Freightliner Custom Chassis

by | Apr 2, 2020 | Case Study, Manufacturing | 0 comments

Freightliner Custom Chassis

How can you revolutionize culture in your company by infusing pride and ownership?

The Situation

Freightliner Custom Chassis had always been successful…maybe a little too successful. After decades of producing RV chassis as well as B2B applications, it was losing pace with competitors. Ironically, their chassis were quickly being viewed as average due to a smart upstart competitor that was positioning itself as the upscale, higher-priced chassis—taking this profitable segment away from Freightliner. This was happening as it became clear the company was too internally focused and not customer-centric.

The Strategy

Our client (the new VP of Marketing) wanted to “make history,” change the culture and set a new course for the future of the brand. A new tagline, “Driven by You,” positioned the company as being focused on the needs of its customers. For this new positioning to succeed, every employee needed to be immersed in it and empowered to solve customer issues on the spot—eliminating bureaucracy. This was no small undertaking since it had to begin with employees, then radiate out to dealers and ultimately customers.

The Finished Product

Freightliner Custom Chassis was fully committed to the Driven by You statement, promoting it throughout the factory, holding employee celebrations and training sessions to promote this new way of thinking and acting. A new marketing campaign as well as dealer communications were developed to show that Freightliner was committed to listening to and acting on behalf of customers.

The Results

The brand’s market share, which had already been as high as 50% in some segments, went even higher—achieving 80% in certain segments. Just as impressive was the fact that Freightliner Customer Chassis was able to reclaim its position as the premium chassis leader.