Whayne Supply is one of the largest and oldest authorized Caterpillar Dealers in the world. Serving customers at 17 different locations across Kentucky and Southern Indiana, they operate across a number of industries from agriculture and construction, to parts and education.
THE CHALLENGE
Whayne Supply has long held a place as the superior choice in construction equipment but has yet to obtain significant market share in the agriculture sector. Insight about the target demographic is limited, especially related to how they buy, the information they seek, and what they want from an equipment supplier.
THE APPROACH
By leveraging existing relationships with the Kentucky Farm Bureau and the Kentucky Future Farmers of America (FFA) we created an endorsement connecting Whayne Supply with these established and trusted organizations. A multi-channel campaign was designed to create high impact and foot traffic to the Whayne Supply booth at the National Farm Machinery Show. Key elements included a custom-designed and FFA-branded Caterpillar skid steer, updated trade-show banners, and direct mail targeting Kentucky Farm Bureau members with special offers.
THE RESULTS
FFA members across the state volunteered as greeters for the FFA skid steer and sold over 500 co-branded t-shirts while mingling with National Farm Machinery Show attendees. The direct mail campaign resulted in a 3% conversion rate from Kentucky Farm Bureau members and the social media posts caught the attention of the national Cat agriculture team, who then shared the post as well, resulting in an additional 522 shares and growth in brand credibility. The FFA skid steer was so popular that the Whayne Supply ag sales team took it on the road, visiting FFA chapters across the state, complete with its own touring schedule and poster.
