With 75 years of heritage in the B2B industrial technology category, TE often competed on product proof points and was losing relevancy with the next generation of engineer customers. TE had blurred the lines of brand and product marketing and needed to reset the way young engineers engaged with its brand.

The challenge was to think outside traditional B2B brand practices to drive outsized brand awareness, stimulate authentic engagement, ignite dialogue with new audiences, and elevate its brand to be seen with a fresh perspective.

TE’s customers are engineers who spend 80% of their time searching the internet for key parts to build their technologies. They wade through technical marketing materials, compare facts and figures from competing brands, and ultimately become lost in the sea of sameness. By leveraging culturally relevant entertainment in a natural way that conveys TE’s brand purpose, with relevant content that’s valued by the brand’s customer base, DWA, a Merkle Company and TE could reach the next generation of engineers.

TE found the opportunity they were looking for in the 2019 release of James Cameron’s film, Alita: Battle Angel. The premise of the film revolved around a futuristic earth with the introduction line, “the force behind this world is stronger than magic: it’s engineering.”

The resulting campaign, The Science Behind Science Fiction, would continually feed a growing audience fresh content over time, with global events, social media discussions, tech-talks, and e-mail content all rewarded engagement. A nurturing approach ensured retainment of new followers, an increase in brand trust, and provided value to TE’s engineering customers for long-term brand loyalty.