The Overhead Alliance Packs a Mighty Marketing Punch for Three MHI Industry Groups
Article from MHI Solutions Magazine
Three groups combining their marketing muscle pack a much greater punch than working separately.
The Overhead Alliance does just that for three MHI industry groups—the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA), Monorail Manufacturers Association (MMA) and Hoist Manufacturers Institute (HMI).
These three industry groups have many related products and business interests, serve similar industries and potentially even serve the same end‑user facilities, said Erin Drake, director of marketing for R&M Materials Handling Inc. and Demag Cranes & Components Corp., sister companies based in Ohio.
“It made sense for us to get together as a group and harmonize our efforts for marketing, creating new materials and supporting our members,” Drake said. “It also made sense to combine our budgets to get the most bang for our buck when it comes to marketing.”
Another concern when it came to marketing was that the three groups could inadvertently “step on each other”—especially in the digital space—unnecessarily competing for digital marketing campaigns, she said. Having a more coordinated marketing effort made sense as well.
The alliance is currently working on a marketing one‑pager for each industry group, detailing why it’s important and worthwhile to be part of those groups, said Dustin Krauth, national sales manager for MHI member TC/American Crane Co.
