Share

For the untrained eye, distinguishing between different types of chainsaw is akin to distinguishing between a spade and, er, a spade. But for forestry workers, farmers, tree surgeons and even weekend warriors (civilians who perform outdoor maintenance in their spare time), choosing a power tool is like buying a new car. In this scenario though, ‘driving a Bentley’ is realistic.

Since 1926, when Andreas Stihl founded his one-man company in Bad Cannstatt, near Stuttgart, STIHL has been at the forefront of power tool development. Earning and maintaining a reputation for manufacturing the best chainsaws money can buy, the company has steadily grown and now employs almost 8,000 people, with 35,000 dealers in more than 160 countries selling a range of power tools for professional and domestic use.

But it’s no good being the best if nobody knows it, a problem Gilles Olleris, head of communications for STIHL France, faced when he joined the company’s French arm in 1988, just two years after it had been established. “Before that, our products were distributed by agents and they had no idea about communication and advertising,” he explains. “I had to set up all the advertising and publicity strategy for the French market. Back then our business was around €6m, now it’s €200m."

 

Cutting through to the message

That year Olleris met with Philippe Michel, one of the founding members of CLM BBDO. Michel recommended that the best way for STIHL to make an impression and stick in the minds of the consumer was to use humour in its ads. Shortly afterwards the brand launched its first TV spot, the aptly titled Chainsaw. Two men stand back-to-back with chainsaws and each approach a tree. One cuts his down in the usual fashion, while the STIHL operator splits his from top to bottom like a banana, much to the frustration of his jealous counterpart. Although Olleris says, “people didn’t really dig the film at first glimpse,” the blueprint for the future of STIHL marketing was drawn.

While the brand has always been popular with tradesmen, communicating the merits of its products to amateur gardeners has often been the challenge for advertising agencies around the world. In 2002 Justin Drape, now executive creative director at The Monkeys Sydney worked on the STIHL account for Draftfcb Melbourne. “Before then, the brand had a loyal following amongst professionals so the work was more retail orientated, getting straight to the equipment specs and price,” he remembers. “The objective [for Draftfcb] was to broaden the appeal of STIHL outdoor equipment to weekend warriors, so we didn’t necessarily have to talk to them about specs. We focused on an emotive message that conveyed how powerful and effective STIHL equipment is.” The message was conveyed, for the first time in Australia, via three TV spots, the pick of which was Blow. A man is blowing the leaves off his path when his son cycles alongside him and he unwittingly blows him into the air and out of shot with the power of his STIHL blower. The campaign’s line, Not Just For Professionals, pointed out that, despite the brand’s premium position in the market, its tools were suitable for domestic use too. “The impact of the campaign was immediate,” says Drape. “People nattered about it at BBQs and in pubs, sales went through the roof and the ads ended up on shows like The Funniest Commercials in the World. It also won a few awards along the way.”

In New Zealand, DDB Auckland was tasked with the same mission when
it won the STIHL account in 2007. “The homeowner target audience saw STIHL as too serious and ‘more than I need in a piece of outdoor power equipment’,” says Scott Wallace, managing partner at DDB. “We needed to make the brand more accessible to everyone and humour is a potent way to do this."

 

Creating a buzz with controversy

In 2010, the agency released Bequeathed, a TV spot directed by Adam Stevens at Robber’s Dog, in which an old man, on his deathbed, uses his final breath to whisper a request to his son that he should look after his mother. The son then announces to the room, and to his brother’s disgust, that his father had bequeathed him his chainsaw. The pack shot rudely interrupts the sombre scene with the mighty buzz of a STIHL.

“Man, we drew some flak,” winces Toby Talbot, now ECD at RKCR Y&R London, formerly ECD at DDB Auckland The commercial caused a huge stir in a country where advertising is often discussed in the mainstream media, sparking furious radio debate, a social media conversation and even making the six o’clock news. But for every detractor who criticised the ad, there was an equally vociferous admirer who defended it.

“That was the idea. We kind of wanted to cause some controversy. We wanted people to remember the ad, and they do,” says Talbot. “Ultimately all that unpaid media and shared voice it got was gold dust.”

