Clarity was an Oregon success story and a leader in the digital display industry before being acquired by Planar Systems. Our brand-driven marketing programs helped facilitate the company’s growth for six years as it grew revenues by a factor of seven, rolled out innovative products, expanded into vertical and international markets, and acquired two companies.
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Clarity Visual Systems -
Clarity Visual SystemsCreative
The expression of the Clarity brand evolved with the company’s growth. The initial focus on the products grew into a story about how the technology created a superior visual experience for people in both business and consumer environments.
Ant Hill Marketing led the company through two significant brand expression exercises. We first focused on positioning its digital display technology as the only choice when the requirements are demanding, setting the company apart from high volume manufacturers. The positioning then evolved to show how the high-end technology could be applied in specific applications and vertical markets.
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Clarity Visual SystemsAdvertising
When Clarity selected Ant Hill Marketing as its agency of record, the company’s digital display products were well known in the audio-visual industry for superior performance in control room environments. However, the company faced a constant threat from large, high volume manufacturers with deep pockets and it needed to find new areas for growth.
We helped develop an advertising strategy that steadily increased awareness of the company’s brand distinction in the market. The media spend was modest, but the delivery of a consistent messaging -- supported by the rest of the integrated marketing program -- help the company carve out a unique position.
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Clarity Visual SystemsInteractive
Digital marketing played a significant role in the strategy over the course of six years. Ant Hill Marketing managed the information architecture, design, production and maintenance of public and private areas consisting of hundreds of pages and documents. The site was renovated three times - including the integration into the Planar Systems website when it acquired Clarity - and several satellite sites were built to support the business.
Digital marketing elements were integrated into every communications program to reflect the innovative nature of the Clarity products. From tracking editorial interest in press releases to providing marketing assets to channel partners, the Clarity led the industry in establishing a digital brand footprint long before the term “2.0” became fashionable.
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Clarity Visual SystemsChannel PRomotion
Clarity valued its relationships with the resellers, integrators and distributors that drove its business worldwide. A significant part of building those relationships is providing the marketing resources to help partners build their business. That was the focus of the Clarity Partner Program.
As part of the initiative, Ant Hill Marketing worked with the channel marketing team to package program resources and marketing assets onto CD-ROMs that partner sales teams use anywhere, anytime to support discussions with a prospect. The program also included case study development, website resources, email announcements, e-newsletters, and other communications that reinforced partner commitment to the Clarity brand.
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Clarity Visual SystemsPublic Relations
The Clarity management team strongly believed public relations was essential in building awareness, credibility and value for the company. Its sustained commitment to PR helped establish the company as a leader in digital display technology and positioned it for acquisition by Planar Systems in 2006.
Ant Hill Marketing led a public relations initiative that started with a focus on local media, trade press, and industry analysts to establish the company as a leader. Then we grew the program to support Clarity’s move into vertical markets, the acquisition of two companies, and expansion internationally.
