Case Studies
CASE STUDY: A Product Launch in Briefs
Challenge:
Because “Change starts with your underwear,” Blue Practice set out to drive awareness for new apparel company PACT and create sales demand for its lead product: organic underwear related to social and environmental causes. PACT wanted us to merge the worlds of social media and consumer behavior with cause-based apparel. Each underwear print is aligned with a social and environmental nonprofit, with inaugural products including Forest Ethics, Oceana, and 826 National. Notable designer Yves Behar and his studio Fuseproject were partners in the new concept, which called for people who had not previously associated supporting causes through their undies.
Solution:
PACT was more than just another company and just another piece of merchandise – their green corporate approach, driven by a social network, was itself innovative and integral to their story. We created a very specific set of key messages to ensure consistency for all spokespeople and in all audiences; we pitched PACT as a business story, fashion story, product story, and a green story to 100+ outlets and hit the road on an aggressive media tour, including a NYC Gift Guide editorial event.
Results:
We successfully launched PACT to wide acclaim, and helped create public demand that has yielded better-than-projected sales month over month. Initial media coverage of PACT included Daily Candy, Today Show, New York Times’ style magazine T, Fast Company, Women’s Wear Daily, Inhabitat, Treehugger, GreenBiz, Metropolis, San Francisco Business Times and The San Francisco Chronicle. In addition, ID magazine named PACT one of the top 10 best designed products of 2009.
CASE STUDY: Putting Algae in the Spotlight
Challenge:
Blue Practice needed to rebrand an existing algae biofuel company and position them as a leader in the biofuel space. Aurora Biofuels wanted us to help remake their identity. Armed with award-winning algae technology and processes, the company wanted to shed its University-bred image, separate itself from existing algae companies, and portray itself as a world-class renewable fuel company for the benefit of investors, influencers, policymakers and new hires.
Solution:
From Pitchforks to Petri Dishes. We broke from the standard “farming” language adopted by the algae industry and designed key messages emphasizing Aurora’s strength in biotechnology and process engineering. We created a new web site for Aurora Biofuels that portrayed a more technology-driven company, while embracing the new messaging. Finally, we introduced the remade company to the media with a slate of new announcements: a new CEO, funding round and technology breakthrough that reinforced the company’s unique approach to algae production.
Results:
Aurora’s recognition in top-tier of advanced biofuel companies. After the repositioning, Aurora placed 30th in an international poll of “hottest biofuel companies” by Biofuels Digest. At the same time, the company gained significant attention in mainstream and industry publications like The New York Times, CNET, Nova, and Greentech Media for its technology and engineering approach, helping to attract the interest of notable press, investors and politicians for further corporate support.
CASE STUDY: Repositioning a Brand for Success
Challenge:
In want of a new spin. Envirotower lacked a powerful way of presenting their energy-saving, water-efficient cooling tower services. The company became mired in the details of their technology – not in the benefits they would provide. Envirotower turned to Blue Practice to craft new descriptive language that would better resonate with their audience, while helping creating a new website that used key benefits to engage customers and drive demand.
Solution:
Blue Practice engaged in a complete repositioning for Envirotower, beginning with new messaging architecture to more effectively articulate the company’s services. We conducted a perceptual audit of key stakeholders, using the group’s feedback and its own keen sense for what would resonate with customers, to focus on the company’s comprehensive, financially-rewarding approach. We were then able to provide a clear, benefits-oriented means of describing the company, which we then articulated in their corporate materials, boilerplate and website.
Results:
A new, service-oriented approach. Envirotower went from a focus on “the most technically advanced system for cooling tower water treatment” to “a proven, reliable solution for maximizing energy and water efficiencies.” The revised messaging helped reposition the company with a focus on their service, rather than their product. With this new focus, Envirotower carried forward a new story that more effectively sold their service and furthered their leadership in the industry.
CASE STUDY: Your Outsourced Marketing Department
Challenge:
Who’s doing marketing? In 2009, longstanding public relations client EPS Corp requested we extend our existing services to include managing its overall marketing efforts. Experiencing a wave of growth after an influx of funding, the industrial energy efficiency company wanted to quickly ramp up its marketing function.
Solution:
Blue Practice immediately assumed all marketing functions for the company for first six months and then was asked to continue in that role for more than a year. We developed a very aggressive marketing plan and set out to “own” one vertical market. We also built a new website and corresponding web content, created a new company tagline, managed corporate collateral and exhibits, built a strategic list of shows and events, and effectively repositioned the company as a leader in a newly emerging category called “Energy Intelligence,” enlisting the help of leading technology research firm to author a report on the sector.
Results:
We succeeded in building a market presence for the company in a vertical industry sector and in truly elevating the EPS’ corporate brand. Through our work in comprehensive market segmentation, we directed the company to new target strategic sectors for business development, and then effectively marketed the company in those areas with a newly-developed toolkit of key messages and positioning. We continue to work closely with the company to carve out its leadership role as a leader in “Energy Intelligence.”
CASE STUDY: Our Network is Your Network
Challenge:
A technology without a product. Mission Motors hired Blue Practice to create and execute a complete go-to-market plan for its all-electric sport bike, and subsequently manage the public relations effort behind its launch. The challenge was that there was no product or audience – while Mission had created the drive system, the motorcycle had yet to be designed and the audience yet to be identified.
