Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company
B2B , Building & Construction
In the building and construction world, cast iron pipes and fittings are frequently targeted as an opportunity to save money via value engineering—substituting less-expensive materials without sacrificing performance. Often the general contractor will recommend a change from cast iron to plastic piping because cast iron can be more costly than PVC.
As a manufacturer of both piping systems, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry wanted to convey the importance of using the right material for the job and sticking with engineers’ specs. So they hired us to install the right marketing materials to get the job done.
We love to hear about people’s triumphs more than their tribulations, but in this situation, there was no better way to show the risks of value engineering than by sharing a true story of a project gone wrong. After conducting meetings with plumbing engineers, stories started to emerge about projects that failed when specs requiring cast iron were “value engineered” to plastic.
To represent all the “value engineering gone wrong” stories, we enlisted certified plumbing designer John Neal to describe how the floors of a hospital caved in due to a contractor ignoring his cast iron piping recommendation.
First, we developed a long-form video of John’s story as the anthem to our “value engineering loses value” messaging. Then, to hit more industries across multiple platforms, we repurposed the video into digital content and tradeshow materials. We advised Charlotte Pipe to create a value engineering–specific section on their website that would house this video and other useful information including testimonials, case studies and a best–plumbing system checklist.
Our creative was well received—specifically amplifying Charlotte Pipe’s sales team calls. A Healthcare Design magazine ad study even noted our ad had a 95% recall—with 40% reporting that it prompted them to the next level of action. But hey, that’s just what friendship’s all about. Because whether it’s the value of a piping material or the value of what you have to say, a friend should never tell you to pipe down.
By tapping into a real industry story and enlisting a certified plumbing designer to tell it, we were able to create authentic connections with Charlotte Pipe’s audience—developing trust that the company was trying to sell them the best product for the job, not just the more expensive one.
Key Brand as Friend® drivers:
Hey! Our name is pronounced Mōw-rrr, like this thing I’m pushing.