How Exel Composites redefined brand salience with a nostalgic campaign

Exel Composites set out to redefine its brand and inspire product designers and engineers to 'Reimagine the Possible,' showcasing how composites could replace legacy materials to unlock new levels of performance, efficiency, and sustainability.

The goal was to drive broader industry awareness, spark engagement, and generate leads that would fuel long-term market growth. Success would be measured not just in brand recognition, but in accelerating the adoption of composites across industries—creating new opportunities rather than competing for existing ones.

Insights & Strategy

Traditional B2B marketing in this sector often relies on technical specifications and thought leadership. We chose a different path. Through qualitative research with customers and prospects, we uncovered a key insight: designers and engineers are drawn to brands that understand their challenges and creative aspirations, not just their technical needs. Our strategy was to shift the conversation from features to possibilities—demonstrating empathy and relatability by showcasing how Exel Composites enables innovation. This led to a brand platform built on inspiration, positioning Exel not just as a supplier, but as a partner in reimagining what’s possible with composite materials.

The Big Idea

Composites are strong, lightweight, and durable—but they’re rarely considered exciting. Our challenge was to make them emotionally engaging and truly memorable in a category known for functionality, not feeling.

We tapped into popular culture to break that pattern—leveraging The Three Little Pigs, a timeless childhood tale, to deliver a message about material choice in a way that was instantly familiar, disarming, and deeply human. This wasn’t just storytelling—it was emotion-led strategy.

The reimagined tale saw the pigs facing a modern threat: the Big Bad Wolf was back, stronger than ever, and even brick houses were no match. Their solution? Build with advanced composites. This twist delivered humor, surprise, and delight, shifting the conversation from product specs to emotional impact.

The nostalgic familiarity of the story sparked happiness and warmth, encouraging openness to a brand many had never considered. According to System1 thinking, brands that evoke positive emotional response build stronger memory structures and are more likely to drive lasting behavioral change. This was exactly our intent: to make Exel feel different, and be remembered.

To reinforce the emotional authenticity, we layered in Nordic storytelling cues. A Finnish voiceover artist brought warmth and charm to the narrative, reflecting Exel’s roots and subtly aligning with the elegance and ingenuity of Scandi design.

By blending a universal fable with a modern message and a regionally authentic voice, we created an emotional, unexpected, and original campaign that didn’t just capture attention—it shifted perceptions, inspired imagination, and made people feel something real in a low-interest category.

Tactics & Execution

The campaign was built on a balanced multi-channel strategy, designed to both build awareness and memorability with out-of-market buyers through brand-building activities and capture demand from in-market buyers through performance marketing.

• Brand Building with High-Attention Media: To create lasting awareness, we focused on high-impact formats, with video playing a central role. YouTube was a key channel, delivering both awareness-driven storytelling and performance-driven targeting to engage designers and engineers at multiple touchpoints.
• Targeted Digital Outdoor: To extend brand reach beyond digital screens, we placed digital outdoor ads around key industry events and near prospect office locations, ensuring visibility at moments of maximum relevance.
• Content Marketing: A dedicated content hub provided a mix of inspirational and educational materials, including videos, case studies, and interactive tools, demonstrating the creative and functional possibilities of composites.
• Public Relations: We amplified our message through media outreach, securing coverage in key industry publications to position Exel as a thought leader and generate organic interest.
• Events & Industry Engagement: We maximized our presence at major industry events and trade shows, creating immersive experiences that allowed engineers and designers to interact with our materials firsthand.
• Performance Marketing to Capture Demand: For in-market buyers actively researching solutions, we implemented data-driven lead generation campaigns, including email, retargeting, and account-based marketing tactics, to nurture high-intent prospects and drive measurable business outcomes.

By combining high-attention media for broad awareness and precision-targeted digital marketing for conversion, we ensured that Exel Composites was not only seen but remembered—ultimately driving brand consideration and business growth.

Results

Our goal wasn’t just to take market share from competitors—it was to expand the composites market, driving greater awareness, engagement, and demand for composite materials as an alternative to traditional options. The results prove we didn’t just capture existing demand—we created new opportunities by inspiring designers and engineers to rethink what’s possible.

Brand Awareness & Market Growth:

• Unaided brand awareness increased by 142% (from 7% to 17%) among product designers and engineers, proving our success in making Exel Composites a more recognized and memorable brand.
• Branded search volumes for Exel Composites surged by 55%, showing heightened interest and organic demand growth.
• Target audience perception shifted, with a marked increase in those considering composites for future projects, increasing from 18% to 43%.

Engagement & Consideration:

• Website traffic grew by 60%, with visitors spending 40% more time on site, exploring our materials and solutions.
• Social media engagement skyrocketed by 120%, with increased shares and conversations around the brand.
• Video content played a key role, with YouTube delivering the highest engagement, driving both awareness and performance.

Lead Generation, Sales Pipeline & Market Expansion:

• 219 high-quality leads (MQLs) captured, exceeding our goal by 130%.
• Lead-to-opportunity conversion reached 25% (from 17%), demonstrating strong purchase intent.
• New opportunities in the sales pipeline grew by 58%, showing a direct impact on business growth.
• 18% of secured opportunities were for new applications of composite materials, previously unidentified, proving that the campaign didn’t just generate leads—it inspired innovation and expanded the market itself.

We didn’t just increase demand for Exel Composites—we made people feel differently about composite materials. By reimagining The Three Little Pigs, we tapped into a deep well of nostalgia, humor, and surprise—emotions that made a technical subject instantly relatable and memorable. This emotional connection gave the campaign its power: it didn’t just explain the benefits of composites, it made people care.

And that shift—from indifference to inspiration—helped drive the adoption of composites in new and unexpected ways, growing not just the brand, but the entire category.

Ready to get your work recognized on a global stage? Enter The Drum Awards today. Need more inspiration? Read our Award Winning Case Studies.