Challenge

Hitachi needed to transition from a traditionally sales-led organisation to one that embraced marketing automation and demand generation to drive growth in the niche hotel industry. With operations spanning 24 markets, Hitachi’s local teams lacked the resources or expertise to launch effective campaigns.

Our Approach

Hitachi partnered with us to establish a global demand-generation marketing strategy that could be tailored for local markets. The goal was global, but the approach was local.

Carry out audience research:

• We began by conducting in-depth research on each local market to ensure we delivered a campaign that would truly engage each local audience.
• This included identifying unique pain points, cultural differences and priorities, and understanding where key decision-makers—such as hotel operations and maintenance managers—were getting their information and what topics were most relevant to them.

Localise the campaign and channel strategy:

• We established Hitachi’s global demand generation framework and then adapted it to fit each local context. We developed custom strategies for regions like ASEAN, where lead capture was the priority, and the Middle East, where brand awareness was key.
• After establishing the priorities and capabilities of local teams, we built targeted channel strategies for each audience. 
• For example, in Asia, we focused on LinkedIn, SEM and Google Display, while in the Middle East, the strategy centred on driving traffic to 'find a distributor' pages. Channels were selected based on their ability to target specific job titles and behaviours, with retargeting enabled.

Audit and localise global content:

• We reviewed the existing global content provided by Hitachi’s product team, assessing whether it aligned with the insights we gathered. 
• This included evaluating and adjusting the messaging and tone to resonate with local audiences, as well as ensuring the content was in the optimal format for each platform. 
• In some markets, we developed dual-language content to maximise engagement and impact.

Test and learn:‍

• We took an agile approach, monitoring campaign performance in real time and adjusting media spend to optimise results.
• For example, in Asia, we initially allocated media spend across LinkedIn, SEM and Google Display. As the campaign progressed, we identified that LinkedIn performed best in Singapore, while SEM outperformed in Thailand.
• This allowed us to reallocate budgets dynamically, ensuring we maximised the impact of every dollar spent.