Platinum Standard is a new video series from PlatinumBlack. In each episode, we spotlight technical B2B brands that appear to be effectively integrating strategy, marketing, and creative to accelerate growth.
First up: Silvi Materials, a leading construction materials company in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic. In this episode, Group Creative Director Dylan Powell and Brand Manager Audrey Trevino break down what Silvi seems to be doing well, from sharp market positioning to a thoughtful, well-executed marketing program.
Follow along for the full conversation and future episodes.
Disclaimer: PlatinumBlack has not worked with Silvi Materials. All insights reflect our professional perspectives and positive assumptions based on publicly available information.
*Transcript has been edited for readability
Dylan Powell: Hi, my name is Dylan Powell, I’m a Group Creative Director at PlatinumBlack. I’m here with my colleague, Audrey Trevino, one of our Brand Managers. And today we're going to break down Silvi Materials.
We think this company is doing a great job of demonstrating a strong strategy, supported by fantastic creative and marketing. And we’ve never worked with this company. So, everything we're going to say here reflects just our professional observations and positive assumptions about things they’re doing really well.
And you know what I think, Audrey?
Audrey Trevino: What do you think, Dylan?
Dylan: I think they're crushing it.
Audrey: I see what you did there.
Dylan: Thank you, thank you.
Silvi is uniquely positioning itself as being the most trustworthy provider of these high-quality building materials in all the locations where they play in the Northeast. Because I feel like this is—you know, it's expensive to move the product around. Commodity pricing, thin margins. I think that it's won at home. And they're like, we're going to be the people to trust there.
Audrey: I agree with you. I'd add—you’re banking on integrity. You can feel it in the words that they choose, the claims that they make, the stories that they're telling about their products. So I would say that high-quality products, built with integrity, with the highest degree of service, is their unique position as they kind of operate locally and think globally.
A lot of community outreach. They're doing volunteer fire department, they're doing food banks, they're doing cycling. They're really investing in being a part of the community, not just saying, “Hey, we have these products. Please buy them.” That was really smart.
They're doing a lot of local affiliate-based marketing, like with the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team—which I'm not a fan of, but I'm a big fan of Silvi because they're very smart for this tactic. They're doing co-branded cement mixing trucks with Eagles livery on it. Very smart. Very savvy. Part of the community.
Dylan: This is the part I can't really see, but I have to imagine they're also doing a lot of high-touch, account-based marketing with general contractors, municipalities, things like that. I bet they're doing that in social, too. Doing a lot of smart social. Focused on people and projects, things that matter. Not just fluffy corporate speak.
Audrey: So very well done. You can see the connection they're trying to make in the community. Eagles at the kind of grandest level for sports. But they're also very invested in youth sports, which caught my attention. They're endearing themselves. They're engaging—not only engaging, but they’re sponsoring, they're giving back. And so they're definitely—there's a kind of hometown pride piece that exudes from even just the moment that you hit their website.
Dylan: By showing what they're doing. They're telling the stories of what they're doing. You go to their website, the first thing you see above their masthead is a giant sponsorship for the Philadelphia Eagles that is very well noticed. But they're also telling stories through all of the community giving. It doesn't look like there's a lot of superfluous spending at the community level.
Audrey: I think it's all part of a very, very smart plan. Investment in photography and videography—well done. I mean, not headshots. I'm sure they have good headshots. But they've got drone footage of people blasting rock in a quarry. I mean. Not expected.
Dylan: Seriously.
Audrey: They also do a good job of keeping the narrative around the buyer needs. They're not coming at you saying, “Here are the stats of our company.” They're saying, “Hey, everything's gonna be okay. When you build with Silvi, it's going to be great because here are all these reasons to believe.” So they’re really keeping the narrative about the buyer.
And I like that they're keeping the owners involved, too. You go to the website, you’ve got these brothers. Dad was the founder. They're co-presidents. They just look like they have your back.
So, a lot of good programs going on there. You can tell they've done their homework. They've studied their customers. They know that they're all on different paths in terms of whether or not they know them or not. And you can tell that as it comes through in the imagery they use.
So they're taking a highly practical, commoditized industry, and they're weaving in this human element through it so that you feel like you've known them for a really long time.
Three things.
One, telling is not selling. Like I said, these guys don't come at you with how great they are. They are very disciplined with their messaging. They say, “Hey, your project is going to be great because you chose Silvi.”
Also, they’re keeping it human. They seem accountable. Like there are real people. No one wants to be sold by some faceless logo. You want to buy from people you like. And they're really teeing that up.
And also, they're just meeting the buyers where they are. Like you said, they're with the Eagles fans, on the job site with their Eagles cement truck. They're keeping it regional. They're doing community engagements.
I feel like if there's a big job, and you go to the nearest donut shop, there's like Silvi people who’ll buy you some donuts. They're all over them like an Eagles defensive back, you know?
Dylan: So, they meet the buyer where they are. Telling's not selling. And they're keeping it human.
Three things I think B2B marketers could all learn from Silvi:
One of the things I think B2B companies can take a page out of this playbook from is the fact that they are driving home in numerous places across all of their materials what they stand for. And it's not just feature-feature-feature. They're talking about the business benefit.
And so if you can communicate that and keep this human-centered, customer-centric approach to what you're saying in story form, you've got a win.
