In 2012, there was an opportunity for Hannibal Industries to grow its tube business in the automotive exhaust manufacturing market on the West Coast. Hannibal Industries could capitalize on this opportunity to grow its business with increased awareness, as the company is an established exhaust tube manufacturer that has a great deal to offer the automotive industry. Due to the nature of business-to-business O.E.M. manufacturing, Hannibal Industries’ brand name wasn’t visible within the industry.

Hannibal Industries retained Master Plan Communications and challenged the PR agency with increasing awareness of Hannibal Industries’ automotive exhaust manufacturing expertise. The Master Plan Communications team created an aggressive public relations program that would capitalize on its tradeshow schedule for traditional trade and business media as well as build a comprehensive social media program to connect with new automotive exhaust OEMs.

The Master Plan Communications PR team implemented a business-to-business PR campaign to build awareness of Hannibal Industries’ tubular exhaust O.E.M. business capabilities and successes in the automotive exhaust industry. This included creating a detailed plan identifying all of the elements needed to establish a relationship with Hannibal Industries’ targeted automotive exhaust manufacturers. This plan included a goal, objectives, strategies, tactics, a timeline and budget.

Support tactics included:

• Traditional media relations program
• Drafted and distributed a targeted news release plan
• Secured appointments with media contacts and executives at the tradeshow
• Launched the Hannibal Industries’ Tube Twitter account, and created and implemented an active social networking program.

The most important business objective Hannibal Industries challenged the Master Plan Communications team with achieving was met during this campaign, which was landing a new West Coast based automotive exhaust O.E.M. customer. Hannibal Industries’ new automotive customer is Flowmaster, the exhaust technology company, which is based in Santa Rosa, California.

In addition, the team implemented a successful social media program for Hannibal Industries, which has been instrumental in networking on a new level with customers, partners and other companies in the industry.

This campaign achieved its success by utilizing traditional print trade media, online media and new social media to create awareness of Hannibal Industries’ tubular products exhaust O.E.M. business capabilities and successes to the automotive exhaust industry.