Close-up of a person's brown Caterpillar work boot stepping onto a construction vehicle with a sunny sky in the background.
A person wearing a dark-colored shirt standing next to a dog with a light-colored coat in an outdoor setting.

Daily Grind

Iron,

Man.

A close-up image of red and black electrical wires or cords.

Iron,

Man.

The pressures of steering a half-dozen national campaigns at any given time usually only kept me busy during business hours. When it was time to relax and unwind, I usually just did more Cat work instead.

From micro campaigns for various product groups and divisions, to social strategy and execution, I kept my yellow and black swatch panels for about 99% of the week.

And that’s not a complaint.

The scope of Caterpillar’s product and service offerings means that no two projects are alike - even if the font pack’s the same. Sometimes you’re working for a tech company. Sometimes it’s heavy machinery.

But it’s always interesting.

The yellow brick road never really ends. It just changes directions sometimes.

A smartphone displaying a swirling pattern of bold black and white stripes.

HOLIDAY POSTS

Social Misfits

Black rectangular banner with gold text that reads "Grand Opening".

A time and place.

PLAYDATES

A collage of images related to construction, holiday celebrations, and food. The images include keychains on dirt, safety gear hanging on a brick wall, cookie cutter shapes with sprinkles, a toy CAT bulldozer, a real CAT excavator at work, children trick-or-treating with a ghost decoration, cheeseburgers decorated with ketchup, and a small remote-controlled construction vehicle with colorful Easter eggs.

Shoot days are hoot days.

And luckily we've got a great relationship with our pals over at the Caterpillar visitors center in Clayton, NC.  Because they're always game for whatever ridiculous ideas we force upon them.

Smartphone displaying an Instagram post promoting a toy construction excavator that grows in water, with images of the toy and related text.
A close-up view of a dark brown chocolate bar with a smooth surface.

OCCASIONAL

Sometimes practical. Sometimes digital. Always stupid.

The simplicity of our Cat holiday posts gives junior creatives a chance to flex, whether from behind a lens or a screen. And judging by the numbers, our audience seems to appreciate it.

A rare extended rainbow stretching across a cloudy sky.
Smartphone displaying an Instagram post about a toy excavator. The post shows an image of a large yellow CAT excavator toy that can grow when water is added. The caption invites users to grow their own Cat machine by dropping it in water.
Illustration of a construction worker with a beard, wearing a yellow hard hat labeled "CAT," a yellow safety vest, white shirt, blue pants, and yellow boots, holding a hammer.
Cartoon drawing of a smiling construction worker wearing a yellow hard hat with 'CAT' logo and a white safety vest with yellow reflective stripes.
A yellow Caterpillar bulldozer hauling a large rolled-up object, with the words 'BALE YEAH' written next to it on a yellow background.
A yellow Caterpillar bulldozer moving dirt.
Construction worker wearing a yellow safety helmet and vest, using a pickaxe on cinder blocks, with the text "Let's do the work!" beside him.
An illustrated flexed arm with the CAT logo on the bicep, representing strength and construction.

WE GOT YOU A FEW GIFs

To celebrate World Emoji Day, we animated and unleashed nearly a dozen animated GIFs for the world to utilize. And I helped.

Or at least I learned alot.

Solid yellow background with no objects or details.

SOCIAL MARKETING

Follow The Leader

Dark background with faint, barely visible text or design elements

We’re trending.

Product launches come, and product launches go.

With our Monumental and Catch 'Em All campaigns, we aimed to make more lasting impressions.

The D3 launch was all about sidestepping humility and embracing the brag. While the the Side-Shift Backhoe Loader launch added three new machines to the North American market, bolstering an already impressive lineup with new capabilities.

A classroom with a teacher at a desk and students sitting at desks.
Series of four images depicting different historic and futuristic scenes, including a Stonehenge replica, a lunar lander on the moon, a Mars rover at sunset, and the Eiffel Tower with a vintage car and people.
Six cards featuring construction and landscaping equipment, with yellow and black colors, each showing different types of backhoe loaders and their names, set on various ground surfaces like wood, dirt, and gravel.
A dark background with a faint, blurry light in the distance.

UNEXPLAINABLE

  • Monumental aimed to take that attitude to its illogical conclusion. Elevating Caterpillar's newest product line to mythical proportions.

WANNA TRADE?

  • Catch 'Em All was all about highlighting those abilities, and making it clear that there's truly a Cat Backhoe Loader for any jobsite.

A smartphone displaying an Instagram post from catconstruction, showing a construction vehicle at an excavation site with pyramids in the background and the text "It starts with a STRONG FOUNDATION."
A close-up view of a dark brown wooden surface with a subtle grain pattern.
A laptop with a white keyboard and a blue screen displaying a graph or chart.

PRODUCT MARKETING

Rumble Brag

Close-up of a black sign with gold text that reads 'POU'
Advertisement featuring a yellow CAT front loader with large construction equipment and pipes against a bright yellow background. The text promotes productivity, safety, and avoiding waste with the CAT small wheel loader.

BRAGGING RIGHTS

A promotional advertisement for a CAT backhoe loader contest with images of a backhoe in action, featuring a silhouette of a man against a backdrop of a rural landscape. The ad details a chance to win a 3-month backhoe loader rental, with headlines like 'Be the hero of your own jobsite' and 'Enter to win big,' along with various images of the construction vehicle performing different tasks.

