And a Marketer Of The Year 2012 Award
Information Technology is an ever-evolving industry with products refreshing on an 18-month schedule, and the “latest and greatest” can turn the field on its ear. Brite Computers has been delivering computer technology to the Rochester region for more than 28 years, and the company has strived to stay on top of the industry’s changes. The challenge facing the company was its perception in the market as being only a manufacturer of custom configured computing platforms, but in reality they had expanded its portfolio to include tier one computing infrastructure, data and network security and expert professional services. In order to be successful, Brite needed to be repositioned in the market as a strong information technology solutions provider.
The internal engineering staff, comprised of dedicated experts laden with industry certifications and seasoned with technical infrastructure implementations at some of the leading companies in the region, were largely unknown to the market. Brite’s website was geared towards consumer PC sales and did little to enhance a growing security and services practice, which had already received partner awards and recognition.
Strategy and Approach
After months of research on sales history, voice of the customer surveys, internal employee surveys, competitive research, benefit analysis and partner analysis, the brand strategy was developed and launched. The results included the elimination of consumer sales and a focus on B-to-B, Healthcare, Education and Public Safety vertical markets. Brite would offer a mix of computing infrastructure (hardware, software, cloud/virtualized environments), data security and managed services built to each unique need in each of the targeted markets.
The rebranding worked to overcome the obstacle of market perception by establishing a professional look and feel, a marketing message to deliver Brite’s position to the industry and a powerful marketing element to not only add depth and texture, but deliver a brand story in an easy to understand graphic.
The “gears,” as Brite refers to it, illustrates the three practices (Computing Infrastructure, Data Security and Professional Services) which work together to deliver a total IT solution.
The first major under taking toward implementation was a total redesign of the Brite website (http://www.britecomputers.com). Brite hired sister company and 2011 Rochester Addy Best in Show Award recipient, StormFrog to design the site with a commercial focus and an easy-to-use navigation based on Brite supplied architecture. The new site also included an e-commerce section constructed for a streamlined procurement process. In addition, the Brite Marketing Team completely overhauled all marketing materials, advertising, tradeshow booth, displays and delivery vehicles into a consistent look and message.
Tactics
Brite rolled out its new branding and messaging in print advertising, tradeshow booth, signage, web, email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the launch of the BriteTube (Brite’s YouTube channel). An internal marketing campaign was launched to educate employees of Brite’s brand story, tag line and brand promise. Brite began a series of Meet & Greet functions to introduce customers to our security and services products in an educational manner and to establish credibility as thought leaders and subject matter experts. These intimate settings have proven to be great venues for in-depth discussions about Brite’s solutions and have returned an average ROI of $5,765 for every dollar spent.
Results
Brite has seen a year over year revenue growth of 44% for fiscal year 2011. New customer acquisition was 19% and 85% in services related products. Partner investment increased as well by 41%.
Author
Editor’s note: The Marketer of the Year has a group of independent judges that review all applications. In 2012 there was a tie for first place with Brite Computers and The Verdi Group’s “Take The Lead” campaign with their client Carestream Health. In a future blog we will share the winning campaign by The Verdi Group.
Editor’s note: AMA|Rochester is accepting entries for the 2013 Pinnacle Awards, featuring Marketer of the Year. Submit your entry by March 8, 2013 at http://ama-rochester.org/Awards2013/ — and save the evening of Thursday, May 16, 2013 for the Awards Ceremony.
You can join AMA to get the member pricing! Learn more about AMA|Rochester from Javier Bautista, or just register online.