And always ahead of the curve. A good example: The ZF Aftermarket Marketing Hotline. Created by the ZF Aftermarket Central Brand Team to develop marketing campaigns for the Aftermarket subdivision and their global regions, the ZF Hotline enhanced localisation without compromising the ZF Aftermarket brand. At the heart at every stage: LAW Creative.
On brief. On brand. On budget
Fully established by the beginning of 2020, the ZF Hotline puts a stringent focus on quality and service, providing consistent turnaround, creative artwork and brand compliance – allowing local teams to create exciting, effective marketing plans with the reassurance that assets can be delivered on brand and on budget.
The ultimate test: the worldwide Covid pandemic. Whilst many companies’ budgets were frozen and staff furloughed, the ZF Hotline went from strength to strength. The team had become so integral in terms of keeping the global marketing network moving for ZF Aftermarket, the Hotline kept right on going… becoming essential for all regional marketing activity. Providing consistent marketing support during this most challenging and unprecedented of times, the ZF Hotline helped local marketing teams meet every kind of challenge… and overcome them. Post pandemic, it continued to evolve and grow, highlighting its value as one of ZF Aftermarket’s primary tools for marketing and communication.
A key part of the team
The Hotline team at LAW Creative understand the client’s values inherently and have, in turn, become an integral part of the wider ZF Aftermarket team. How we help: assisting local markets with tailor-made solutions and localised large scale national or global campaigns to meet specific and varied market goals – thus building trust between consumer and brand, whilst solidifying the agency / client relationship.
How it works
Previously, regions would have to work with multiple local agencies; however, by pooling work through a single Marketing Hotline, ZF Aftermarket have realised substantial savings, as well as gained significantly faster delivery timescales. Regions brief the Hotline via email or telephone; the LAW Hotline team then create assets following brand guidelines which are approved by the Local and Central teams before LAW deliver final files – a process allowing unanimous approval to keep branding consistent, ensure that quality never falters and make delivery as quick and efficient as possible.
Always evolving, always on point
Since its inception, the LAW Creative ZF Marketing Hotline team has evolved with ZF Aftermarket to meet their ever-changing market needs. Rather than use local agencies, the regional marketing teams now come to the Hotline team for advice, support and approval on projects – valuing their expert opinion and LAW’s relationship with the Central ZF Aftermarket team. Not only that, but regional ZF teams also entrust the Hotline for assistance with building marketing plans and delivering against them.
The results speak for themselves
Across 2021, the ZF Marketing Hotline team received 1,277 requests across 28 regions covering 10 brands. Not only are we efficient at handling requests for the ZF Aftermarket Central Marketing team, we are also incredibly cost-effective on a job-by-job basis, building up a vast repository of detailed brand knowledge, client expertise and branded communication templates.
Working together. Thinking smarter. Achieving more
At LAW Creative, we understand that clients are always evolving – and that it’s imperative to provide a flexible service that adapts to ever-changing needs. In that regard, the ZF Marketing Hotline prides itself on being able to adjust to support the ZF Aftermarket’s Central Marketing team vision:
We help the regions grow.
Throughout this process, LAW have invested time with regions who need extra support and helped create fully integrated marketing campaigns with an increasing shift to digital first. One of the challenges the Hotline team have overcome is finding the right compromise with regions who have a stronger history with printed material rather than digital – this has strengthened our relationships with the local teams and Central team too.
Overall, the ZF Hotline team have positioned themselves as an invaluable extension of the Central Marketing team, securing client retention and building a portfolio of projects and assets that will be successfully supporting ZF Aftermarket marketing activity for years to come.
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