Services
- Leadership Guidance
- Global Positioning / Market Initiatives
- Brand Strategy / Identity Development
- 3D Illustration / Animation
- Website Design & Development
- Content Marketing Strategy
- Social Media Strategy / Campaigns
- Promotional Video Creation
- Ads / Collateral
- Tradeshow Visuals / Signage
Team
- Jonathan Abel
- Suzi Craig
- Bruce Kaechele
- Joe Philippon
- Brent Robertson
- Ryan Rose
Web Technology
- CakePHP
- HTML5 / Javascript / CSS3
- Page Editor
- Custom Flash elements
- Search Engine Optimization
- Google Analytics
“ We look at Fathom the way that we want our clients to look at us, as an integral partner. Our clients rely on us to deliver exceptional quality and technologically advanced products. We depend on Fathom to help us stay relevant in the global marketplace and achieve those goals. ” - Rob Tykal / President, Jacobs Vehicle Systems
What happens when you go global, but everything about you says "local"?
It happens all the time. After years of moving the business forward, a company wakes up one morning to find that its brand and marketing could no longer keep pace with its growth. For Jacobs Vehicle Systems, their future in a global marketplace relied on creating a brand that fueled business opportunities.
Jacobs had grown from being a North American manufacturer of the Jake Brake™, the most powerful engine braking system in the industry, to a trusted partner for Daimler, PACCAR, Navistar, Hino and many of the world's biggest engine makers. In 2011, Jacobs reached their 50th anniversary with industry-wide recognition, a truck full of global opportunities and uncertainty about where to take its brand.
Jacobs has been a Fathom client for more than a decade. As much as we know about the company, we didn't want to make any assumptions. Standing at the crossroads with Jacobs, we knew that uncovering how clients see them would bring clarity to who they are. A lot of companies say (as we have) that they are a "trusted partner," but what did that mean in Jacobs' world?
To find out, we conducted exploratory meetings, examined the current marketplace and listened to their clients to get at what Jacobs was doing better than anyone else. We discovered that, for many clients, Jacobs is practically a part of their R&D team. They work side by side with engineers to co-develop technology that achieves performance goals specific to a particular geographic market - whether it be engine braking performance, fuel efficiency or technical innovation solutions.
What emerges from R&D is cutting-edge technology that becomes the star of the show instead of a basic feature that fulfills a standard performance requirement. For many clients, the engine braking technology developed with Jacobs transforms into a remarkable, differentiating feature of a new vehicle or engine platform. The shift for Jacobs has been significant, from industry-leading manufacturer to market-savvy business partner.
Clarity of the company's identity and positioning allowed us to express Jacobs at the level of partner, instead of vendor, when communicating with their customers. We first established a new visual vocabulary and messaging to communicate Jacobs' place in the global market and showcase their expertise. As a primary marketing tool, Jacobs' website required a very distinct marketing strategy that would strengthen its positioning.
Through each element of design, content and functionality, the website trumpets Jacobs' strengths - productivity, control, precision, and partnership. A specific example is the Power Search feature, which allows visitors easy access to products by customer, technology or market. Another is the Global Markets section, which translates into the visitors' native language and is populated with relevant and localized content.
By repositioning its brand and rethinking everything from the tagline to tradeshow materials, Jacobs shed its decidedly North American persona and embraced the international company it had become. Existing and potential clients now recognize the company as a pioneer in valve actuation technology that continues to increase its value and stay relevant in a rapidly developing world. With the brand and marketing now fully aligned with their business, the next 50 years will be spent in Asia, Europe, North America and wherever the journey takes them.
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