A global relaunch of lubrication management for SKF

SKF’s products can be found literally anywhere in society. In fact, wherever there is rotation there might be an SKF solution at work. For over a century, SKF have refined their expertise within the development, design and manufacturing of bearings, seals, and lubrication systems. They also combine this with services within remanufacturing, condition monitoring and maintenance.

SKF is fully aware of the challenges that we face – climate change, waste, resource scarcity, pollution and more – and they are committed to take their responsibility to actively contribute to a better, cleaner, and sustainable future.

Lubrication is very important, because everything that rolls or slides creates friction. Friction causes energy loss and that leads to damages and repairs. With good lubrication, we can reduce friction and reduce energy losses, increase machine lifetime and improve performance. This is not only good for the bottom line but especially for the environment. At the same time, most lubricants are based on oils and chemical additives that are often not environmentally compatible. So, what SKF are doing is to improve lubrication to reduce friction and at the same time reduce lubricant consumption to reduce the lubricants’ environmental impact.

Oil is used in virtually all industrial applications, and it is used as a consumable. You buy it, use it, discard it. But what if oil could be an asset, something you invest in?

Develop a concept for an awareness campaign that tells how SKF uses lubrication to manage friction and the crucial role of lubrication in the performance of rotating equipment.

The campaign shall upgrade and fine tune the external perception on a high level, stimulate new business and facilitate internal collaboration. The campaign should act as a global relaunch of lubrication.

Our audience should get inspired, somehow surprised, to see lubrication from this point. The campaign should help position us as a thought-leader in friction management and lubrication.

Primary we should address high level audience to attract potential new costumers. We also need to talk to existing customers and internal audience. This people are all familiar with lubrication, technology, and processes. But not necessarily with our new understanding of lubrication as an enabler.

SKF Lubrication Management is a crucial factor for longer life and better performance for the company’s various bearings. So far, there has not been a cohesive concept for the offer. We now want to build something new: an overall communication concept plus a “re-launch campaign” to create awareness, growth (new customers) and to make it easier to gather internally.

SKF’s strength as a provider of products and expertise throughout the lifespan of practically any system with moving and rotating parts can be clearly communicated through a unified brand approach, in which the phrase “(In it) for the long run” can serves as foundation for a wide range of communicative activities – from single digital units to campaigns directed at raising awareness of machinery and systems management – ultimately resulting in a clarified link between SKF’s branding and communication and sustainability indicators.

With a machine that talks we could explain lubrication management and address the industrial target audience.

By humanizing a machine, we also could get the messaging emotional and connected to the storytelling.

For visualization we produced a film with close-up shots. Camera moves with various cuts of the machine and beautiful parts being produced by automatic machinery.

SKF´s position as a thought leader – Lubrication Insights

A thought leader is someone who, based on their expertise and industry perspective, offers unique guidance, inspires innovation, and influences others.

From the idea around Machine talking, where the purpose is to create attention and knowledge about lubrication, we need to create a platform. A platform for those who want a deeper perspective and at the same time see the possibilities of lubrication. The platform was named Lubrication Insights, and the content production is based on six different areas. For these areas, we conducted in-depth interviews and produced films that also became content for SKF’s website.

With this platform, opportunities are created to continue creating interesting content and maintain the leading position. For years to come.