SUPERHERO MODE

Close-up of a car key with a black plastic head displaying the word 'CAR' and a metallic key blade.
Brochure advertisement for CAT mini excavators showcasing features and models, with images of excavators, a construction worker, and a quote about confidence.

INSPIRED BY YOU

Brown background with a faint border and some small, dark symbols near the bottom.

We’re just sayin’.

And while we're on the subject of bragging. I've launched more than my share of products over the last few years.  And year over year, we've seen insane growth in sales, product group participation and dealer participation.

TESTIMONIALS

Let The People Speak

Black banner with gold text reading 'Coming Soon'.

Because nothing beats experience.

RIDING HIGH

Jarryd McNeil is a triple threat. Good operator. Great rider. Perfect accent.

DIGGING DEEP

Carolina Marine Construction's Mike Conard is what you might call a Coastal Elite.

CHOPPY WATERS

When the time came to upgrade their tugboat engine, AmNav didn't go down with the ship.

WE SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE

Rudy Hernandez is a rep for the people. Ironically, the dealer chose not to release the Spanish cut.

PERFECT GRADE

Meeks Grading keeps it in the family. And the community.

A SAFE DISTANCE

Two men at a dirt bike track, one sitting on a blue motocross bike and speaking into a microphone, wearing motocross gear with a Monster Energy logo, and the other standing next to him holding sunglasses, both wearing yellow and gray jackets with "TINAJA HILLS" printed on the front, with construction equipment and hilly terrain in the background.

Helene hit hard. So this team hit the road.

A very dark brown background.
A black and red illustration with abstract geometric shapes.

INDUSTRIAL + OEM

Rooting For The Pistons

A black cat with green eyes sitting on a dark wooden surface, looking directly at the camera.
A large industrial yellow engine with various parts, including a large exhaust pipe, black hoses, and electronic components, mounted on a white background.
A brown horizontal sign with white text that reads "Mobile Campaigns".

Start your engines.

When Caterpillar launches a new product, the industry takes notice. When they devote an entire booth to sustainability products (plural), the industry stands at attention. And for the 12 weeks leading up to it, we get horrible neck cramps.

SUSTAINABLY SOURCED

A computer desktop with open folders and files.
Close-up of a person in a red uniform with a CAT logo, wearing a yellow safety vest, holding the vest strap.
A large red truck with the logo for The Cat Rental Store on the side, partially obscured by an orange and white traffic cone in the foreground. The truck has a wheel and tire visible, with video and photography information on the right side of the image.
Aerial view of construction site with dirt track, construction equipment, and vehicles, alongside a text panel titled 'Planning is Key'.

HELPING WITH THE RENT

Selling OEM is weird. Renting it is even weirder. So we made a whole book about it.

But first we staged a 4-day shoot in Tucson, AZ complete with makeshift jobsites and a diverse crew, providing dealers worldwide with a gameplan to produce original assets that better represent their own markets.

A bit trickier than I make it sound, but that's just cause I'm a confident fella.

A dark brown wooden surface with a slight gradient.

A LOAD OF MANURE

THE MIDNIGHT OIL

Internal Combustion

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

Close-up of a black sign with gold text that reads: 'You Are Not Alone'.
A plain dark brown horizontal banner with no visible objects or text.

Getting the word out.

Two workers, a woman wearing safety gear and a man holding a tablet, standing near a large yellow construction vehicle and a pile of materials.

Trade secrets? We got 'em.

And now, for the low, low price of 2-5 minutes of your time — you too can learn to cash in on customer loyalty, invest in underserved and emerging markets, and even help your customers grow their own businesses.

FOR THE LOVE OF ACRONYMS

Cover of a hydraulic pumps and motors playbook featuring illustrations of hydraulic components, a black-and-white photo of a technician inspecting hydraulic equipment, and photographs of yellow hydraulic pump units. The title reads 'Hydraulic Pumps & Motors Playbook' with the date May 2022.

MARKETING AFTERMARKET

A digital illustration of a large sign with a black background, displaying the words 'LISTEN UP' in yellow and black, and the CAT logo. Below the sign, a cartoon character is sitting on the edge of a platform, holding a red umbrella while wearing a gray hoodie and a red cap, with a calm expression.
Drawing of a construction worker wearing a red hard hat, holding a box labeled 'PARTS'. The worker has a long neck, and a large yellow excavator arm with a white bucket attached extends from behind them, with smoke coming out of the top, forming the worker's hat.

ALL MAPPED OUT

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

Internal Combustion

Two construction workers, one woman and one man, discussing plans near a backhoe loader at a construction site.
Close-up of a dark brown beer bottle with a brown label that has the word 'Sustainable' written on it.

FOR THE LOVE OF ACRONYMS

Three yellow hydraulic pumps or valves with metal components and fittings, displayed on a white background.

MARKETING AFTERMARKET

Cartoon figure holding a box labeled 'PARTS', with a large yellow machine emitting smoke or steam.

ALL MAPPED OUT

A dark brown background with a thin light brown line near the top.

Getting the word out.

A digital illustration of a street sign with a yellow background and black text saying 'LISTEN UP' next to the CAT logo. Below the sign, a yellow cartoon character is sitting on a black pole, holding a red umbrella while looking at a phone.

Trade secrets? We got 'em.

And now, for the low, low price of 2-5 minutes of your time — you too can learn to cash in on customer loyalty, invest in underserved and emerging markets, and even help your customers grow their own businesses.

Oh, You’re Still Here?

Well, in that case…

Dark sliding door with a rainbow-colored light reflection on the floor.
A person in a blue shirt using a computer at a desk.