THE CHALLENGE
Sterling Trucks needed to assert themselves in the competitive marketplaces of construction, utility, delivery and refuse work trucks. The brand had low awareness, which varied by region and vocation, often not even making it onto a buyer's consideration list. In short, Sterling Trucks needed an integrated, aggressive brand makeover.
THE APPROACH
Primary research involving editors, users and owners, along with secondary data, revealed universal truths to all vocational truck users: It is uncertain what one's day will bring; trucks are merely big tools to get the job done, and trucks are essential for success, even if the business is not viewed as "trucking." These truths aligned perfectly with Sterling's reputation among owners that it is a dependable, no-frills work truck. Our goal was to energize the brand with creative that spoke directly to a business owner's concerns about needing a truck to be there, every day, for everything, no matter what.
THE WORK
This goal was reached through a brand push around the concept of "Life's Uncertain. Sterling's Ready." Sterling's trucks were paired with incredible, sometimes outrageous, images showing an amazing amount of work to be done, with the reassurance that — no matter what — Sterling trucks will be there for you all day, every day. HMH then developed integrated campaigns across media and product lines, established brand standards, assisted with product naming, helped roll out new products at industry, dealer and consumer levels, increased brand visibility through keyword searching, and conducted more research to add nuance to our work.
THE RESULTS
Thanks to engaging creative and message continuity across product lines, dealers, customers and the trade are taking notice of a bold, fresh face on Sterling Trucks. Focus groups of truck buyers applauded a new tagline ("All Day, Every Day.") for striking a chord of truth about their real-world business challenges. Recent research showed that people unfamiliar with the Sterling Trucks brand would now consider checking out their products.
