ROUSH CleanTech develops propane autogas technology for medium-duty Ford commercial vehicles and Blue Bird school buses. The Livonia, Michigan-based company delivers economical, emissions-reducing options for fleets across North America. They are a division of the global engineering company ROUSH Enterprises.
Website with graphic banners, testimonial slider and infographics 
Total cost of ownership calculator to prove savings on the spot 
Co-branded vehicle wrap design 
Full-page infographic highlights the biggest features and benefits 
Product catalog 
Renewable propane, technical diagram, photoshop work 
Vehicle line up 
Sub branding and component diagram for concept electric vehicle product 
Infographics
The ROUSH CleanTech marketing department supports trade shows, conferences, a website, product catalogs and fliers, email newsletters, sales presentations, vehicle demos, factory tours and dealer training.
// Business Goals
The main goal was to sell a cleaner transportation solution to vehicle fleet managers, despite a higher up-front cost, in an industry that’s heavily invested in its current technology, training, tools and equipment. To achieve that, we needed to consistently educate people of the benefits ROUSH CleanTech’s products provide. Additionally, the content needed to be clear and attractive so it would be readily consumable by busy people.
// Challenges
As a start-up, ROUSH Cleantech had a lean budget but needed an experienced firm that could provide captivating content and creative solutions in a fast-paced industry. PR and IT were already managed internally, so we had to work with those departments to accomplish the business goals.
“Birch Studio has been an excellent partner to ROUSH CleanTech, helping us from the very beginning grow our brand, establish a look and feel for our company and help us evolve into a leader in the alternative fuels space. We have always been able to count on Birch Studio to provide excellent creative ideas, while maintaining the brand that ROUSH CleanTech customers have come to expect.”
—Chelsea Uphaus, Director of Marketing, ROUSH CleanTech
// Solutions
We started by updating their existing materials and then added new collateral into the set when most advantageous. Each new piece reinforced the brand. We kept the original colors and fonts, and then added secondary colors, geometric textures, icons and expanded the font family. This kept the consistency while adding visual variety and depth to the brand.
After rounding out the printed materials, we gave the website some love — updating stylistic anomalies, reworking data-heavy pages, adding a cost of ownership calculator, and integrating it with Salesforce. We produced documents and meeting notes in such a way that their PR and IT departments could weigh in on the work product and ensure all needs were met.
Deliverables included:
- brand expansion
- brochures
- product catalogs
- trade show graphics
- fliers and posters
- magazine inserts
- digital and print ads
- slide decks
- vehicle wraps
- training course badges
- icons and emblems
- sub-branding
- website development
- Salesforce integration
- interior branding for staff and visitors
// Benefits
The benefits of our work are two-fold:
- We built a coherent brand that sits comfortably in the same space as their biggest customers (Blue Bird Corporation, Schwan’s Home Delivery, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Dish Network) and that built on rather than destroyed their existing brand equity.
- The ROUSH CleanTech marketing department runs smoother with Birch’s high-level communication, depth of services and low operational overhead.
ROUSH Cleantech has grown its customer base from around 200 to over 2,500 customers, representing almost 40,000 units sold in North America. It’s safe to say that they are out of start-up mode and into mature company territory. We are proud of their progress.
