Positioning a New Service Line

Situation
Cavium Network Solutions (Cavium), one of the world’s major suppliers of multi-core processors to the networking and communications equipment industries, acquired a firm that writes software for Cavium chips, renaming it Cavium Solutions and Services (CSS). Cavium engaged Hinge to position and market this new division.CSS faced multiple challenges. How far should CSS push its own identity? How closely should they tie their services to their chip-building parent? And how would they reach and talk to their target markets?

Process
Hinge recognized that CSS’s primary challenges revolved around perceptions and messaging, so we tackled the positioning and messaging architecture challenges first.We spent a great deal of time talking to leaders at Cavium and CSS to understand the history of the organization, as well as their expectations and goals. Customer interviews provided a critical external perspective and helped us identify potential barriers. Armed with this information, we developed a core message that positions CSS as the only firm with an insider’s knowledge of Cavium hardware.Next, we identified key audiences and their potential barriers. To each of these challenges, we offered responses designed to disarm and persuade. Every response was supported with specific proof points.Once this messaging architecture was in place, we designed and wrote marketing materials that addressed the division’s short-term strategic and budgetary requirements. These materials included a brochure, proposal document, PowerPoint, case stories, white papers, videos and micro website.

Benefits
Today, Cavium Solutions and Services engages prospective customers with precise messaging and a sharper focus. Leveraging the ties to its parent company, CSS now builds trust more quickly and addressing prospects’ questions with more confidence. And the new microsite and marketing materials add a powerful new dimension to the CSS sales team. Today the team generates 3 times as many leads and closes more sales than before: “Where we were once looking at 6 or 7 new opportunities at a time,” says CSS General Manager Safa Alkateb, “we’re now looking at 15, 20 or 25 opportunities that we can close.”As an added bonus, Hinge’s research uncovered a lucrative new market that CSS had never pursued before. That means even more growth in the months and years to come.