ZERO TO 5IVE
Problem
CS Technology is a hybrid technology and engineering consultancy. The Company provides services and project management for the design, building and ongoing management of high-reliability technology infrastructure.
As a nine-year old company, CS Technology had established clients, a proven track record of success, and profitability. The CEO had built an extremely successful business through word-of-mouth referrals without any proactive marketing; yet, its brand was virtually unknown in the market.
While trying to expand its sales channels and raise capital to prepare for a potential IPO, CS Technology was challenged to demonstrate its credibility and proven success without any name recognition in the technology infrastructure marketplace. The Company knew that it needed to raise awareness and establish its presence in the market before actively seeking funding.
Further, the sales team struggled to clearly communicate the complex scope of services CS Technology provided. Conveying the breadth and depth of these presented a challenge.
CS Technology engaged Zer0 to 5ive to help the Company develop and launch its brand, clearly communicate the full suite of services provided, and recommend a potential name change.
Solution
CS Technology underwent Zer0 to 5ive’s research-based Roadmap process. The insight gained from the Roadmap identified key areas of differentiation, a unique brand strategy, targeted key messages, a complete re-launch plan and tactics designed to meet CS Technology’s objectives.
Through primary research gained through interviewing CS Technology’s staff and clients, Zer0 to 5ive discovered that the Company had a significant amount of brand equity with this audience. However, interviews with the media and analyst communities confirmed that CS Technology was not widely known in the market. As CS Technology obtained the majority of new business from its clients, Zer0 to 5ive recommended that the Company keep its name and adopt a tagline that would reinforce its unique value proposition. Zer0 to 5ive developed the tagline, “The CornerStone of IT Predictability,” to further solidify the Company’s market position and unique value proposition. The tagline also drove the theme of CS Technology’s re-launch in the market.
Zer0 to 5ive found through analysis of the competitive landscape that CS Technology offered a unique approach to IT. The key to the brand strategy was that CS Technology made IT predictable. Through its proven methodology, CS Technology is able to control to IT costs and expenditures so that there are no surprises. The predictability gives IT managers, CFO and CIO’s the reassurance that they need to know that the projects are completed on time and on budget.
Zer0 to 5ive developed the acronym AAIM - for Assess, Architect, Implement and Manage - to stand for CS Technology’s proven methodology. Zer0 to 5ive also created a graphic representation of the suite of the services provided by CS Technology to help illustrate the full scope and depth of their work.
Benefit
CSTechnology embraced Zer0 to 5ive’s recommendations and underwent a complete image redesign, which included a new logo, web site redesign and collateral development. The positioning, brand strategy and key messages developed by Zer0 to 5ive became the foundation for the revised collateral and web site copy. CS Technology also further expanded on the graphical representation of its suite of services and continues to use AAIM to describe its proven methodology.
Further, as the most important measure of success of the branding and re-launch efforts, CS Technology met its goal to raise additional capital.
