Carhartt partnered with Apollo Program and KERV Interactive to develop a direct-to-consumer interactive campaign intended to teach consumers about the iconic brand and its products by leading them directly to clothing features they interact with in the videos.

Apollo Program, the technology company providing data and insights, developed a new application, with help from its media and marketing partner ACE Content. The strategy featured a series of videos showcasing the details of how Carhartt’s jackets and pants are built to provide a greater range of motion through several product lines, such as Rugged Flex and Full Swing.

“We are a 130 year-young family-owned business that connects with hardworking people,” said Janet Ries, VP of marketing at Carhartt. “These people work with their hands. They farm the farms. Build the girders. They create a better world for us.”

While the media spend for the five interactive videos were programmatically driven, the online ads were created with KERV Interactive’s machine-learning technology. Links within the videos sent consumers to the specific information on Carhartt’s website. 

The online videos tie into a campaign supporting search, affiliate marketing, email and other media, and averaged a 2.4% click-through rate — about 1,040% above the 0.21% industry standard. Google has tried running click-to-shop ads for a variety of clothing designers through YouTube, but Carhartt’s ads ran on a variety of publishers to drive interaction to its website. 

The campaign also earned more than a 3% interaction rate. The product videos that drove the highest interaction were the Carhartt Full Swing Armstrong Active Jacket and the Carhartt Grain Leather Work Gloves. Both 30-second videos averaged more than 60 seconds each.

As consumers watch a video on any device they can tap to learn more about specific products, features, history and pricing. They also can click within the video on the item to make a purchase. Each product is associated with a unique link to a product page, increasing the click rates for the brands by more than 300%.  

The reporting from KERV tells the brand the exact frame and the object that led to the click or interaction.

The first few videos were released in September 2018.

The team filmed and created new product videos in the spring of 2019, which Carhartt plans to release soon, which data from live interactions. Apollo managed to provide details on the engagement rates to strengthen the latest videos.

“We are trying to tie in our marketing spend to our distribution through wholesale partners to let them know what drives consumer interest and conversions,” Ries said. “It’s about coordinating our planning team with sales.”