Three years later, its fair to say they got it. In July Afton launched a campaign that stands out from the marketing and advertising typically seen in the lubes industry. Built around a collection of cartoon robots, it aims to appeal to customers emotionally rather than on a purely technical basis. Developed over a period of 18 months, the campaign represents a significant investment by the company. It also represents a bet

by Afton that blending companies are ready for a new style of message about lubricant additives.

This campaign arose out of a very conscious decision to try something different, Flower, who is senior marketing manager for industrial lubricant additives, said in an interview. What were hoping is that this type of communication will win both hearts and minds in a way that makes customers feel good about purchasing from us.

The campaign launched with large, splashy ads that feature seven wide-eyed little robots – dubbed Microbotz – one for each of seven categories of industrial lubricants: hydraulic fluids, industrial gear oils, turbine oils, wind turbine lubes, greases, metalworking fluids and slideway lubes. To help differentiate them, each is a different color and has physical characteristics linked to its category. The hydraulics robot has the shovel of a front-end loader for one hand. Wind turbine robot has rotor blades on the back of his head.

According to Afton, the Microbotz are meant to serve as a visual and symbolic representation of what Aftons Industrial additives are doing day in and day out, within the lubricants. In promotional and informational pamphlets and booklets, the characters will be used to discuss the inner workings of machinery and the roles of lubricants and lubricant additives.

Afton officials said they were looking for a different way – at least for the lubricants industry – of encouraging potential customers to identify with Aftons products.

In this industry it seems that branding is done mostly at the corporate level, rather than the product level, Flower said. Communication is pretty conservative and pretty bland. Most ads and promotions focus on rational and tangible benefits, and for visuals they use lots of photos of equipment and greasy bearings. Everyone seems to be promoting pretty much the same message.

To my mind, that was an opportunity for Afton. When everyone is taking a similar approach, that means we have an opportunity do things differently and to stand out.

Branding campaigns based on emotional appeals – be they humorous, nostalgic or ideological – are common strategies for consumer products marketers. Companies selling everything from cars to toilet tissue have tried to win over customers by bonding with them in some way. Flower and Afton Marketing Director Mike Croft said the same approach can work with industrial products like lubricant additives.

We think there is room to make communications with customers more fun, more of a pleasant experience, Croft said. Traditionally, selling in this industry has followed a technology push approach, where marketers have said, We have a whole lot of data that youre going to hear about even if you dont want to. There are graphics and tables that arent very interesting, and there is a lot of information to wade through – information that people have to be really motivated to dig into.

As marketers, we should think about what that experience is like for customers and make it easier for them to get that information quicker while enjoying the process. This may be a B2B [business-to-business] market, but purchasing decisions are still being made by people.

Added Flower, I came from an industry where branding and effective communication were differentiators. Although different industries have peculiarities, she contended, successful marketing always requires the same things: a good product, positive competitive differentiation and effective communication.

LubesnGreases sought reactions from others in the market, and they generally applauded Aftons effort.

I have sons who are into Skylanders video games at the moment, so cute little characters like that are a big part of my life, said Adrian Hill, marketing manager for automotive products at Morris Lubricants, of Shrewsbury, United Kingdom. Several of us in the office sat down and tried to figure out which robot went with the different categories of lubricants.

I think this is a little tongue-in-cheek on Aftons part, so it introduces some humor, which is not a bad thing. And its certainly a fresh approach. As an attention-seeker, its doing its job. At some point, I expect the fascination and unusualness of it will wear off, at which point they may have to revert back to the technical approach that has been more traditional for this industry.

William Downey Jr., a partner at Munich, Germany-based Roland Berger strategy consultants, agreed that Microbotz ads are succeeding at getting peoples attention. The ad pulled me in right away, he said, partly because I wondered what an ad for Lego figures or a video game was doing in [a lubricants industry] magazine.

This approach is unusual for our industry, and it is risky. Ultimately, customer reaction will determine if it is successful and was a good idea. But I think it will be effective as it will draw attention to Afton and start a discussion around a range of products that does not often attract attention.

Flower explained that there is more to the Microbotz campaign than cute cartoon characters. By dividing the industrial segment into seven product categories and creating a robot for each, Afton hopes to make it easier for individuals to grasp a fragmented segment. The campaign will include a set of booklets – incorporating the color-coding of the seven robots – that explain the lubrication demands for each category and the functions of lubricant additives. Other materials include stickers and notebooks featuring the Microbotz. The company has created a website for the robots (www.aftonmi-crobotz.com) with everything from basic lubrication information to fun facts about each of the Microbotz. The hydraulics robots favorite film is Reservoir Dogs. Grease robots guilty pleasure is soap operas.

One might wonder whether lubricant formulators and procurement professionals are interested in the things Afton is doing to make its promotions fun.

Its difficult to please everyone every time, Croft said. But these robots are based on lubricant applications, and the information in the campaign is of interest to the audience. The feedback weve had from customers has been almost entirely positive, and we think most people will enjoy them.

Croft said this latest campaign is part of a broader strategy that Afton adopted a decade ago to shift to classical marketing principles such as those used for consumer products. Croft joined Afton in 2002, also without prior experience in the lubricants industry.

When companies put people into these marketing and business roles, there is a temptation to think that the most important thing is that they understand the technical aspects, he said. The temptation is to put in someone who from day one can do the job of working on ads about lubricants for certain applications.

On the other hand, its a brave move to bring in people who have the marketing skills and take the time to teach them the industry. I always tell marketers when they start here not to get lost in the industry because you need to have that helicopter view – to see the trends and the big moves by competitors.

Flower said Afton is trying several ways to gauge the effectiveness of the Microbotz campaign. A video of the robots was posted on YouTube, and the company is tracking hits there, as well as to the Microbotz website. It has also invited people to register online to receive free sets of the informational booklets.

Things like that give some sense, but its not always possible to directly measure the impact of campaigns like this, Flower said. But what were really trying to do is significantly raise awareness of Aftons products in the industrial segment. And also to help our customers – particularly newcomers to the industry – gain knowledge on lubricant additive technology. The educational aspect of the program is important. Experts take years to build up their knowledge, and much of it is in their heads. Before this program there were very few books on the subject.

If the campaign succeeds at that, the company will have no difficulty discerning if it has had an impact.