Initial Situation

In the IT and telecommunication industries an increasing amount of alliances are formed in order to offer complimentary solutions to joint customers and to mutually develop the business. Typically the partners of the strategic alliances assign marketing representatives whose task it is to go to market with joint initiatives after defining the best comprehensive solutions together with the alliance partner.
A GP+S client, an IT infrastructure manufacturer has a strategic partnership with an enterprise software manufacturer. The alliance marketing of the infrastructure supplier, which has limited marketing resources, was searching for external help for marketing planning and campaign execution. For joint campaigns, where nonetheless the alliance partners have different objectives and interests, it is very valuable to have an external mediator and marketing expert from one source like GP+S enabling a fast and efficient planning and campaign execution. And it was important to the client that GP+S had not only the required IT marketing expertise but also in-depth know how regarding enterprise software.

 

GP+S Services

  • Execution of an extensive market and competitor analysis of the enterprise software market
  • Development of a joint strategic marketing planning and business plan
  • Development of a joint value proposition and messaging in selected product areas
  • Joint marketing initiatives and campaigns to generate leads: e-marketing, direct mailings, telemarketing and events
  • Development of joint sales tools to enhance the collaboration of the two direct sales forces and system integrators
  • Development of joint reference cases and initiation of professional articles
  • Development of joint sales literature: whitepapers and brochures

 

Results

  • Increased success and better customer relationships due to joint, mutually aligned messaging and lead generation measures
  • Faster execution of marketing programs and lead generation measures
  • Better coordination of measures due to aligned marketing planning between several divisions of the IT infrastructure manufacturer and with the alliance partner
  • Effective utilization of the marketing budget resulting from joint marketing programs
  • Cost savings due to better synchronized cooperation and joint use of resources
  • Joint opportunities are recognized earlier and thus can be evaluated and executed faster