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Akamai. Digital Island. Mirror Image.
Each is a recognized “player” in the Web content delivery field. Each has received tremendous publicity to date and carved out significant market share. So, if you’re late to the party and have a slightly different business model, how do you compete?
Edgix chose PepperCom to help it break through the clutter and introduce its new service.
CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITY:
Besides being extremely late to the content delivery field, Edgix was also hampered by low name recognition. Although it had started up in 1998, the company had yet to generate any awareness. The long-awaited launch of its service was expected to change all that.
OBJECTIVES:
The objectives were clear: create maximum awareness of Edgix; position it as a worthy competitor to the “big three”; establish its key differentiating factors to its audience of Internet Service Providers (DSL and Cable Access providers).
In order to accomplish any of these objectives, it was imperative for PepperCom to uncover a unique and sustainable positioning for Edgix.
STRATEGY:
Parallel market research uncovered that, while Akamai, Digital Island and Mirror Image targeted hosting companies for their caching system technology, Edgix concentrated on the Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Unlike its competitors, Edgix pulled all popular content requested by end users to the “edge” of the Internet, before it reached the local ISP POP (point of presence). This provided faster, more relevant content for the end user.
PepperCom conducted an extensive positioning audit in which we interviewed company executives, beta customers, technology reporters, advisory board members and industry analysts. We also examined competitors’ positioning lines and how well the media reported on those positioning statements.
Our recommendation was that the client should differentiate itself in an already crowded field by creating and owning an entirely new space: Edge Services Provider (ESP).
EXECUTION/TACTICS:
Having tested the ESP positioning with beta customers to make sure it rang true, we media trained lead company spokespeople, created an analyst presentation, arranged more than 10 separate analyst meetings and scheduled scores of one-on-one media interviews and advance media briefings, all in less than 60 days. We also organized a press briefing at the Edgix launch party on October 17.
RESULTS:
The results were nothing short of spectacular: In all, 32 interviews have been arranged since October 16. Major articles appeared in CNET, Crain’s New York, Red Herring, San Jose Mercury News, New York Times on the Web, and Inter@ctive Week, to name a few. Broadcast coverage has included a CNNfn feature the evening before launch. Most importantly, the ESP positioning appeared consistently in publications such as: CNET, ISP World, @ New York, ISP-Planet and thestreet.com.
Each is a recognized “player” in the Web content delivery field. Each has received tremendous publicity to date and carved out significant market share. So, if you’re late to the party and have a slightly different business model, how do you compete?
Edgix chose PepperCom to help it break through the clutter and introduce its new service.
CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITY:
Besides being extremely late to the content delivery field, Edgix was also hampered by low name recognition. Although it had started up in 1998, the company had yet to generate any awareness. The long-awaited launch of its service was expected to change all that.
OBJECTIVES:
The objectives were clear: create maximum awareness of Edgix; position it as a worthy competitor to the “big three”; establish its key differentiating factors to its audience of Internet Service Providers (DSL and Cable Access providers).
In order to accomplish any of these objectives, it was imperative for PepperCom to uncover a unique and sustainable positioning for Edgix.
STRATEGY:
Parallel market research uncovered that, while Akamai, Digital Island and Mirror Image targeted hosting companies for their caching system technology, Edgix concentrated on the Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Unlike its competitors, Edgix pulled all popular content requested by end users to the “edge” of the Internet, before it reached the local ISP POP (point of presence). This provided faster, more relevant content for the end user.
PepperCom conducted an extensive positioning audit in which we interviewed company executives, beta customers, technology reporters, advisory board members and industry analysts. We also examined competitors’ positioning lines and how well the media reported on those positioning statements.
Our recommendation was that the client should differentiate itself in an already crowded field by creating and owning an entirely new space: Edge Services Provider (ESP).
EXECUTION/TACTICS:
Having tested the ESP positioning with beta customers to make sure it rang true, we media trained lead company spokespeople, created an analyst presentation, arranged more than 10 separate analyst meetings and scheduled scores of one-on-one media interviews and advance media briefings, all in less than 60 days. We also organized a press briefing at the Edgix launch party on October 17.
RESULTS:
The results were nothing short of spectacular: In all, 32 interviews have been arranged since October 16. Major articles appeared in CNET, Crain’s New York, Red Herring, San Jose Mercury News, New York Times on the Web, and Inter@ctive Week, to name a few. Broadcast coverage has included a CNNfn feature the evening before launch. Most importantly, the ESP positioning appeared consistently in publications such as: CNET, ISP World, @ New York, ISP-Planet and thestreet.com.
Article tags
Technology-New Media
