[Interview report] MPI - World Leading Semiconductor Manufacturer: Digital Marketing to Global Market.

In 2020, due to the impact of the global epidemic, the overseas exhibition was temporarily cancelled. The online exhibition plan was urgently provided at the exhibition. When Taiwanese companies were taking a wait-and-see approach, MPI Thermal (a division of MPI Corporation) quickly decided to digitalize marketing and build a building exclusively for its own online exhibition. 

What made MPI jump ito the conclusion immediately? How does MPI see from the global environment and markets? What are the advantages they gained from the online exhibition? Today we invite MPI Thermal  marketing specialist to share with us.

Ｑ: As the leading temperature testing system manufacturer, what is the main marketing strategy of MPI Thermal before the pandemic? 

MPI Thermal: Enhancing the international awareness of brand and products has always been MPI Thermal’s primary goal. In addition to exhibiting products at exhibitions, distributing marketing giveaways, and communicating our brand philosophy through face-to-face meetings, we also place great emphasis on establishing a complete online website structure so that customers can visit our website and contact us anytime, anywhere.

In addition, we are committed to maintaining good relationships with customers and have established a strong Sales & Marketing Network all over the world. Through solid sales training to confirm that our sales partners have reached the greatest consensus on the brand and product recognition of MPI Thermal. Customers' awareness of the brand can be enhanced via local sales representatives’ contact and visit.

Ｑ: The pandemic resulted in a lot of cancellations or delays of the international exhibitions. How does this affect MPI Thermal’s marketing strategy?

MPI Thermal: The cancellation of the exhibitions due to the Covid-19 pandemic is undoubtedly less brand exposure opportunities for us. Online exhibitions can be said to be the "New Normal" caused by the pandemic. This is a new challenge for our marketing team. We are proactively exploring alternatives to traditional marketing and thinking about how to enable businesses in various regions to effectively promote MPI Thermal's products under the constraints of social distancing.

Ｑ: What is the turning point for MPI Thermal to change from the traditional marketing strategy to online marketing (eg. online exhibition)?

MPI Thermal: In the face of the ‘New Normal’ that Covid-19 has brought to world business, we have  to be proactive and think about how to be ahead of the curve with remote sales and marketing - Without a salesperson’s present, a virtual sales and marketing system can guide users through to understand the product capabilities and features.

Ｑ: Following by the previous question, why did you choose a customized online exhibition over the shell scheme package from the organizer?

MPI Thermal: Each exhibition uses different virtual event platforms, and the content of the exhibition usually cannot be preserved after the exhibition. We believe that establishing a generic product display system can help us promote products more efficiently and be able to use it for a long period of time. Furthermore, an exclusive virtual booth enables us to stand out visually from other exhibitors.

Ｑ: This is our first cooperation on a digital marketing project. Would you like to share some of the impressive moments along the project?

MPI Thermal: We are honored to be able to cooperate with King One's professional team for this virtual booth. The cooperation this time is very different from the previous experience of physical booth designs. We realized that during the building process, it takes longer communication time and more effort to make a virtual booth.  

In the preliminary communication stage, the project manager quickly understands our needs and gives corresponding proposals. Although the executive team is unfamiliar with our product, they still produce 3D rendered models that were very similar to the actual product appearance in a short period of time. To catch up on the exhibition schedule, the entire schedule of the project has become relatively tight. During the process, the project manager carefully reminds us of the work schedule of each stage. After constant adjustments and adjustments, we can ensure that the booth's content is in place so that our virtual booth can go online smoothly on the day of the exhibition.

Ｑ: Do you find any part of the design that helps to highlight the products after the Thermal online exhibition was established? How do the colleagues feel about this online exhibition?

MPI Thermal: In addition to text descriptions and demonstration videos, we have added 3D rendered system models feature to the virtual booth. Visitors can directly rotate and zoom the product model 360°. This function can also be operated on mobile phones. It is a new experience for colleagues, sales partners and customers.

Ｑ: Did you receive any positive feedback from the clients or retailers all around the globe?

MPI Thermal: In addition to applying the virtual booth to the exhibition, we also share this with our sales representatives and publish it on the official website. After the official release, we received a lot of positive feedback, and one of the agents said that this is the best marketing tool he has ever seen!

Ｑ:Would you like to share more about this project? Will you put digital transformation into the future plan?

MPI Thermal: After successfully introduced the virtual booth in the online exhibition, we received many good reviews. The experience from this time provides us an opportunity to re-think about the importance of digital transformation in marketing - When a situation beyond control occurs (such as the Covid-19 pandemic), how B2B equipment suppliers can seek alternative solutions to turn the crisis into a turning point.