YEAR
2012
PROJECT
iPad-powered
Sales Support
CLIENT
Donaldson
The Big Idea
Bring an entirely new martech concept to life by making filtration leader Donaldson Company’s expansive technical product content fully accessible on a mobile, digital tablet – in 2012.
Fun Fact
Apple first introduced the iPad in April 2010 and DKY was an early adopter. We were so excited by the potential applications of these new mobile devices that we purchased an iPad for every DKY staffer. While tablets have since taken a backseat to the meteoric rise of the smartphone, embracing “what’s next” has long been key to DKY’s strategy of infusing innovation into client engagements.
Why We Did It
Donaldson’s product portfolio was extensive and challenging to navigate. Remember those Thomas Register industrial products catalogs? Our goal was to free sales reps from the burden of carting around piles of printed materials and help them serve up the perfect product for their customer with a few simple screen taps.
How We Did It
After considering device and platform options, DKY and development partner Object Partners recommended that we design and build a custom platform for the Apple iPad. A new technology at the time, the iPad was rapidly opening up possibilities for marketers. And for Donaldson, it was the perfect fit: a user-friendly, open-source canvas that we could bring to market quickly and cost-effectively.
What We Did
Team DKY/OPI/Donaldson rolled up their collective sleeves and developed the approach step-by-step, including:
- Architecture design
- Data mapping
- UI/UX design
- Platform + feature/function development
- Load + deployment planning and execution
- Build > test > iterate
- Training + launch
Why It Mattered
The project resulted in a full roll-out of two mobile applications – one for Donaldson’s Engine business, and another for the Industrial business. The iPads did what no process or system before could do: make the full catalog accessible for sales conversations, all from an 8 x 10-inch tablet. It helped make sales conversations more efficient and raised the bar in the industry, elevating the Donaldson brand and professionalism over the status quo of printed catalogs and brochures.
What the Client Said
“All the team members had only positive things to say about both DKY and OPI. They were downright effusive in their praise of both.”
–Cory, Director of Marketing
