Not Your Typical Courier – Logistics For Marketing Campaigns

The front-end of any marketing campaign always appears colourful and well orchestrated. But behind the scenes, it’s a hive of manic activity, more often than not chasing some unrealistic deadline.

We Can Take It

Large scale signage and point-of-sale roll-outs are no exception. We love a challenge at Redline – a good challenge always raises our energy levels a notch or two.

A fantastic example is the nationwide MTN signage and point-of-sale roll-out we contributed to for a number of years, reporting into our long-standing client Nimtec. Having been briefed on the scope-of- works by Nimtec, it was very clear that this was definitely not a courier requirement. This project needed something far more specific, with a definite emphasis on specialist logistics. Courier companies contribute significantly within the widespread logistics industry – however, this marketing roll-out needed something far more flexible and diverse than any courier company could offer.

Not Your Typical Courier Company

Redline Logistics Project Management is totally suited to this particular marketing campaign. Within this project we took charge of the following aspects:

• Warehousing and storage
• Transport of the signage elements to the various regional teams
• Delivery of fragile cargo
• Installation and set-up of the signs and point-of-sale elements
• Project updates
• Feedback and communication to client
• Budget control

From upmarket shopping centres to CBD backstreets, from shipping containers in the townships through to spaza shops in the rural areas – we did them all. Shop-front signage, window decals, painting of walls, display stands – we “painted South Africa yellow”. Over the course of 5 years, we branded in excess of 30 000 sites. 

Easy Is Boring

The challenges we faced were totally unique to the locations we worked in. Townships and rural areas presented issues such as, amongst others, how to physically locate pre-determined site locations without accurate addresses. The safety of our installation teams was also a concern in some cases.

In the formal areas such as shopping centres, approvals from landlords and municipalities proved challenging. As with any project, adapting to the circumstances presented is key, and Redline’s team excelled at “making it happen”.

Looking after a project of this magnitude takes some doing. Brand consistency is key, and adhering to Corporate Identity guidelines was non-negotiable. MTN were clear in their brief that their outlets were to be branded along strict brand principles, regardless of geographic location. Following in the footsteps of international giants such as McDonalds, who have outlets across the globe branded identically, our primary objective focused on sticking to this principle. Redline’s solution to this challenge lay in selecting a dedicated, tightly knit project management team who familiarised themselves with the project objectives, and who “lived the brand”.

At operational level, it became apparent very early on in the programme that the extent of the branding exercise was more vast than ever anticipated. Outlets in the more “formal” areas – shopping centres, malls and high streets – were easily identifiable and documented. However, the number of outlets in the townships, rural areas and “backstreets” had exploded, and we were faced with a mammoth task of branding them all. A strategic decision was made by MTN to concentrate the branding effort in very specific locations, rather than diluting the effort over a wider geographic spread. 

This proved to a brilliant decision, and the results were phenomenal.

Administration and record-keeping of the outlets that were branded became a crucial component of the marketing campaign. Redline generated an accurate and detailed database of the outlets branded, and it was presented to MTN on a regular basis as the campaign progressed. The database became a strategic tool in decisions surrounding the direction of the long term campaign.

A Beginning

From a business development perspective, this is quite easily the project that defined Redline. Putting all the pieces together – transport, warehousing, installation, administration, budget control…. this is what sets Redline apart from the conventional courier. We pride ourselves on a total logistics solution, dedicated to assisting clients achieve their marketing objectives.