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Cg marketing 2012 050812 (2)
1. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
About Control Group
Control Group is a technology and design firm that creates platforms, products, and
services that optimize operations, enhance brand value, and create new sources
ofrevenue. Our clients include leaders in Architecture, Media& Entertainment,
Hospitality, Healthcare, Art, Finance, and Retail industries.
Culture:The people who work here understand that our robot overlords are taking
over. We just want to prepare our clients for the inevitable.
Executive Summary
Control Group has traditionally relied on referralsfor recruiting, sales, and business
development opportunities. With a 30% revenue growth target for 2012, Control
Group is looking to expand its overall brand awareness todrive sales beyond
referrals, expand existing client relationships, and establish itself as a leader across
categories.
Business Objectives
Increase revenues by 30% $16,150,000
Hardware/Software: $2,422,500
ES – Support: $4,569,900
ES – Project: $3,232,975
Development: $5,094,025
DevOps: $830,600
Increase new opportunities that integrate our service offerings
Expand current client relationships across service offerings
Establish “Spaces” offering and market leadership position
Challenges
With little to no marketing program prior to late 2011, Control Group must
overcome the following hurdles:
1. No infrastructure for marketing activities
2. Current client base is unaware of the full spectrum of services that we offer
3. Expertise spans multiple categories and disciplines
4. No consistent strategy for sales and business development
5. No consistent messaging
6. No consistent content, assets, collateral, or templates
7. Press has no familiarity or relationships with Control Group
8. Websiteis inflexible; does not reflect CG’s technology and design excellence
2. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Offerings
See Google doc
Enterprise Services
Infrastructure, Network, Voice & Systems Architecture
Managed IT Services & Support
Enterprise IT Consulting
Product Development
User Experience Design
Software Development
Graphic, Industrial, Service & Information Design
Integrated Offerings
“Spaces” – Enhancing physical spaces with technology
Big Data – Multi-source data analytics (cloud-based)
3. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Competitive Landscape
Enterprise Services (ES)
ES includes all support contracts and project-based engineering and consulting
engagements.
Support: Managed Services
Competitor Strength Weakness
Cyber City Cheap, simple Bad service, reputation
Blue Water Cisco/networking, size, Unhappy employees
well-known
ImaginIT AEC focused AEC focused only
CG Positioning:
We help companies stabilize and optimize operations.
Depth and breadth of bench and offering + client service
Fully stacked support center with expertise across networking, systems,
workstations, and applications (specialized in art, media, AEC, finance,
healthcare)
Account Management model = client first
Flexible offering customized for each client / in tune with each client’s
culture
Engaged and happy employees = better customer experience
TRUST
Project: Infrastructure& Systems (IT Integration, Cloud, Big Data, etc.)
Competitor Strength Weakness
Accenture Scale, reputation Expensive, not agile
Sapient Reputation, seen as Depth of bench
creative for size
Deloitte Scale, reputation Expensive, not agile
CG Positioning:
We help companies build and scale their business.
Infrastructure as a strategic asset
We treat infrastructure as a fundamental element of a business
User-centered approach: starts with workflow
Built to scale and adapt
Approach is lean and flexible
Help clients invest in technology
4. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Product Development (Dev)
Dev includes all software and design projects.
Product Development
Competitor Strength Weakness
Frog Design Reputation, design No infrastructure
expertise
Ideo Reputation, prestige, Not focused on
industrial design technology, expensive
Rockfish Reputation Not product focused,
web/mobile only
Rockwell Labs Well known in AEC Design, not tech focused
Berg Portfolio of cool projects Unknown, small
CG Positioning:
We help companies innovate their products and services.
Smart & beautifulproducts and platforms (not marketing)
We start with the user experience and work back towards tech and design
Process: Tech and design are iterative and done in tandem- we deliver things
that work
We create new products and business platforms that provide marketable and
value – more than skin deep
We build it together. Clients sit with us at the office.
Lean and agile
Elicit a “wow”, but still built to scale
Overall CG Positioning:
CG is not a pure IT integrator, or an advertising agency, or product development
shop— because most business challenges aren’t so simple as to fit in one of those
categories anymore.
Business technology doesn’t come in a box.
Change doesn’t come in a box.
Don’t get boxed in.
That’s why we do what we do.
