DHL is the world’s leading express and logistics company offering customers innovative and customized solutions from a single source. With global expertise in solutions, express, air and ocean freight and overnight transport DHL combines worldwide coverage with an in-depth understanding of local markets. DHL’s harmonized international network links more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. DHL continues to be at the forefront of technology and with more than 150,000 dedicated employees, guarantees fast reliable services aimed at exceeding customers expectations.
For decades, industry giants Federal Express and United Parcel Service together owned 70 percent of the U.S. market for express and package delivery services. DHL, the 34-years-old acknowledged leader in the global market, serving 220 countries, was little known to U.S. customers; it had only 6 percent market share. When DHL acquired Airborne in 2003, the company knew it needed an all-out effort to complete head-on with the domestic behemoths. The company budgeted $ 1.2 billion for new initiatives to boost its presence in the U.S. market, starting with the addition of seven regional sorting centers to increase ground delivery capacity by 60 percent . To support its ambitious goal of becoming number one in the U.S. parcel delivery market , the company created an innovative new red logo and spent $150 million on an integrated six month marketing communication campaign including broadcasting , print, interactive, and outdoor advertising as well as sponsorships , public relations and a new website that focused on brand awareness and brand value. DHL Americas executive vice president of marketing channels ,we are showcasing the DHL brand’s value message to current and potential customers across all points of contact.
The DHL marketing campaign , developed by advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather New York , opened with a June 2004 television ad showing drivers for FedEx and UPS watching in wonder as a freight train rolls by carrying brand new yellow trucks with the red DHL logo. Not only did the company completely renovate its own website (www.dhl.com), but it also placed full motion interactive advertising on the other websites. The company’s website allows customers to download all its television, interactive, print, and outdoor advertising, as well as a computer screensaver with DHL trucks continuously streaming across red black ground and interspersed with the campaigns catchy headlines. A public relation leader s complemented campaign by Ogilvy PR worldwide that was aimed at core constituent’s and opinion leaders complemented the paid advertising .And the company’s tangibles became and bright yellow background on every DHL building , vehicle, courier uniform , packaging unit , and drop box in North America.
DHL used sponsorship as key element of the campaign , highlighted by its role as the “Official Express Delivery and Logistics Provider of 2004 U.S. Olympics Team.”
Targeting small and medium sized business, which have larger revenue per shipment and are more profitable, DHL created one of the most coordinated services marketing communication companies in history. The advertising company achieved integration through color, theme, tagline, and design.
Communication and Service Marketing Triangle Relevancy with DHL :
As DHL is a global organization its organizational environment varies from country to country. In these circumstances DHL has developed different marketing activities for different countries. These activities are also flexible. DHL’s corporate level strategy is fixed, but divisional and functional level strategy changes because they are set up by the country managers by analyzing the environment. DHL’s technology is mainly based on network, collection and distribution. Its human resource is highly skilled and qualified. They are also empowered so that they can make quick decisions.
The marketing activities of DHL are phenomenal. The overall marketing activities are a combination of promotional and functional strategies. So, like all other organizations DHL does have an infrastructure for communication and marketing related programs. It goes through varies negotiable steps. Which are the reasons for creating the services marketing triangle. As like any other organization DHL has made use of there communication expertise to fulfill a standard marketing criterion.
The company is indispensably dependent on three major bases. These bases confronts to be the most significant and influential foundation. The bases are – the company, employees, and the customers who play a very important role to make DHL what it is today. There are both way communications in the organization which are vertical and horizontal. This occurs amongst the employees of DHL. There is also external marketing communication which occurs between the company and the customers through advertising and public relation. On the other hand, the interactive marketing remains the base for customer service center and service encounter which occurs between the employees and the customers.
