Helping a proven winner tell a more powerful story—and find new opportunities.

North America’s largest industrial marketing/buying group had a fragmented identity.

Here’s how JK helped unite their $75B network under one powerful brand.

When they came to JK, AD had grown into a marketing/buying group spanning nine industries across three countries—but along the way, their identity had become fragmented. From mismatched division logos to a disorganized website design, they lacked a cohesive, compelling story and a consistent, modern look and feel that would resonate with their members.

So they gave us two challenges: Bring their vast member network together under a fresh brand identity that would authentically reflect the organization they are today, and then leverage it to drive new leads for their members. 

A focus on what sets them apart.

Through our branding process, we focused on what AD does better than anyone: helping their members be successful in very competitive spaces. 

That became the foundation of a new brand position—”Together, we win”—that lets them tell a single, powerful story across all their divisions and communications. 

That updated tagline underscores their deep commitment to the idea that as strong as AD and its individual members and suppliers are on their own, together they are stronger. 

Leading with what matters most.

Then it was time to bring the new brand to life with a bold new messaging framework and visual identity. 

That included a logo incorporating an evolution of AD’s “mountain mark,” a symbol that had come to be closely identified with the group; a logo architecture for their nine divisions; a streamlined color palette leveraging deep hues that convey strength and confidence; and a rugged, realistic photo style that authentically reflects their members’ industries.

AD’s new brand story was built around three core brand pillars we uncovered during our work together: their focus on investing in relationships, the entrepreneurial spirit of their members, and the passion, purpose, and pride that drives and unites them.

We showcased it all by reimagining AD’s most important marketing vehicle: adhq.com. 

AD’s size and strength gives their members unequaled purchasing power—a key differentiator that’s very attractive to prospects. So we created an eye-catching animated graphic on the homepage featuring the impressive statistics that highlight AD’s massive scale. 

And because they’re always growing, we made it simple for AD to update their website as their membership and offerings expand.

Outsmarting the giants with strategic digital marketing. 

AD is passionate about helping their members succeed—and so are we. So when they wanted a cost-effective way to increase search engine visibility for members and drive both digital and physical traffic to their stores—more than 1,000 across the country—we were ready to provide a strategic digital marketing solution.

We designed a paid search campaign strategy that combines precise geotargeting with behavioral profiling to capture potential customers as they shop online, connecting them with the nearest AD member to either buy online or make a purchase in person.

Our hypertargeting approach allows AD to get the most from their budget, paying for prime placements above the national chains in search results, but only when conditions are most favorable for a purchase.

The digital ads drive users to dynamically generated landing pages that use their physical location—or a location they specify in their search query—to provide a directory of local member branches the user can call, get directions to, or visit their website.

Widening the net without breaking the bank.

As the campaign matured, JK saw the opportunity to cast a wider net, designing and managing complementary campaigns that target users at different stages of their buying journeys—and planting the seeds for future success.

This included pay-per-click campaigns and website retargeting campaigns designed to re-engage site visitors who didn’t convert. We also employ affordable programmatic display campaigns to broaden audience reach and increase visibility through eye-catching ads.

A time-tested commitment to helping members win.

This campaign has been successfully operating since 2017, continually being optimized and refined based on campaign data, search behavior, audience trends, and other factors that drive preference and performance.

Our strategy paid off with an 83% lift in the conversion rate and a 160% increase in click-through rate—a big win for AD and their members.

But the campaign isn’t just about the numbers—it’s a testament to AD’s commitment to finding new ways to help their members outperform the market and stay ahead of the competition.

 

We can help you rethink, refresh, and reimagine your brand to be meaningful and relevant to all your audiences. Get in touch and let’s talk.