Bequeathed was followed up in 2011 with Mercy Dash, a tamer story involving the two brothers, where one races to apparently rescue his sibling from an impending storm, but on arrival actually asks to borrow his chainsaw without mentioning the immediate danger. Again helmed by Stevens, despite the similarly mean-yet-playful undertone, the ad was less polarising and a third installment in the saga is due for release soon.

 

Tailoring to the territory

Olleris describes STIHL’s marketing philosophy as having the same global underlying message: “Everything is possible with a STIHL product, so let’s show a different way of doing it or the funniest way of doing it.” However, he explains that every territory tailors its advertising to its own market depending on the local culture and vegetation, as long as it adheres to the brand’s image of quality.

“I think STIHL as a company is sensible enough to let local markets do ads that are relative to their market. A one-size-fits-all approach wouldn’t work with STIHL,” says Talbot, pointing out the differences between DDB Auckland and WhybinTBWA Sydney’s approach. The latter agency has recently concentrated less on humour and more on the idea of getting people outdoors. The Inside/Outside spot, directed by GoodOil’s Hamish Rothwell, showed various people engaging in outdoor activities with pixelated dogs, plants and people. It doesn’t look like much fun until the pixels disintegrate and ‘real life’ shines through.

“In Australia, maybe there are a lot more people who don’t think about venturing into their gardens, but in New Zealand it’s a lot more of an outdoors culture,” muses Talbot. “In New Zealand they sell more STIHL chainsaws to forestry workers and farmers than they do punters. So it [the New Zealand campaign] had to have more of a rural, bedrock feel to it, whereas it wouldn’t surprise me if, in Australia, most Aussies buy them as a thing to show off with.”

Possibly STIHL’s greatest asset, aside from its propensity for making superior products, is the one thing that all ad men yearn for in a client, yet rarely get: it is a brave brand and a brand that trusts its agencies. The Monkeys’ Drape remembers fielding doubts from STIHL’s former Australian brand manager, Rob Ross (now national marketing manager) about the Not Just For Professionals campaign, which included the Chainsaw spot, where a doting father whose daughter’s cat is stuck in a tree emerges from his shed with a STIHL chainsaw in hand. “At one point he asked us if we thought we’d gone too far and we said, ‘no, if we’re all laughing at the work and feel comfortable that it’s light-hearted enough then the audience will most likely feel the same way’. Rob said, ‘Ok, I’m paying you guys for your thinking and
I trust you. Let’s do it,’” reminisces Drape. “I didn’t realise at the time that this doesn’t happen as often as it should.”

Probably the biggest leap of faith made by STIHL in recent years was greenlighting the Bequeathed spot, which Talbot admits wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea. “I think within the organisation, in Germany where head office is, the ad was pretty much frowned upon.” But he goes on to explain how the client’s courage and willingness to trust the agency resulted in work that sent out the right message. “I thought the strategy of saying ‘you’ll only need one’ was incredibly brave of the client. It talked not only of the longevity of the chainsaw but also the premium nature of it. You’d covet it to that extent. You’d go that far on your father’s deathbed. STIHL’s an amazing brand. I don’t think I’ve worked with a brand quite like them, in a way.”

 

Tooling up for new media

With many of its target market reading gardening magazines, STIHL continues to place a high importance on print campaigns, usually sticking with the humorous approach. But when it comes to new media, STIHL has been slow to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the likes of Facebook, even though the general consensus among its agencies is that digital platforms would be an ideal arena for creative exploration.

Olleris explains that this is due to head office blocking local markets from launching international digital platforms. Although it is aware some dealers are already using STIHL as part of their own marketing strategy, the brand won’t allow its subsidiaries to use new media until it has settled on a template that can be adopted by everyone. “We are trying to have an international strategy about that. We have been speaking about it for about two years, trying to make some decisions which can be followed by the main distribution branches so they have the same way of speaking,” he says. “It takes a little bit of time but I’m sure we’ll get there soon.”

When the company does finally traverse new media it’s hard to imagine STIHL adjusting its marketing recipe much. But what does a brave client with a mischievous sense of humour and a track record for appointing creative agencies that make great work need to change?

Connections
powered by Source

Unlock this information and more with a Source membership.

Share