Client: Semiconductor Manufacturer (Sales: $200M)
Situation:
Acquired seven businesses over a 24-month period to become a fully integrated vertical manufacturer. However, each of the companies was allowed to remain autonomous with no apparent connection to the parent organization.
Issue:
Forced to scramble when General Motors was looking for a vertically integrated manufacturer and nearly bypassed the company in its search to fulfill a multi-billion dollar program.
Action:
Immediately initiated a comprehensive campaign to develop a single brand identity to integrate the company and its acquisitions under a single corporate entity. At the same time, establish a systematic process and timeline to integrate future acquisitions under the corporate umbrella.
Results:
In just under nine months, we developed a new identity program that established a corporate look and message that gave a level of autonomy to individual entities, but left no doubt they were part of a major international organization. We also created a corporate standards manual that established new guidelines for their identity across all channels.
The resulting identity campaign served to reinforce the manufacturer's breadth of expertise in the marketplace and helped it to secure a major role in a subsequent $3.5 billion program at GM.
Client: Design/Build Construction Firm (Sales: $10M)
Situation:
A 25-year old construction firm who had been through an identity "makeover" five years earlier, but had not seen any measurable results from the effort. Sales were essentially flat and they had no real means of differentiating themselves from their competition.
Issue:
The company was seen as a minor player who could manage projects of $100-$200K, but was precluded from consideration in projects of $500K-$1M and more.
Action:
Conducted research with prospective clients engaged in projects of $1M-plus and repositioned the client as a formidable company capable of handling the complete design/build process from steel to finished project. Created a "Building Smart" approach that consolidated the client's messages and provided a single, succinct means of presenting their competitive advantage to prospects and clients.
Results:
The entire marketing campaign was implemented in stages over an 18-24 month period. Sales increased upwards of 200% over a 3-year period. The company moved from rented offices and built its own corporate headquarters to accommodate the surge in business. At the same time, they exploited a niche in the marketplace that helped them gain additional recognition, but on a national basis.
Client: Software Development Company (Sales: $0 Startup)
Situation:
A long-time software developer had created a new product that had shown great promise in early user trials, but they were at least six months away from having a finished product to sell. Working off early stage capital, funds were limited, so any marketing to speak of would be done on a "grass-roots" basis.
Issue:
The marketplace for the client's type of software was starting to expand and there were several clear leaders in the space including Microsoft.
Action:
Given the technical superiority of the client's software, a public relations campaign was developed that focused on educating key opinion leaders and technical sources about the product. Using only beta versions of the software, we were able to make inroads with editorial contacts in the technical and mainstream business media.
The resulting media attention helped to attract additional investors that enabled us to expand our PR/media efforts. We also added a series of national trade shows to the mix and arranged one-on-one demonstrations of the product with the media and the developer/CEO of the software company.
Results:
After entering the marketplace 6-12 months behind better-known competitors with significantly greater capitalization, our client was able to assume a leadership role in the marketplace in just 20-24 months. Major publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and BusinessWeek all touted the client's software which led to the firm being acquired by Adobe, a multi-billion dollar software company.
Client: Disposable Medical Products Manufacturer (Sales: $300M)
Situation:
As essentially a holding company that acquired businesses to fulfill a vertical manufacturing capability, the firm needed to reach decision makers at a major medical trade show to generate brand awareness and sales leads.
Issue:
The client did virtually no marketing or advertising to the target audience at anytime following any of its acquisitions. So, other than current users of the firm's products, awareness was nonexistent among decision makers in major hospitals across the country.
Action:
An integrated marketing campaign was developed that utilized pre-show direct marketing, a special event for 3500 prospects, a theme-driven hospitality suite, a live marketing presentation in the client's trade show booth and ongoing sales training for the trade show staff.
Results:
Nearly 4,000 customers and prospects jammed the client's special event which kicked off the night before the convention actually started and two-days prior to the opening of the trade show. The entire campaign reached 83% of the target audience and won the Best Promotion of the Year Award from PRSA and the Retail Merchants Association.
