Background

BNS Telecom was rapidly expanding its Internet Protocol (IP) telephony business in the run up to its buy-out by Daisy Chain Communications.

The company’s target customer profile was largely SMEs, most of which do not have an IT specialist within their in-house teams. This presented a barrier to the successful marketing and sale of our client’s IP products, as a lack of understanding of the technology amongst those responsible for purchasing meant that the sales process was extended and often aborted.

Cool Blue was appointed to find a solution to this issue and create a national trade media launch of the IP product.

Strategy

The technology was both a virtue and a problem. It was the IP that gave the product great flexibility but it also needed to be de-mystified to the purchaser, who was often time poor and suspicious of making a financial commitment to something they didn’t fully understand.

We developed an exciting new branding strategy which, instead of relying on lots of technical narrative, used simple icons to tell the technology’s story. This made the process of understanding the product friendlier, more visual and thus simpler for the purchaser.

We also planned a trade media launch at London’s BT Tower to which all key telecoms media, as well as representatives of SME business organisations such as the Federation of Small Business and the British Chambers of Commerce were invited.

The location of the launch further underpinned a sense of integrity and value in BNS, and its new product, as BT and Vodafone were our client’s key partners and their endorsement at this event helped to validate our client’s offer.

Result

Sales of the new IP product instantly improved, with sales targets being smashed within months of the new campaign going live and the sales cycle being much reduced and improved.

The trade media reported the product launch positively, resulting in widespread awareness of our client’s product.

The IP product became one of our client’s best selling products.