Summary
EMC identified that the global IT storage market for SMBs represented the greatest opportunity for growth.
Having built one of the world’s largest computer businesses by concentrating on enterprise level customers, a decisive shift was required to both enter and gain market share in a competitive, high volume sector with established players like NetApp, HP, IBM and Dell.
To address this market EMC has developed the VNXe Unified Storage Solution. The Crocodile was commissioned to develop a campaign that would enable EMC to recruit a new worldwide channel partner network to reach the SMB market and launch VNXe to SMB customers in the Americas, EMEA and APJ.
The ‘Click & Go’ campaign:
• Perfectly positions VNXe with a global SMB audience as a simple to use, affordable, reliable, entry level solution.
• Successfully translates across borders both emotionally and rationally.
• Is underpinned with a cost effective implementation strategy designed to build both partner coverage (recruitment) and market share by territory.
Having only launched in March 2011, ‘Click & Go’ has enabled EMC to:
• Recruit over 2000 new partners globally.
• Generate over 10,000 marketing qualified leads.
• Exceed year on year target objectives of 30 per cent growth.
About EMC
Founded in 1979, EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organisations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information.
Strategy — broader business issues the company is facing
EMC’s incredible success over the last 30 years has largely been driven by enterprise solutions, however current and forecast market trends — supported by IDC research — clearly indicate that the entry to mid level market represents the best business opportunity with far higher growth rates.
Aided by global field research and focus groups EMC has made decisive moves to capitalise on the growing SMB market. Top line research provided a clear indication that as a result of having very little historical presence in this market current perceptions could act as a barrier to success and would need to be addressed:
• Not for a company like mine.
• Too expensive.
• High-end complex solutions.
• Good satisfaction levels with existing solutions in this space – NetApp, HP, IBM and Dell.
Additionally the field research highlighted a shortfall of global reach in the channel space at entry level indicating the requirement for extensive global partner recruitment.
The field research also indicted a common theme within existing channel partners who found EMC a bit difficult to do business with — process and number of steps — and struggle with the complex and varied product portfolio when compared to other vendors — they craved greater simplicity, along with greater revenue and profit.
Then of course there is getting a new product offering right with customers demanding storage that is simple, reliable and able to seamlessly integrate with the applications they use to run their business.
The answer was the global launch of EMC’s new VNXe Unified Storage.
Objectives of the campaign
• Globally launch and position the new EMC VNXe Unified Storage solution in the SMB marketplace.
• Establish a core proposition that can have a halo effect on all activity — connect with SMB end-users and signal intent to channel partners — and begin to address existing barriers to market. Deliver 30 per cent year on year growth in the SMB market: split between America’s, EMEA, APJ.
• Increase demand generation 10 times for channel partners: generate pipeline and improve quality between MQLs and SALs.
• Recruit 4,000 authorised partners globally: entry level partners with fast and simple on-boarding
process.
Driven by the research and a number of strategic workshops we were able to distil down to a few unifying thoughts that would play out on a global stage to steer the campaign and messaging:
Simplicity:
• Required to change enterprise-driven perceptions.
• A necessity for the SMB space.
• Resellers want more of it from EMC.
Global confidence:
• A proposition that connects to a global audience that is not diluted through translation.
• Clarity of thought — say less more confidently.
• Requirement for an idea that connects both emotionally and rationally.
• Accessible, approachable and likeable.
• Easy to use, affordable and integrates with applications.
Target audience
Global channel market: aggressive recruitment targets were set for 2011 with a focus on lower tiered partners to help build reach and penetration. To create greater appeal to this global market EMC made fundamental improvements and simplification of its offering and processes to make them easier to do business with — new online sign-up, quick start training, limited and easier to understand product portfolio, quick win revenue model.
The combination of this simplified model alongside the new product launch and the associated commercial opportunity was then communicated via a series of strategic and tactical activity ranging from live events, online seminars, emails, telemarketing, easy to use playbooks, banner advertising etc.
Global SMBs: this audience is very application-orientated and very price sensitive. They are less interested in the bells and whistle features IT vendors tend to bang on about and globally there is a consistency in a ‘what’s in it for me’ agenda. Key priorities for this audience include ease of use, performance, scalability and total cost of ownership.
Driven by global research for this audience, EMC should look to communicate in an approachable, relevant, likeable, confident and clear way.
Media, channels or techniques used
The campaign was broken down into three main groups of activity globally:
1. Partner enablement — new online affiliate development centre along with on-boarding tools and videos. Standardisation and consolidation of easy to use playbooks with solution brief, sales decision trees, customer presentations, flash demos, cheat sheets and alike.
2. Awareness — launch campaign to establish base awareness using a combination global outdoor and print media, banners, social media and PR. Designed to build confidence within the channel and to provide a platform for the demand generation activity to work from.
3. Demand generation — centrally produced and translated campaigns for partners, event and trade show marketing, promotional merchandising, banners, direct lead nurturing programs, telemarketing.
Timescales of the campaign
Research — September/October 2010.
Planning and scoping — October/November2010.
Campaign briefing — November 2010.
Campaign development — December 2010/January 2011.
Translations — February 2011.
Campaign launch — March 2011.
Analytics — June 2011.
Results
Global sales success, theater mix and YoY growth in Q2 QTD:
• Americas: 21 per cent growth YoY.
• EMEA: 10 per cent growth YoY.
• APJ: 51 per cent growth YoY.
Demand generation:
• Executed 750 events.
• Generated 10 million impressions.
• 10,000 marketing qualified leads.
Partner recruitment and activation:
• Total partners recruited since launch (as of June 2011): 2,146.
• Partners actively marketing and selling VNX.
• Americas — 450.
• EMEA — 250.
• APJ — 200.
• Increase in channel revenue since launch: 50 per cent YoY (June 11 vs June 10).
Client testimonial
Julie Christiansen, global channel marketing at EMC, commented, “Click & Go answered the VNXe brief perfectly and gave EMC an effective and dynamic global marketing toolset to recruit new partners and win market share. The campaign resonated in every EMC territory, presenting our message to partners and customers simply, powerfully and visually, reflecting the brand values of our new product and doing much to help EMC position itself decisively in the competitive SMB space. Only four months into the campaign we are more than halfway to our 4000 new partner target and have exceeded revenue expectations substantially. A great success story for EMC and The Crocodile.”
