Switching marketing tactics as the tide turned for global ship management client
Just before the pandemic, we were appointed marketing partner of global ship management company V.Group, responsible for helping the Group communicate with its key stakeholders.
When the lockdown was announced, we had to change our longer-term strategic plans and entire approach to communication. We needed to reach our various audiences quickly to provide reassurance in a time of crisis. The first priority was communicating with V.Group’s pool of 44,000 seafarers, many of whom were stranded at sea, unable to leave their vessels. To this end, we advised the CEO of V.Group to speak directly to the seafarers, in a series of short videos, filmed on a mobile phone for authenticity. Our video editing experts quickly prepared the videos so that they could be shared with the seafarers within a matter of hours.
To communicate the crew change crisis to a broader audience, our design team produced a series of visually engaging infographics, focusing on startling figures and explaining the issue in a clear way. These infographics were shared thousands of times across V.Group’s social channels. To reinforce the message, the design team created another social asset, a counting ticker graphic which was updated regularly to show the growing number of seafarers successfully repatriated.
Communicating regularly and reassuring customers was another priority for the Group and to this end after our PR team drafted a 16-page newsletter, which the design team brought to life with show-stopping visuals, adhering to the Group’s strict brand guidelines. Clean, crisp imagery was used across the pages, and a mobile-friendly design ensured the newsletter could be accessed on all devices.
Whilst the design team turned around infographics, social assets and videos swiftly due to their time-sensitive nature; they also worked on a longer-form piece of collateral. A 20-page discussion paper (research and copy written by the RMS PR team) was beautifully designed with dramatic images and interspersed with infographics and a range of statistics creatively displayed. Originally planned as a digital asset, the V.Group management team was so impressed they asked us to print copies to send to a select number of their customers. The document was also presented as a flipbook and downloaded hundreds of times by industry professionals.
When it comes to finding creative ways to reach audiences, the RMS design team can always be relied upon to produce attention grabbing work. We love a challenge so whatever your design requirements, call us for an informal chat on 0161 927 3131.