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"Marketecture is a real breath of fresh air. Insightful and strategic, they bring new creative standards to the world of b2b that has really put us on the map."
NetNames is Europe’s largest domain name management and online brand protection specialist. Part of London listed Group NBT LTD, Netnames offers industry leading corporate domain name management, online brand protection, online security, anti-piracy and acquisitions services. The company is responsible for managing and protecting online brands for medium to large organisations, from all types of industries, across the globe.
Our brief
The digital underworld is always one step ahead in terms of devising new ways to exploit and damage corporate brands online. That’s why Marketecture was asked to help NetNames hit the streets with a provocative creative proposition putting the threat firmly front of mind with its target markets.
While savvy professionals claim to be wise to the antics of online fraudsters, the digital underworld is always one step ahead - devising new ways to exploit and damage corporate brands online. Cybersquatting, Counterfeiting, Phishing scams, Reputation abuse and Logo/ image abuse and misuse are issues that businesses around the world have to contend with every day.
NetNames was looking to specifically target the legal and marketing communities through an integrated campaign. Hammering home the risks to remove any complacency about the threat and pace at which new criminal techniques could take hold. A bold stance was required to build greater brand awareness across the board and to give the brand 'stand-out' from other market players.
In short, our brief at Marketecture was to develop a new strategic creative proposition for these two distinct markets, using intelligent creative to help reignite a brand proposition in both new and existing markets.
Team Marketecture response
Marketecture proposed two different conceptual propositions with a consistent underlying strategic premise:
- Forget the textbook ‘solution/benefit’ led messaging model and position NetNames as the expert on the problems - the natural implication is expertise on the solution. Create the FUD factor (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) in the most relevant way for each target market
- Create an appropriate ‘smile in the mind’ whilst actively illustrating risks.
Introducing Andriy and Buela...
Meet loose cannon Andriy and slob Buela. Two less than savoury, yet streetwise characters who personify the dangers of companies not keeping control of their domain name management.
This bold and insightful concept needed to stack up against the sexiest of executions; helping launch NetNames' online brand protection services to in-house and agency marketers worldwide. Successfully injecting shock tactics with humour to hammer home the risks to this new target market, it was a brave move by the NetNames’ marketing team. One that was designed to shock and one designed to get noticed for the almost grotesque depictions.
But it didn’t stop there. NetNames was also keen to target the legal sector. And while the edgy execution of Andrij and Buela was ripe for a profession abound with creativity, this more staid market needed an altogether different approach; one which proved to an ‘expert’ audience just how easy it is to become complacent.
Let's paly mnid gamse...
Evoking the desired response from individuals operating in a more reserved, corporate environment required a different approach. More used to dealing with complex manuscripts rife with legal jargon, a suitably subtle yet thought-provoking, intelligent approach was required.
By switching the ordering of the lettering in such a way that the text was still decipherable, the idea was to implicitly demonstrate how easy it is to make careless assumptions, thus prompting an audience that considered itself ‘expert’ to re-evaluate its position: could it be entirely confident it wasn’t missing a costly trick?
The results
Andriy and Buela stole the limelight on exhibition stands at the International Trademark Association annual conference in Boston (and made such an impact they have been brought back in 2011 in a new execution), as well as being used by NetNames to promote events and whitepapers in Denmark, Germany and Sweden. What’s more on quantitative brand awareness research carried out pre and post campaign the results speak for themselves.
The digital marketing campaign effected a:
232% increase in category awareness
845% increase in unprompted awareness
542% increase in prompted awareness
The legal profession campaign effected a:
141% increase in category awareness
300% increase in unprompted awareness
353% increase in prompted awareness
As well as being nominated in for best b2b campaign in the 2011 Northern Marketing Awards the ‘Meet the Team’ campaign won a prestigious Roses Advertising award for best financial, professional or trade advertisement.
