Case Study: DataDirect Networks: Raising Brand Visibility to Support Growth and Expansion

Raising Brand Visibility to Support Growth and Expansion

Though a recognized leader of data storage solutions within the high-performance computing (HPC) industry, DataDirect Networks (DDN) lagged its peers in overall market visibility, brand presence and awareness. IGNITE Consulting was tasked with raising the company’s profile and supporting increased traction both in its HPC stronghold and across Enterprise and targeted vertical markets.

Strategy:

To kick off the program, IGNITE Consulting conducted due diligence research and solicited feedback from industry analysts and media.

Based on the research the IGNITE team developed a targeted, integrated PR plan and an aggressive education campaign that involved messaging refinement, tailored media outreach, and global coordination aimed at:

• Increasing awareness of the company’s strong product portfolio and capabilities;
• Amplifying and diversifying the company’s media exposure; and
• Strengthening the company’s reputation for industry thought leadership and vision both within and outside the HPC market.

To do this, the IGNITE team launched a vision/education tour coupled with a new product announcement targeting the HPC market as well as the Enterprise.  The tour was followed by a rolling-thunder campaign aimed at fortifying DDN’s market visibility and presence.

Program Results:

PR efforts helped DDN outpace the tech industry with double-digit growth and the highest bookings quarter in the company’s history. With the boost in DDN’s market visibility, awareness and brand presence in the HPC and vertical expansion markets, demand increased and DDN increased its presence to 70 percent of the top 500 HPC sites.

With the vision/education tour kicking off the year, DDN received more than 400 media features and mentions – an almost 3X increase from the prior year, including coverage in premier HPC publications such as HPCwire, insideHPC, The Next Platform, EnterpriseTech and others, as well as top-tier life sciences, M&E, video surveillance, storage, and IT publications.

The exemplary coverage results were complemented with excellent outcomes across all elements of the PR program. First year results included:

• 34 press releases, with consistent news flow created from DDN’s product roadmap, customer successes, partnerships, trade shows and award recognitions;
• Strong third-party validation, with 15 customer case studies, 15 awards, 9 speaking opportunities, and increased analyst communications; and
• Consistent content that promoted thought leadership, including byline placement.

IGNITE Consulting’s PR efforts continued to build momentum achieving 118 percent growth in media coverage over the following 24 months.