Revealing the software side of an
automation giant

Unfortunately for Rockwell Automation, research showed that many of its prospective customers equated the name "Rockwell" with manufacturing hardware, like the industrial motors, drives and switches the company has made for nearly a century. The company needed to make its broader customer base aware of its growing software side.

So Rockwell Automation embarked on an ambitious brand development and integrated marketing program with Padilla Speer Beardsley.

An integral part of that effort was the company's annual RSTechED conference. In 2008, Rockwell Automation shifted the event's focus from an internal one — catering to its sales channel and business partners — to a user's conference that brought in customers, distributors and media. Rockwell Automation also added the event-within-the-event "Manufacturing 2.0" to educate manufacturing executives about the company's principal software initiative, focusing on the need for "Manufacturing Convergence."

On site, the team secured and facilitated more than 50 one-on-one media briefings with editors and four industry analysts, resulting in more than 100 hits in trade articles, blog postings and analyst reports.

In addition, Rockwell Automation expanded its footprint in the software space by bringing its message to its largest-ever audience, with a 38-percent increase in customer attendance.