Branding Strategy & Implementation
– Sumitomo

Sometimes an effective branding strategy requires branding a product technology before you can brand the product itself. Doing so requires a deep understanding customer needs, industry trends and competitive opportunities.

Challenge

To broaden awareness of Sumitomo’s FutureFLEX Air-Blown Fiber Optic Cabling System and help reposition it from its specialty niche application status to a viable mainstream riser or fiber-to-the-desk (FTTD) solution for data networks.

Solution

Through an aggressive public relations campaign, a cornerstone collateral piece, an interactive, multi-media demonstration, print and online advertising and a series of regional “Lunch & Learn” seminars and trade shows, we were able to implement our educational and awareness branding strategy, demonstrating the broad range of applications possible with ABF technology and the particular benefits of FutureFLEX ABF.

Within the first year, the PR campaign alone resulted in the appearance of twelve feature articles in targeted publications, in addition to numerous ongoing press release appearances, published interviews, etc. Lead generation activity from the other programs was so high we also designed and implemented a lead management and referral system which included the ongoing development of a prospect database.