Mission Accomplished: Littelfuse Speed2Design Wins Second Platinum MarCom Award
Littelfuse, Inc., the global leader in circuit protection, has received a 2014 Platinum MarCom Award in the Marketing/Promo Campaign/Special Event category for the planning and promotion of the Speed2Design 2013 campaign. The company earned its second Platinum Award for creating a unique campaign that educated electronics engineers about the importance of circuit protection, while offering them a chance to win a behind-the-scenes “EXPLORATION & DISCOVERY” experience at two NASA facilities.
Contest winner Mark Hoggatt shared some highlights from his experience with Speed2Design. “This event was the realization of a lifelong dream of seeing NASA, with unexpected benefits on top of those expectations,” he explained. “Not only did I interact with the project leads from multiple segments of NASA’s innovative projects, asking many questions that they were more than willing to answer, but I also collaborated with several professionals within the group of attendees.”
MarCom Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding creative achievement by marketing and communication professionals. For this year’s contest, there were over 6,500 entries from the United States, Canada and 15 other countries. Winners were selected from over 200 categories in seven forms of media and communication efforts.
“Since 2012, Speed2Design has showcased the importance of implementing circuit protection early in the design process by demonstrating its application in fast-paced, high-tech environments – first at IndyCar, then at NASA,” explained Rhonda Stratton, global marketing communications manager at Littelfuse. “We’re excited to have our continued efforts to spread the word about the importance and value of circuit protection recognized. Through Speed2Design, we strive to provide engineers with the tools and resources required for safe, successful circuit design.”
After coming back from his visit to NASA, Hoggatt was able to share many insights with his colleagues. He said, “My fellow workers were very eager to hear of the experiences I enjoyed. Our dozens of employees were both shocked and impressed by the vast depth and quality of what I experienced.”
To engage its target audience, Littelfuse utilized several tactics during the Speed2Design 2013 campaign, including blog posts, executive interviews, news releases, feature articles, infographics, email blasts, videos, social media and the www.speed2design.com website. Littelfuse used social media to promote NASA giveaways and publish space-related jokes, historical facts and trivia. The company also coordinated interactive involvement with its media partners who were invited to attend the NASA events, engage with contest winners and promote the campaign using their own articles, blogs and social media posts.
As a result, Littelfuse generated over 100 media items related to Speed2Design and nearly tripled the number of contacts in the company database. Littelfuse also experienced a 1,011 percent growth in Twitter followers. An analysis of its Twitter followers revealed that Littelfuse built a significant audience comprised of electronic design engineers and engineering students -the exact demographic the company was targeting.
Throughout 2014, Speed2Design has been dedicated to “Protecting Technology. Protecting Life.” In line with this theme, Speed2Design.com has become a rapid-response center that provides content specifically designed to help electronics engineers in the automotive, LED lighting and consumer electronics industries. It offers support and solutions to time-pressured engineers who are seeking information about proper circuit protection technology and best practices in design. Resources include product selection guides, design guides, sample kits and videos.
Explaining the lasting impact of Speed2Design on Hoggatt, he said, “Although I work in equipment design, I had lost track of the rigor and scope of designs necessitated by current technology advances. Following my experience with NASA and Speed2Design, I went back to look at the line card for Littelfuse and was ‘wowed’ by what is now available.”
Written by Loren S. Meck: “You can lead a horse to water, but if you can get him to float on his back, you really got something!”
