AGA/Gravity had already been working with Thales for nearly two years, creating a simple campaign to try to explain the breadth of solutions it was capable of across a broad range of aerospace and defence niches.
But a new problem began to emerge once customers understood that Thales made lots of different types of system: how to sum up what the company does, regardless of any particular niche we might be marketing in at any given moment. In comparison to its big competitors like Lockheed Martin and EADS what was it that Thales did better than anyone else. They all claimed to make ‘mission critical systems’ so why should Thales get the job of being the principle supplier (or systems integrator)?
Strategy
AGA/Gravity’s planning department set about a series of internal focus groups as well as customer interviews and the answer was devilishly simple, yet breathtakingly impressive: in short, our planners said, Thales build ‘Minds for machines’. An aircraft is just a dumb airframe without Thales avionics and control systems. It can’t take off, fly or land.
The same goes for air traffic control. Without Thales systems the control tower is just a tall building. And the same can be seen across all divisions from battlefields to naval defence to commercial security.
Solution
The ‘Thales on-button’ was created as an iconic devise to show how the company’s systems ‘switch things on’; how without it, a product like an aircraft is effectively ‘dumb’ until its technology breathes intelligence into it.
The creative shows the ‘on-button’ as an integral part of a recognisable solution, indicating the intelligent, switching on presence of Thales, without ever claiming that the company made every component. This enabled the brand to take the credit without ever making false claims.
The aim was to reposition Thales as not just another systems supplier, but the must-have systems supplier. Consequently Thales was being promoted as a market leader, a primary ‘mission critical systems’ provider – a potential systems integrator.
Target audience
Decision makers in major aerospace, defence and security manufacturers globally were the primary target audience for the campaign, with secondary audiences in the Government defence sectors. The wider business community and other opinion formers were also targeted, whilst the internal audience was recognised as key and promoted to with a series of events, literature and intranet activity, entitled ‘The Start of a Big Idea’.
Media
An integrated international media and event strategy was used to ensure cost effective coverage of target audience using both offline and online media.
Core trade press titles included Jane’s Defence Weekly, Flight International Aviation Week, Air Transport World, Defense News, both in print and online.
The Paris and Farnborough Airshows were also recognised as key opportunities. The campaign is intended to run for three years, launching in June 2008, and gathering momentum. There was a £2 million annual budget.
Results
Thales monitors the health of its brand via a twice-yearly advertising & brand tracker (Jan and July). The survey is an online self-completion questionnaire sent to over 10,000 participants using trade magazine subscription lists.
Although still ranking second to Lockheed Martin on many measures and without much between themselves and EADS it must be remembered what monoliths these other two organisations are. They outspend Thales by more than 100 per cent while Lockheed have a firm grip on the minds and the wallets of their American home market. In the face of such stiff competition and within an entrenched market Thales has emerged from the ‘rest’ to be effectively ‘equal second’.
