DYMAX



Situation:

• A small engineering and manufacturing firm dedicated to designing and building the highest quality specialized attachments for the construction equipment industry (snow plows, bulldozer blades, buckets, etc.);
  
• Field is dominated by much larger firms that are captives of the major machinery manufacturers (Caterpillar, Deere, Komatsu, etc.);
  
• Company's reputation centered in middle America and largely in one product line (tree shears);
  
• Company was once a part of another business (Balderson Inc.) who was the leader in this field but which is now owned by Caterpillar;
  
• Owner of Dymax is former owner of Balderson Inc. and shares his last name with that company's brand name.

First Need:
Communication materials that stand out from competitors

Solutions:
Communication materials that stand out from competitors

• Internet web site
  Designed and executed a complex web site, including multiple links, downloadable promotion materials and ability to collect information on visitors to site
  Visit the website at: www.DYMAXattachments.com
  
• Logo
  Redesigned existing logo, keeping primary components but updating type font to a more powerful, dynamic and progressive look
  
• Newsletter
  Implemented standout periodic newsletter, capitalizing on similar format to former company's very effective but discontinued newsletter
  
• Binders
  Market research revealed nearly all competitor catalog binders were dark colors - developed new binder to be highly visible on customer catalog shelves and desks
  
• Product pages in catalog
  Developed consistent format featuring clear black and white photographs and concise listing of features and benefits
  
• Product line breadth
  Introduced use of photo montages (Adobe Photoshop specialty work) on trade show posters, special market niche brochures and folders
  Photo montages show wide range of company's products, in use in a variety of applications on a number of different machines

Second Need:
Cost effective methods for quick distribution of literature

Solutions:
Cost effective methods for quick distribution of literature (company maintains full "physical" catalog availability to all customers which represents a significant investment)

• Product Catalog and individual catalog pages
  A key part of the web site, the full company catalog is located on the internet and site visitors are able to view the entire catalog, page by page, as well as download the full volume or only one selected page. (This has eliminated frequent requirements to expensively send single catalog pages via overnight delivery as well as sending pages via fax which always yields extremely poor quality photographs for customer use.)
  
• Target marketing
  Another key portion of the web site invites visitors to request literature, videos and other promotional materials, as well as sign up for notices of new products or other developments via email
  Company is able to use email addresses to do very targeted email marketing, sending customized notes on specific products to those on the email database - at a very low cost per note compared to more traditional print and U.S. mail approaches.

Third Need:
Legal and appropriate ways to use owner's last name, which is same as his former company, which dominated this market segment for decades, and which is now owned by one of the major machine manufacturers
(Owner of company had previously owned and been president of a business in this same industry. The business name was the same as owner's last name. Owner is precluded from using his name as a brand or in marketing because it is a registered brand belonging to the largest of the construction equipment manufacturers. Nonetheless, owner is not prohibited from using his name where it is in reference to him as an individual or his family. Further, current company was once a division of the well known company. Current company can address its past history as a division of other business.)

Solutions:
Legal and appropriate ways to use owner's last name

Register domain on internet of last name and develop a web site devoted to family

• Significant family data
  
• Prominent link to new company
  
• Searches for brand name will turn up family website with links to new company
  
• Web features family history which includes role played by various generations of family in development of the original company and various products
  o Use of domain name as email address
  
• Current company employees who are members of the family that formerly owned the well known business use the family name domain name as their email address, providing a constant reminder to all business communication receivers of the past association
  o Personalizing communication materials where appropriate
  
• New company newsletter is always signed by owner, using first and last name
  
• Any promotional tools that might feature company history includes references to ownership as well as to the fact that current company was once a division of the other business