What is ÅirIQ?

One type of corrosion that affects pulp and paper mill and data center environments specifically is atmospheric corrosion. Cosasco created ÅirIQ to help customers in these industries make better decisions about their corrosion management activities. What sets ÅirIQ apart is the hypersensitive electrical resistance technology (which indicates a corrosive environment before damage to assets can occur) coupled with the system’s ability to display real-time data.

This real-time monitoring helps ÅirIQ users stay ahead of corrosion, instead of spending time and resources fixing a problem after it has already occurred. This type of technology and information is game-changing for directors and engineers responsible for controlled environments.

Positioning and Launching ÅirIQ

Every project at goBRANDgo! starts with learning. We met with subject matter experts at Cosasco to learn the features and benefits of the product and gain a better understanding of the target audiences we were trying to reach. We were especially eager to learn about the audience for ÅirIQ because it represented an opportunity for Cosasco to penetrate new markets. Prior to launching ÅirIQ and a few other recent products, they had worked primarily in the oil and gas industry. We needed to ask a lot of questions to gain insight into the audiences of pulp and paper mills and data centers.

To get inside our prospects’ heads, we led a live rapid persona exercise with Cosasco where we delved into the problems, motivations, and desired outcomes for the different audiences they served. 

Once we had a good grasp on the differentiators of the product and the challenges of the audience, we brainstormed how copy and design could work together to create a compelling message. We presented three creative approaches and painted the picture for Cosasco about how each of them could come to life in the launch campaign and future messaging for ÅirIQ. We created sample ads with differing visuals and copy to illustrate what each idea could look like out in the wild.

Once we decided on the messaging and creative direction for the launch, our creative, strategy, and client success teams worked together to create a series of a deliverables and a plan for deployment. We decided that a mixture of traditional sales enablement tools and digital marketing tactics would give Cosasco the multi-channel support they needed to make the launch a success.

Deliverables we executed included:

• Website Landing Page
• Website Pop-Up
• Sales Sheet
• Digital Ads

The creative approach we landed on used both dark and light backgrounds to bring contrast with Cosasco’s existing visuals for other corrosion monitoring products, which featured mostly dark backgrounds. Since the launch had to appeal to markets outside of Cosasco’s core oil and gas audience, the visual differentiation helped solidify the uniqueness of the ÅirIQ product.

The visuals also incorporated an angular, all-caps sans serif typeface that lent a technological feel, along with other design elements reminiscent of data, which reflect both the capabilities of the ÅirIQ system and the data center environment that it is well suited for (among others). 

We began creating copy inspired by the idea of “invisible monsters,” threats lurking in the atmosphere just waiting to take down critical assets. We wove this concept into the content of the entire campaign, speaking to the way that ÅirIQ’s real-time data replaces uncertainty with confidence in controlled environments—making the unse

Results

Cosasco secured the first purchase order for ÅirIQ on the date of the product launch. In the three weeks that followed, they had sold 15 units, quoted over 40 units and had secured leads for 120 units. Three customers signed up for trials, and they were invited to speak at a few industry conferences about the product and its capabilities.

Protecting critical infrastructure from the harmful effects of corrosion keeps modern life as we know it up and running. After the momentum gained by this product launch, we’re continuing to work with Cosasco to refine their brand identity and reclaim their position as the go-to provider for corrosion monitoring solutions worldwide.

Banner Fire: Equipped for Success

Banner Fire has been equipping first responders and firefighters with the tools they need to protect their communities for nearly four decades. Their 39,000 square foot facility houses everything an emergency responder needs to get the job done safely, from parts and service to testing and inspections.

Banner Fire wanted to update their website to provide a more satisfying customer experience and reduce manual labor for the team. With their large inventory and newly expanded product offerings, they needed an e-commerce solution that would provide a better all-around user experience.

