Case Study: LeftHand Networks: Building product category and mindshare

Establishing a New Product Category & Boosting Visibility

The Challenge 

When LeftHand Networks created innovative IP SANS and Virtualized Storage solutions, they not only introduced new products, they pioneered a new category of storage solutions. They turned to IGNITE Consulting to help them build the category and create demand for their solutions.

The Solution

To build broad awareness of the category, IGNITE developed a new messaging platform and executed a comprehensive market education and evangelization campaign. Campaign elements included:

• Educating the market on LeftHand’s strategy, thought leadership and competitive advantages with strategic analyst and press tours.
• Ensuring LeftHand’s inclusion in relevant articles with proactive editorial outreach.
• Effectively launching new products and solutions.
• Boosting LeftHand’s dialogue in the market by identifying and engaging the best social media channels.
• Increasing coverage with virtualization, channel partner/reseller and low mindshare reporter campaigns.

The IGNITE PR program successfully increased visibility and mindshare with technology analysts, press and publications, helped to increase market share and deliver solid revenue growth in six short months.

Results/Key Highlights

• Successfully established a new product category.  Evidenced by analyst reports, separate category designations; placements in virtualization trades; and Tier 1 competitive acquisitions and investments in scale-out virtualization technologies.
• Increased media and trade coverage of the company’s solutions by 55 percent in the first six months, delivering a 130 percent return on LeftHand’s PR investment;
• The increased visibility and awareness helped boost LeftHand’s revenue growth, market share gains and average selling prices.
  • Revenue growth:  LeftHand’s revenue growth outpaced iSCSI market growth in 2007 and 2008 by seven and 20 percentage points, respectively.
  • Market share: LeftHand’s market share gains accelerated in 2007 and 2008.
  • Average selling price; ASPs grew 124 percent between 2005 and 2008.
• Identified customer pain points and needs for storage virtualization and elevated the messages throughout the market.  Messaging appeared in IDC reports and was mimicked by competitors.