Case Studies
Appian
High impact branding hits the DoD bullseye
Situation
Appian, a software and professional services firm, is the original architect of the world's largest intranet portal, Army Knowledge Online (AKO) and a leading provider of real-time enterprise web solutions to the public and commercial sectors. In order to sustain its growth in the public and commercial sectors and to raise the company's status (both inside and outside the Beltway), Appian required a high impact campaign to increase visibility in a short amount of time.
Appian had to:
- Brand itself as the architect of AKO;
- Increase visibility within public sector trade publications, particularly those focused on the Department of Defense (DoD); and
- Generate leads within the Army, as well as the rest of the DoD/public sector, for new consulting engagements.
Results
Boscobel began with a Press Awareness Survey and Synopsis (PASS) – designed to both assess market awareness about Appian and unearth any low-hanging media opportunities – that resulted in immediate coverage in Washington Technology. Then, Boscobel kicked off the official PR campaign by hosting media at an AKO interactive demo at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia with Colonel Robert Coxe, the Army's Chief Technology Officer.
The Ft. Belvoir demo led to headline coverage in top tier publications including National Defense, Federal Computer Week, The Washington Post, SIGNAL Magazine and the Washington Business Journal, just to name a few. Within just the first four months of Boscobel’s PR campaign, Appian received more coverage in targeted military and federal IT publications than its top seven competitors – combined.
Boscobel supplemented its public relations campaign with an overhaul of Appian’s brand identity. The PR engagement helped us cultivate a deep understanding of Appian as a whole, which the design team mined to deliver insightful solutions. With the launch of Appian’s eagerly anticipated Enterprise 4.0 product approaching, Boscobel was engaged to create its promotional materials, including an ad campaign and brochure. In an effort to distill a complex offering into resonant clarity, the items were anchored by stark imagery and crisp headlines, and ushered AE4 to an auspicious introduction.