A superhero comic and online cartoon are the centerpieces of a new campaign from networking and security application provider Radware to relaunch the Alteon brand.
The effort began in November with an online promotion, and will be followed up starting this month with a direct mail campaign distributing the comic books.
Radware acquired Alteon from Nortel in March, noted Christine D. Aruza, vice president of corporate marketing for Radware.
"The brand was in need of refreshing, and lent itself to the idea of a hero returning," said Arzua, hence the "Alteon is Back" campaign. "The previous owner had used a superhero motif in past promotions, so there was an opportunity to update that."
The sales cycle for the Alteon product is typically six to eight months. Price depends on the installation—for example, an 8Gig license can run $74,000, while a 20Gig license is about $149,000.
Looking at the demographics and psychographics of the high tech customer profile, Aruza said the company realized many were already fans of online gaming, science fiction and comics. Radware looked at current comics and genre movies, to make sure they got the tone down pat. "We knew we'd get certain allowances, being a B-to-B marketer, but we wanted to get it right," she noted.
A cinematic trailer was created to highlight the return of the hero, along with online wallpaper and character bios on the "Alteon is Back" site (http://www.alteonisback). "We wanted to create a sticky environment and engage the customer," said Aruza.
The next phase of the campaign starts later this month with a direct mail campaign centering on the comic books. Aruza noted that there will be 1,000 "limited edition" versions of the comic wit ha special cover varnish, a protective plastic sleeve and an 18x24 pull-out poster. An additional 5,000 standard editions (without the sleeve or poster) will also be distributed.
To give the campaign a personal touch, many of the comics will be sent with personal notes from the sales force. Partners distributing copies of the comic will be encouraged to do the same, said Aruza.
"We contemplated using a postcard on top of the comic book but felt it would be too commercial in the end," she said. "We really want to strike a close relationship with these customers that are new to the Radware organization and give them the sense that they will always benefit from our direct and personal touch – before, during and after the sales process."
Starting the B-to-B campaign online first was a very conscious decision, noted Aruza.
"We led them to the online experience first to acclimate them to the new brand before carrying them along the continuum to the direct world, where the value of the physical piece they receive would count for more in the end," she said.
Baseball caps, t-shirts and even an action figure will also be given out, to further get the character in front of consumers and build the brand. "When you acquire the technology, you also acquire the customer base," she said. "We want them to know the brand will be around."
The main campaign goals were branding and demand generation. Three weeks in, Radware has seen a 100% increase and a 70% increase in Twitter followers. The social networking site, as well as videos on YouTube are being used to drive site traffic.