MatsSoft provides web-based solutions that join up workflow management, communication tools and real-time performance monitoring. One of its solutions, MATS (Multi Application Tracker System), is aimed at financial services and healthcare organisations, as well as the public sector, and helps speed up the completion of everyday operations including applications and claims.
After several years of organic growth through referral, MatsSoft embarked on a strategy to further increase sales of MATS by targeting new client groups, both directly and through channel partners. Since the solution is adaptable to a multitude of business activities and sectors, a key challenge was to create a single brand identity and messaging structure that would resonate at different levels. Targets could include CEOs, IT leaders, department heads, operational chiefs, marketing teams and customer service managers.
An additional challenge was that as an innovative proposition, MATS would not fit singularly into any existing service category such as CRM, workflow management solution (WMS) or business process management (BPM). Instead it occupied a niche of its own, without any established shorthand. While flexibility and dynamism were key strengths of the solution, simple definitions were difficult. It also needed to differentiate itself from competitors.
Personifying the brand
At the heart of the campaign was the launch of a strong blue-and-orange brand identity, underpinned by the key proposition ‘Making your workflow better’, designed and developed by Bonfire Creative Intelligence. Aligned to this was the broader brand promise that MATS represents ‘Happiness made easy’, highlighting the potential of the platform to make life easier for staff, stakeholders and customers.
Expanding on the human benefits of MATS, illustrated characters were developed showing the brand to be user-friendly, approachable and appealing. These characters enabled more detailed stories to be told, each of which underlined a specific advantage of the solution. These were presented in a comic-book style to differentiate MatsSoft from other providers.
Adopting an in-bound marketing approach, the storyboards were designed to inspire recognition of typical problems and open a dialogue with potential clients.
Taking the inbound marketing strategy further, the rebrand evolved with the creation of a new term ‘glubrication’ to sum up the MatsSoft proposition in a way that would invite curiosity. Glubrication was a combination of two words that described the key strengths of MATS – its ability to ‘glue’ together disparate departments or functions, while at the same time ‘lubricating’ the end-to-end flow of information. The concept of glubrication was echoed in all marketing communications, as well as editorial thought leadership via the retained PR agency, Friday’s Media Group.
Consistent communications
The centrepiece of the rebrand was a complete redesign of the MatsSoft website in November 2011, which moved away from a text-heavy formal look into bolder and more attractive territory. However, it was recognised that consistency across multiple channels would be crucial in gaining traction. The same approach was echoed across exhibition collateral, PR, handouts, posters, video content, emails and presentations.
Video was identified as a vital channel for communicating the multi-faceted benefits of the solution. One iteration was a two-minute animated graphic demonstrating how typical enterprise issues are addressed. This was embedded into the website and also shared on YouTube, along with a broadcast-style news bulletin created by Friday’s Video News that highlighted the overall business credentials of the solution. As well as being shown on screen at relevant events, the videos were a new source of original content distributed on social media. Both Twitter and LinkedIn accounts were used as platforms for sharing this content, while key talking points developed through PR were a catalyst for constructive debate within relevant forums and discussion groups.
Single-sheet handouts were also created, distilling the storyboard approach into physical collateral that could be taken away and kept by delegates at events. To further extend the impact of live appearances, delegate data was collected in order for contact to be made afterwards by email.
New business results
Analysis of traffic to the MatsSoft website provided a strong indication of rising interest in the brand’s offering. In the campaign period from November 2011 to March 2012, visits to the site were more than double the same period in the previous year, rising by 113 per cent. Crucially, more than half were new visitors. From a qualitative perspective, feedback at events has been extremely positive about the refreshed brand.
