Headquarters: San Jose, Calif.
Brand established: 1984
2007 advertising: $87 million
2007 Interbrand/BusinessWeek ranking: No. 17
Brand value: $14.8 billion
CoreBrand ranking: No. 22
EXPERT INSIGHT
STRENGTHS:
Gregory: Cisco is making its business more visible beyond network professionals through the "Human Network" campaign, which continues to connect with customers—though there may be some concern about Cisco being targeted by advertising of other network businesses.
Roth: Cisco is still the category leader in systems integration technology, formerly the domain of IT professionals and those who love them. Now the brand can be found on cable boxes and office phones, increasing its exposure and value to a broader array of customers.
CHALLENGES:
Ries: Cisco's massive acquisition strategy is bound to hurt them in the long term.
Roth: "King of the Mountain" in technology is a game inevitably played on a very slippery slope, with new companies and breakthroughs a competitive constant. Cisco must balance its thirst for expansion with its need to maintain quality control across its growing line of new products and services.
Cisco continued to brand itself as a technology company that emphasizes lifestyle over gadget this year, rolling out the second phase of a campaign that has challenged the company not only to humanize its message but also to deliver that message in the Web 2.0 world it champions.
"The business strategy was moving fast, and the brand wasn't keeping up," said Monique Mulbry, director of marketing, brand strategy and identity at Cisco. "We wanted to build a more emotional bond with audiences. "The Human Network' campaign was designed to do that."
Phase one of the "Human Network" campaign debuted last year and mapped out the promise of the technologies Cisco's technology enables. The second phase, "Human Network Effect," demonstrates how the company delivers on that promise, Mulbry said.
Two new ads marked the campaign transition last month, showing professionals using teleconferencing capabilities to avoid the inconveniences of travel.
The humorous spots are designed to build brand awareness, Mulbry said, and to draw customers to a revamped Cisco Web site that features video, case studies, blogs and chat functions—all wrapped in a "smart" site that personalizes content for the repeat visitor.
" "The Human Network Effect' takes advantage of the technology and the social changes that are occurring," Mulbry said.
The company has become a showcase for the same technology it offers the market, she said, making it a case study for its customers.
"The Human Network Effect" debuted with a social media release that included an overview of the campaign strategy, video ad spots, clips of marketing executives discussing the company and links to external blogs that mention the campaign.
The strategy calls for the company to seed the dialogue, then let go, said Dan Burrier, chief creative officer and president of OgilvyWest, Los Angeles, which handles the Cisco account.
"The old day where you say what you want and put a lot of money behind it is over," he said. "With the new network media, you have to consider how social networking is going to play into that."
That means creating an honest message that will resonate with an online audience, Burrier said. "If we do, they will magnify our message beyond media dollars," he said.
An additional payoff: The tech community respects the delivery, said Scott Gardner, president-CEO of Liquid Agency. " "The Human Network Effect' has staying power, something [Cisco] can scale and grow. It has legs." —C.W.
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