Work included Trade Ads, Brochures, Postcards, Public Relations,
Trade Show Booth Design, Trade Show Posters, Mulit-media Sales Video Walls,
Product Logo Design and PowerPoint Shows.
By 1997, ASC, located in Burbank, had already abandoned its core business along with its full name, Audio Services Corporation. It had become one of the leading manufacturers of digital video servers for the Television Broadcast industry. As part of a huge wave of new technology revolutionizing TV, ASC not only offered servers to help TV stations migrate to "all digital" facilit
ies, it also provided "Digital Solutions."
This strategy was designed to toe-to-toe with ASC’s giant competitors, which included Hewlett Packard and Tektronics. These very large, multi-tiered companies offered integrated digital solutions and ASC needed to do likewise in order to compete. Consequently, proprietary software (Windows NT based), RAID Storage systems (with access enabled via a proprietary version of Fibre Channel) along with a Newsroom nonlinear editing workstation were just a part a number of "solutions" in the ASC product mix. In addition, and very importantly, ASC’s digital solutions had to integrate with the protocols of many other technologies provided by companies large and small, diverse and narrowly specific. Such enterprises included Sony, Panasonic, DNF (a current client) Louth, Odetics, Sundance and many more.
In 1999, ASC was acquired by Leitch, a large Toronto-based, worldwide corporation with a 25 year history. Interestingly, ASC’s servers, which originated in the mid 1990’s have subsequently become the flagship products of Leitch. In 5 years the "solutions" the original ASC offered have evolved into an exceedingly complex engineering marvel, crossing many lines of technological communication, storage, retrieval and data management.
Our services to ASC and Leitch included Trade Advertising, Brochures, Direct Mail, Trade Show Exhibit Design, including signage, translites, Video Wall Sales Presentations and Web site design.
To view ASC/Leitch work, visit: http://www.scherrer-adv.com/Portfolio/B2B/index3.html
GeoLogistics Branding Case History
GeoLogistics Brand Launch, including Corporate Indentification
[Work done in conjunction with Victor Caldwell and Siegel and Gale]
Problem: Develop/produce a global launch for a single brand from 5 acquired corporations in 9 months with $1,250,000. Combine the marketing vision of 5 CEO’s into one worldwide distribution logistics network linking over 1000 offices with 12,500 employees in 75 countries.
Brand & Retail Messaging Strategy: Create a single corporate branding plan with detailed projects that accommodated geographical and cultural differences. Form a Global Branding Team. Simplify the message for low educational and cultural audiences using the visual of the "G" and the color "red" into all components.
Solution: Created "The Color Red Campaign," G-Day worldwide event and a global Web site. Prior to G-Day, each office manager received instructions and a box filled with: Corporate video explaining the new brand; Sales kit with Corporate overview and sales sheets for various products/services; PR Releases and local press distribution instructions; Global Newsletters ready for distribution and a local office newsletter template in MS Word for managers to fill-in; Corporate ID packet including a poster and manual with brand guidelines; Employee Handbooks, Several employee office/warehouse posters; vinyl signs to hang over existing external/internal signs until new ones were manufactured; painting plans for trucks/planes; uniforms; agent/supplier letters clarifying earlier name change notifications; stationery and office operational forms for international trade requirements; polo shirts and decorative balloons; etc.
Results: More global trade press than the combined efforts of the previous year. All 1000 offices celebrated their name change on the same day. Starting in Hong Kong with a Dragon parade; Buddhist Monks blessed us in Thailand; France had a champagne brunch; England had a pub-crawl; and Chicago celebrated with a BBQ and fireworks.
To view Geologistics work, visit: http://www.scherrer-adv.com/Portfolio/B2B/index5.html
Prosoft Case History
Brand Launch, including Corporate Indentification
Marly early adopters of Internet technologies changed the face of many industries and gained competitive advantages as a result. Adopting these technologies impacted every employee, department and process in the enterprise, making company-wide training an operational imperative.
One company responded to this challenge by providing companies a training partner with solutions across all of these technologies and their key audiences. Prosoft was focused exclusively on partnering with businesses to unlock the phenomenal potential of the emerging technologies of the Internet Age through effective training. With an extensive course catalog, specially trained instructors, a nationwide network of classrooms and custom offerings, Prosoft had what it took to assist companies in meeting this formidable challenge.
Internet technologies created a revolution in the operation of enterprises. These technologies collapsed time, erased distance and allowed instantaneous access to vast stores of information. As a result, enterprises faced changes in the fundamental way they competed in the marketplace. These technologies allowed an enterprise to instantaneously and electronically communicate with prospects, customers, employees, vendors and shareholders. This dramatic change and the constant introduction of related technologies caused companies to reevaluate their business processes and unraveled uncertainty into established Information Technology strategies.
To view Prosoft work, visit: http://www.scherrer-adv.com/Portfolio/B2B/index4.html
Netgateway Case History
Brand Launch, including Corporate Indentification
With the success of Prosoft, a number of the management team started a new company, Netgateway, as an outsourcing "e-commerce" provider. The mission was to bring "turn-key" resources that allowed companies that were either not already Internet enabled or not inclined to keep up with the ever-changing hardware and software maintenance as well as staffing needs to "plug in" to Netgateway’s "Internet Commerce Center. The company eventually evolved to a B2C enterprise, purchasing "Stores Online."
To view Netgateway work, visit: http://www.scherrer-adv.com/Portfolio/B2B/index4.html
Infobot Case History
Brand Launch, including Corporate Indentification
By the mid 1980’s touch-tone telephones had become ubiquitous. And with it, digital acquisition of information became available to the fingertips of virtually everyone. Syntellect, a late-comer to the business of providing computer technology for accessing data this way, introduced "Infobot."
We positioned this product as the innovator. In fact, a preemptive position was established that "branded" Infobot as if it had literally "created" the technology of accessing information through the use of touch-tone telephones.
Today, of course this information tool is everywhere.
The themeline/headline, "The Most Innovative Use Of The Finger Since The Creation Of Touch Tone Dialing" was utilized in print advertising, collateral and posters. A unique direct mail program was instituted. It included a 25¢ coin glued on the cover of brochures, with the headline, "How To Create Improved Customer Service For Only 25¢ An Hour" which pointedly compared the hourly cost of Infobot with the cost of an employee.
Though Infobot was orignally created to provide digital access to banking customers’ account balances, etc., it soon became the technology Federal Express adopted, along with most Fortune 500 companies.
Flying Tigers Case History
Flying Tigers Door-to-door Campaign & Consumer Launch
Problem: With airline deregulation, Flying Tigers, previously an exclusive air cargo ariline, was losing many of it's freight-forwarding customers. After UPS and Federal Express started their own fleet of aircraft, Flying Tigers was forced to enter the "Door-to-Door" business.
Brand & Retail Messaging Strategy: Utilizing Tigers' unique on-time guarantee, the marketing and advertising campaign was launched with the theme, "It's On Time Or It's On Us." Communication components consisted of national TV spots, Newspaper Ads, Collateral, Posters, Direct Mail and employee motivational programs. In addition, a vast Public Relations Campaign was inaugurated.
Results: From a previous general awareness of less than 6%, brand recognition skyrocketed to over 55%. Though Flying Tigers was eventually absorbed by Federal Express, this "retail" campaign bought the corporation valuable equity.
