Solution
Long-time Rainier client Ariel was a well-known provider of digital signal processing (DSP) boards and software, but was essentially a start-up in data networking in the late 1990s. ADSL was gaining a great deal of momentum as a “last mile” broadband access solution for bringing megabit-speed Internet connectivity to homes.
Ariel leveraged its DSP experience to create the Horizon DSLAM, a central-office solution for ADSL connectivity, with a unique, fault-tolerant architecture. The product features directly addressed the need for maximum uptime for ADSL service providers.
But as a newcomer to the market, Ariel was virtually invisible to the service provider community, and Rainier’s job was to create awareness and market traction for the company. The agency capitalized on the market’s increasing obsession with connectivity uptime to successfully launch Ariel as an ADSL leader.
Results: Ariel Well Recognized in ADSL Industry
Rainier’s campaign resulted in Ariel’s name being regularly included on lists of key players in the ADSL infrastructure equipment industry. Just over a year after the launch, Ariel closed the sale of its DSLAM business unit to Cabletron Systems for $33.5 million.
“Having Rainier as our agency is like having a secret advantage over the competition – this team brings exceptional strategic thinking to every campaign they create and execute,” raved Ariel marketing manager, Steve Curtin. Knowledge of the technology and the telecommunications market allowed the agency to develop a highly focused, creative approach to getting Ariel’s message out.
To achieve quick and intense market awareness, Rainier created a visually arresting “speed bump” to get readers to stop and look at Ariel and come away with one message: Ariel = fault tolerant ADSL.
Approach: Only the Impossible Can Stop Ariel
Ariel’s Curtin noted, “Beyond Rainier’s unique ability to comprehend technology is a fantastic knack for digging deeper, asking the right questions, and pushing harder to articulate exactly how a product brings real value to the overall market.”
For Ariel’s new product launch, Rainier produced an over-the-top exaggerated catastrophe campaign with pictures of a nuclear explosion, buildings being demolished, Godzilla stomping on a car, and a bomb about to go off.
The advertisement’s headline read: “WARNING: There Are a Few Things That Might Bring Down Your Ariel ADSL System.” The message was clear – Ariel’s ASDL solution is the most reliable one in the industry.
“The results with Rainier,” said Curtin, “are always an incredible return on our investment.”
Horizon is the industry’s first fault tolerant end-to-end ADSL solution. Only an uncommonly catastrophic event could interrupt your customers’ ADSL data service. If your HORIZON stops working, you’ve got more to worry about than service interruption. A lot more.
