Celebrity endorsement is a time-honored marketing tactic in consumer advertising. Some endorsements rely solely on the fame and personality of a celebrity to promote the brand. Other endorsements rely on fame and personality, as well as the proven expertise of the celebrity or influencer on a particular topic. The latter endorsements are often more convincing and successful in strategic marketing because of their greater authenticity.
The Drucker Group had the honor of partnering with a genuine celebrity and expert influencer in motorsports and auto repair: Cristy Lee. Lee covers motorsports for Motor Trend Magazine and co-hosts popular TV programs like Garage Squad and All Girls Garage. We worked with her in partnership with our client ITW Professional Automotive Products, which operates the Full Throttle brand of automotive maintenance chemicals for professional installers and car care service providers in quick lubes and auto body shops nationwide.
Cristy Lee Presents Full Throttle: Intro
Our B2B marketing strategy for Full Throttle was to tap into Cristy’s expertise and celebrity status among auto repair enthusiasts as a way to “Influence the Influencer” in auto service shops by bringing:
• Technical credibility to the Full Throttle brand
• Education for maintenance techs who inform consumers on maintenance services
• Profitability advice to shop owners
A big part of Full Throttle’s customer value proposition is Tech U, a unique online training program for service technicians. According to Drucker Group Voice of Customer Research, car care providers want higher quality products for today’s advanced engine systems and need more help ensuring their service techs can confidently educate consumers around why those products are helpful to the longevity of their vehicles. Cristy Lee was the ideal choice to promote Full Throttle’s product benefits and the benefits of Tech U.
Cristy Lee Presents Full Throttle: Training
The Drucker Group team created an integrated B2B marketing campaign, including a video series, email marketing, online display ads, point-of-sale materials and direct mail promotions featuring Cristy Lee. They were a hit!
Every key industry publishing outlet promoted Tech U as a way service techs and shop owners can present the performance benefits of using Full Throttle products. Increases in website visits, YouTube page views, industry trade show traffic, and field sales activity all reflected how the celebrity of Cristy Lee brought authenticity — and high levels of attention — to the message. She talks the talk and walks the walk.