Marketing a product or service that uses state-of-the-art technology can present a challenge.

30 August 2009

Marketing a product or service that uses state-of-the-art technology can present a challenge. How do you sell the potential benefits and applications without blinding your customers with science? Mobius Networks went back to basics in their brochure explaining how M2M data SIM’s are revolutionising the way we work.

Mobius is Vodafone’s preferred distributor for data SIMs that allow machines to talk to each other via a mobile network. M2M (machine to machine) technology is already part of our everyday lives and is increasing all the time. It can be used whenever data needs to be sent or collected and when something needs to be turned on or off. The ability to control and monitor machinery remotely has massive benefits for business. M2M is used in mobile credit card machines, for updating information on digital signs, for reporting vehicle usage and condition, in vending machines, and enables remote building management. The possibilities are endless.

Douglas Gilmour, Sales & Marketing Director for Mobius Networks, explained: “What we are selling is essentially ‘airtime’ and the capability to send and receive data. Describing this cutting edge technology and how it is revolutionising every-day processes can get extremely complex. For the past four years we had fallen into the trap of over-explaining what we do in our advertorials and other marketing materials such as exhibitions stands. This was confusing for our potential customers. We adopted a more straightforward approach with our website and this was proving successful but the visitors tended to already have some knowledge of the process. We needed a marketing tool aimed at those who were completely new to the concept.

“I asked Quiet Storm to produce a brochure that would demystify the technology and focus on the benefits and applications. We agreed that we needed to keep it simple and use images and graphics to clearly portray the range of possible applications for M2M. My first attempt at writing the brochure copy wasn’t successful. Quiet Storm pointed out that I wasn’t fulfilling my own brief – to keep it simple. I went through it again and I really stripped the message down. Wherever possible I took out acronyms and technical references and if they were necessary, I made sure I gave a ‘plain English’ explanation. The Quiet Storm team sourced relevant images and offered advice on the design and production of the brochure. I wanted it to look and feel like a quality publication but also needed it to be cost effective. They were also able to ensure that it was a perfect fit with our brand and our other marketing materials and that it was printed in time for an important exhibition.

“The finished product not only exceeded my own expectations, it was praised by everyone in our management team and hailed as the ‘best brochure we have ever had’. It reinforces our message and reflects the company’s high quality image.

“This brochure is a great asset to our sales team and invaluable at presentations. Because we are basically selling something that can’t be seen, it is important to have something tangible to put in front of a customer. Without doubt it has made our product and service easier to understand.”

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