We’re happy to report that Smoothstone Communications has gone live with the re-branding campaign we developed with them called “Work over IP”. Check it out at http://www.smoothstone.com or download the new brochure here.
In addition to being one of our more innovative campaigns to date it’s a great example of our unique approach to “marketing advocacy”.
Smoothstone first approached us back in March with the ultimate technology marketing challenge - to craft them a new brand identity that would:
- Be provocative, edgy and memorable in the crowded VoIP market;
- Clearly differentiate them from a huge number of competitors in their space;
- And yet, still pass the “sniff test” with enterprise IT buyers who wanted technical buying information.
After digging deep into Smoothstone’s capabilities, we quickly recognized they did so much more than just VoIP - they provide mid-size enterprises with all the communication tools they need to work effectively in the digital age. And thus was born the idea of “Work over IP” and the tagline “Don’t Just Voice over IP. Work over IP”.
Confident in the initial idea - we went ahead and trademarked the phrase and registered URLs. We eventually pitched the entire concept along with possible designs, various taglines, and examples of how we could fundamentally re-message and re-position the company around the idea of helping mid-sized enterprises “Work over IP”.
Once the overall brand concept was approved we developed copy and design concepts for online and offline collateral including setting standards for graphics and diagrams. And then we produced the overview brochure and flash movie on the website as well as their Powerpoint sales presentations.
And through it all we practiced the ideal of “marketing advocacy” collaborating closely with Smoothstone’s own designers and writers - as well as their existing agency to maintain consistency of the new brand. James Whitemore, Smoothstone’s CMO captured it best when he remarked:
“Idea-ware’s unique marketing advocacy approach was a perfect fit for Smoothstone. They not only provided refreshing creativity, beautiful design and powerful messaging - they coordinated seamlessly with our internal teams and other external agencies to ensure a consistent brand presentation across all mediums. With JP and George as our marketing advocates we were able to fundamentally re-brand the company in a matter of months.”
- JPL