The Project

A Better Process was Needed

Banner Fire houses approximately 8,000 products in their warehouse on any given day. Their e-commerce functionality didn’t work well with their Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) and required their team to do a lot of manual work to keep the stock updated. Team members worked daily with the ERP to pull any information that had changed (prices, descriptions, titles, SKU numbers, manufacturer updates, etc.), and manually enter changes into the e-commerce system. This took a lot of valuable man-hours that could be better served elsewhere and left room for human error.

Seeking an Exceptional Experience

User experience matters. A well-designed site with easy access to products and information is paramount when a new potential customer pays a visit. If a visitor can’t find what they’re looking for, they will go elsewhere, and someone else will get that sale. Banner Fire hadn’t updated their site in nearly half a decade, and it showed. They were ready for a design refresh that complimented their brand, and services with strong UX and scalability for future growth.

Understanding the Fire Industry

Before we can build a proper strategy and begin developing, we have to understand the industry. To fully understand our customer’s business, we must first immerse ourselves in their business, and the larger industry they serve.

Through independent research about their industry, their competitors, and their customers’ challenges, along with (numerous) conversations with Banner Fire, we learned how decision-makers in the fire industry shop for equipment. We worked to understand their journey and shopping habits so we could help Banner Fire be their guide.

Other pieces our team completed included bringing light to the parts and services aspect of the brand. This branch was formerly viewed as being an external arm of the company. The team made sure that with the website redesign this was now viewed internally. The team also condensed the content they had. While they wanted to include as much as they could, they wanted to keep the site focused on being user centric.

Automating Processes for Accurate Lead Times

A critical aspect of this project was to provide a solution that removes the manual updates required by their ERP to give the Banner Fire team the time to focus their time and energy on what they do best–helping emergency responders protect their communities.

Working directly with their ERP provider, we set up a system that would check for updates every night, then push those changes to the e-commerce portion of the site. Now, any time a price, product description, SKU, or other product information changes, the site automatically shows the most up-to-date information for more accurate lead times. This is crucial in today’s market where current supply chains make the timely delivery of products a challenge. It’s especially important in the fire industry, where customers have to wait upwards of a year for supplies they need to protect their communities. Accurate lead times on the site help customers make informed decisions and set expectations for when products will arrive.

Untangling Product Variations

When our team was learning about the equipment Banner Fire sells, we noticed that many of the products had slight variations (sizes, colors, etc).

Creating separate products for each variation would muddy up the customer experience, creating an overwhelming number of products, and making it more difficult to find items need quickly. With this in mind, we developed a solution that allows the site to have multiple variations on the same product.

Updating the Look and Feel

Automated processes? Check. An easier, more navigable user experience? Check. From a back-end perspective, Banner Fire’s site saw an elevated presence that not only streamlined processes but presented information in a way that makes sense. But first impressions count, and we wanted to ensure their site’s look and feel complimented the functionality.

We wanted to relate to Banner’s target market, firefighters, so we chose imagery that depicted them as the heroes they are, using bold colors and design elements where they made sense.

Typographically, we chose a font that had some character, deliberately avoiding typefaces that felt too simplistic or corporate. Beyond the web, Banner Fire is undergoing a larger rebranding process, which we have kept in mind as we developed their new site, keeping new elements, and messaging in mind.

Smooth Customer Transition

Customer service is very important to the Banner Fire team, so before making the site live, our teams worked together to figure out how to make the transition to the new site seamless for current customers. An email was sent after the launch asking them to visit the site and reset their password.

We also added a message on the login page. Customer information was transferred to the new site including name, address, billing information, tax-exempt status, and previous order history.

Results

Creating or updating a single product can take as long as 10 minutes–create a product, add a description, add a price. With more than 8,000 products, that’s essentially over 1,300 hours of manual entry from the Banner Fire team. By creating an automated inventory process, Banner Fire’s website has provided approximately $200k in cost savings, with that number growing exponentially as new products are added and updated.

Since the launch of the site, we’ve seen more meaningful user engagement. Pages per Session has increased by 4.08% and the Bounce Rate has declined by 10.53%. That’s a fancy way of saying that users are staying longer and viewing more pages on the site during their visits.