Solution:
Finding synergies. We solved the dilemma by connecting Mission with world-renowned industrial designer Yves Behar and his design studio Fuseproject. Once Behar agreed to design the bike, we collaborated with the two companies to build out a comprehensive marketing direction for the company, including market segmentation and public relations support for the product launch. We identified the TED conference, with its focus on innovation and its high-worth attendees, as an ideal venue to first show the nearly six-figure bike. We leveraged our long history with the conference and deep relationship with show organizers to secure launch and media exposure at TED 2009 Long Beach, and targeted consumer business and motorcycle media not attending the show, even though the flagship bike wouldn’t be finalized for months.
Results:
Mission One gets a roaring start. On February 4, 2009, the company founder and Yves Behar received the rare opportunity of unveiling the world’s fastest production plug-in sport bike on stage at TED. Because of the sensational appearance, we helped to generate a wave of enthusiasm for the visionary product, including early coverage in outlets like: Forbes, Fast Company, The New York Times, Gizmodo, Autoblog Green, WIRED Autopia, Car and Driver, and The Los Angeles Times.
CASE STUDY: Smart Grid 101
Challenge:
How do you explain the transition of our electrical grid from analog to digital? In support of our client Silver Spring Networks, we needed to help media, key influencers, stakeholders and consumers understand the Smart Grid as an open, IP-based network that can enable an unlimited number of applications and the integration of renewable sources of energy like solar and wind. Previous to Silver Spring, Smart Grid stories had focused primarily on smart metering. We needed to help the media and influencers shift their thinking to this bigger picture.
Solution:
Building a thought leader. We educated consumers and stakeholders that helped set Silver Spring apart from its competitors and built a path for expansion into international markets. We also built a robust speakers program for the company, using recent press to drive demand for Silver Spring on industry panels and in keynote presentations. Blue Practice built brand awareness for the company by positioned CEO Scott Lang as a thought and industry leader, and defended our first-mover advantage against new competitors.
Results:
Silver Spring IS the Smart Grid. As a result of our collaborative campaigns in 2009, the company’s media hits outpaced the nearest competitor. In the course of a year, the company appeared in 90 top-tier publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Financial Times, Fortune, Forbes, BusinessWeek, Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, Associated Press and Dow Jones. Other major media highlights include top-tier energy and clean technology media like Earth2Tech, Greentech Media, Venture Beat’s GreenBeat and Smart Grid News. As a result of our speakers campaign, Silver Spring’s CEO became a highly demanded evangelist for the Smart Grid; he and other staff presented at conferences including WSJ Eco:nomics, Fortune Brainstorm Green, Reuters Global Climate, Alternative Energy Summit, the Clean Technology Investor’s Summit, and The Governors’ Global Climate Summit 2, the lead-up to Copenhagen hosted by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
CASE STUDY: Elevating Conference and Tradeshow Recognition
Challenge:
Blue Practice needed to drive awareness for West Coast Green and its broadened clean technology focus. Challenged with hosting the show in the new market of San Jose, CA, West Coast Green Blue Practice relied on its expertise marketing other conferences such as Dwell Magazine’s Dwell on Design, Electric Vehicle Symposium, InterSolar, and others.
Solution:
The value of strong messaging and early media outreach. We worked with the executive team to internalize new messaging that focused on attracting a larger demographic, then developed strategic ways to involve the press early to maximize preshow coverage and drive attendance. Construction of the showcase home on the tradeshow floor became an early opportunity for broadcast coverage, while videos of conference organizers and speakers delivered key messages to a broad regional audience. Once the show began, we played matchmaker with journalists and speakers, connecting reporters with experts on topics important to them. We also arranged exclusive media interviews with exhibitors showcasing innovative Cleantech products that appealed to their tech-savvy audience.
Results:
Blue Practice successfully launched West Coast Green to a new audience in Silicon Valley. We received advance and mid-show television coverage from ABC, NBC, CBS, KRON, and Your TV 20, while more than 100 print and online stories appeared in regional papers, from The San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News (where the show made the cover of the Home and Garden section), to the Silicon Valley Business Journal, CNET, Sunset Magazine, Treehugger, Triple Pundit, The Huffington Post, Apartment Therapy, Jetson Green, Glam, Renewable Energy Access and Greentech Media. Thanks in part to our success, West Coast Green was able to attract significant numbers of attendees and position themselves as a clean and green show for years to come.
CASE STUDY: A Community Approach to Residential Solar
Challenge:
Building a groundswell for solar. SolarCity’s Community Solar Program needed massive acceptance. The program would provide financial incentives for neighborhoods that adopted solar together, but without record-breaking sales the company wouldn’t reach the economies of scale they needed.
Solution:
Public relations, block-by-block. Neighborhoods needed to rally together to make the program work, so we took a local approach to public relations. We trained neighborhood solar advocates to be community spokespeople. We aggressively pursued attention in community and county media, emphasizing the most fitting key messages for each region while driving attendance at SolarCity’s neighborhood solar information sessions.
Results:
We received widespread and timely coverage in targeted regional outlets like the Menlo Park Almanac, San Mateo County Times, Palo Alto Daily News, Santa Monica Mirror, Mountain View Voice, Long Beach Signal Tribune, and the Los Altos Town Crier. With the assistance of a successful public relations campaign, SolarCity was able to sell more residential solar power in the nation’s largest solar market than had ever been acquired before: in the program’s 16 months, the company brought in a total of 2.7 megawatts of solar power to homeowners across the state.
