What They Say:

"During a critical period, Pivotal took us from first mover launch within a burgeoning category to a recognized leader of market and technology innovation. Their efficacy, creativity and passionate commitment to make a difference demonstrate the synergy that strategic communications at its best can accomplish."
Nancy Drubel, Marketing Director, NetDeposit, Inc. (fmr)

Challenge:

NetDeposit, Inc., a startup within Zions Bancorp's technology division, had pioneered an innovative electronic check processing solution that could lead the nation’s bank industry into a new era of check image conversion. It faced steep competition from large federal government and nationally recognized technology solution providers vying for market leadership with competing solutions at various stages of development.

Insight:

As game-changing Check21 legislation worked its way through Congress to mandate new check processing standards, Pivotal realized that NetDeposit had one year at most to establish the industry recognition necessary to gain market momentum ahead of the pack. To make a leadership campaign effective, it must draw on a combination of the CEO’s stature in the industry, his expertise in check processing and ability to influence the legislation through NetDeposit’s innovative approach to key challenges.

Solution:

Pivotal initiated a thought leadership and education campaign simultaneous with banking committee legislative hearings that included congressional testimonies by the CEO, an industry speaking tour with strategic partners, op-ed placements and interviews with industry press and analysts. The initiative swept industry forums from banking trades to national media, inserting the emerging company’s innovative solution for “remote deposit” into the dialogue as universal standard.

Results:

NetDeposit gained synonymy with Check21 industry standards. Coinciding with the passage and implementation of the bill, key national banks adopted its vision, recognizing the advantage of a franchise-building solution to help move the industry into a new era of check image conversion.

Challenge:

AboveNet, Inc., an early stage innovator of co-location and high bandwidth network connectivity, sought the Internet industry’s validation to meet the challenges of rapidly expanding Web 2.0 traffic demand by offering a more secure, reliable service provider. Despite the industry’s intense competition, the goal was an initial public offering (IPO) to seek capital expanding the startup into a company with a national and international footprint.

Insight:

The company founder had the vision and passion to humanize the technology so that Internet businesses seeking the delivery of fail-safe connectivity would see AboveNet as a business partner to foster rapid growth. He had an innate ability to demystify co-location connectivity for the “information highway” in simple language and visual metaphors.

Solution:

Pivotal took a complex and difficult to differentiate concept and developed a compelling visual narrative to engage industry analysts and media. It described how AboveNet rerouted Internet traffic during heavy periods by sending information packets over alternative routes, “above” the net. Stakeholder audiences could visualize their business’s information packets as vehicles reaching their destination on a secure multi-band highway system of internet content, information and communications.

Results:

With widespread industry analyst endorsement, national media and business press exposure, the company met all of its early stage growth goals. Pivotal’s campaign contributed to the launch of a successful IPO with stock that is currently traded on NASDAQ-100 index.

Challenge:

In the crowded mobile commerce and CRM space, there are literally thousands of companies vying to launch their solutions.
A technology division within a worldwide leader in loyalty marketing develops a groundbreaking retail loyalty and promotional solution that fully enables the real-time customer —and seeks to catch the m-commerce wave.

Insight:

Pivotal identifies the emerging technology category – cross-channel marketing from which MRT would be able to define and own the m-loyalty space. The solution gains strength by leveraging its parent company's loyalty marketing heritage.

Solution:

Pivotal creates the strategic product pre-launch game plan, positioning MRT's m-loyalty flexible platform as the first with complete cross-channel retail loyalty and promotional capabilities able to converse with customers before, during and after transaction.

Results:

MRT ramps up its roll out efforts to empower retailers, payments providers and their partners with the right technology at the right time as the m-loyalty solution geared to demonstrate retailer loyalty to customer – not the other way around.