It’s a different shape for the future:
- rounded corners
- no cubes
- no departments
- no change orders
- work with clients at our office, not for clients at client’s office
5. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Strategic Partnerships
Apple
Partnership: OS X & Server Reseller & Technology Services
Relationship Objective: Referrals
Key Contacts: Xander Blakely (enterprise sales), Don Peebles (engineering)
Relationship owners: Charlie Miller (engineering), Teri Hagedorn (account), Stacey
Levine (marketing)
Collateral: sales sheets, videos, and case studies to Apple sales and
engineering teams to keep them informed of CG capabilities
Events: host demo event for engineers and account teams at CGHQ
Marketing: Place OTG video case study video on Apple Business Profile site
Amazon
Partnership: Amazon Web Services
Relationship Objective: Referrals & Co-Marketing
Key Contact: Josh Hoffman, Principal, Business Development
Relationship owners: Steve Croll, Stacey Levine, DavidRocamora
Events: Host joint webinars targeting specific industries. Leverage access to
AWS’ newsletter distribution and relationships.
Collateral: Provide sales sheets and case studies to vertical specific account
managers
6. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Customer Profiles / Segmentation (2011)
Revenue
Vertical # of clients product/dev enterprise total
Creative 36 354 1889 $2,243
M&E 13 579 414 $993
Advertising 5 366 31 $397
Healthcare 5 0 89 $89
Finance 3 6 462 $468
Tech 3 43 51 $94
Pro Svcs 2 0 18 $18
Retail 1 536 202 $738
Manufact 1 0 73 $73
Hospitality 1 0 48 $48
Gaming 1 1979 59 $2,038
Key Personas
See Google doc
Client Mindset:
Engineers – certainty / clients – uncertainty
Afraid of getting fired
Commitment/straight jacket
Fear of being left behind
Fear of buying something that will be obsolete next year
Fear of being embarrassed (status quo) vs. need to be famous
7. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Key Topics& Platforms
Topic Business Line Segment POV Owners
Big Data (What The ES + Dev Retail, Hospitality Toby, Dave
MAC) (WTM), All
Cloud ES M&E, Healthcare, Dave, Charlie,
(Automation, HIPAA, Finance, Startup, All Toby
Media Production)
Commercial iPad ES + Dev Retail, Hospitality Campbell, Charlie
deployments
Interactive Spaces ES + Dev Retail, Hospitality, Campbell, Toby
AEC, Ad
Service Design Dev All Campbell, Toby,
Max
UX / UbiComp Dev Startup, Retail, Toby, Max, Brian
Hospitality, AEC
Culture ES + Dev All Campbell, Scott,
Dave
Enterprise 3.0 ES All Dave
(IT as strategic
asset)
8. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Marketing Plan
Marketing will enhance and scale Control Group’s business development and sales
efforts through brand awareness and lead generation activities. Specifically,
Marketing will help Control Group:
Increase revenue by 30%
Attract new opportunities that integrate our service offerings
Expand current client relationships across service offerings
Establish, promote, and sell new offerings
Public Relations & Social Media
Control Group will use traditional media and social media to establish itself as a
recognized expert and thought leader in key strategic areas (outlined in this
document). By leveraging the media, Control Group’s capabilities and expertise will
be better socialized outside of our referral network.
Media List
See Google doc
Quotes/interviews/stories
Client quotes/interviews/stories
Features/Editorials/Advertorials
Comments/link back to blog
Properties
CG.com
Blog.CG.com
R&D site
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
9. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Events
Control Group will leverage networking, sponsorship, branding, webinar, and
speaking opportunities to establish itself as a recognized expert and thought leader
in key strategic areas (outlined in this document). By participating in these events,
Control Group will be able to promote capabilities and expertise outside of our
referral network, as well as generate new sales leads and prospect lists.
Thought Leadership Events
See Google doc
Panels/Roundtables
Keynotes
Judging
Branding/Sponsorship
White Paper Distribution
Webinars
Community
HackNY
New York Tech Meetup
ABNY
Startup America
Women in Dev
10. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Key Foundation Elements
Marketing will make the investment to develop the following key foundational
elements that will support and enhance all sales, business development, recruiting,
and marketing efforts:
Infrastructure
Contact Management System
Invitation/Newsletter Management System
Style Guide
Templates
o Keynote
o PPT
o Word
Content
Videos
o Case studies
o Vignettes on who we are and what we do
o Fun stuff (culture)
Case Studies
o Vertical-based
o Services/Solution
o Integrated offerings
Sales Sheets
o Managed Services specific
o CG Fact Sheet
Messaging
o Who we are, what we do, who we do it for
o Standard sales/biz devmessages
o Standard PR messages
o Website copy
Thought leadership
o Blog posts
o POVs
o By lines
R&D Portfolio
Interactive Office Space
o Display work (Baccarat, Chevron, iPads, prototypes)
o Office space as R&D framework
Website
o Content strategy& IA
o Messaging/Copy
o SEO strategy
o SEM strategy
o Lead capture
11. CONTROL GROUP | Marketing Plan2012
Worldview on clients: Categories to discuss with Andy
Space
Clients
Process
Context (where we fit- not marketing)
Financials (profitable)
How they price good work
How they choose good work
Value of Space?&Obsession of architecture?