Challenge:

ZANTAZ, an innovative storage service provider that offers a secure, low cost solution to help companies capture, archive and rapidly retrieve electronic messages, needed to gain better traction with its marketing activities to start filling the customer sales pipeline.

Research and Strategy:

�	ZANTAZ.com had positioned itself as the eBusiness Archiving company. The problem with that positioning was that the market (especially prospective customers) was unclear what the company actually did.
�	In addition, although it was a storage service provider, ZANTAZ had not really positioned itself within the rapidly growing, lucrative storage market. This was a missed opportunity. From a corporate positioning and investment opportunity perspective, ZANTAZ was not benefiting from the strong investor interest in storage companies
�	Because of the strict regulatory requirements to maintain outsourced archiving systems, ZANTAZ had made some initial sales to customers in the securities brokerage industry. However, it was having difficulty adding additional clients. Again, the company's positioning and messaging were confusing the market, and not focusing clearly on the real needs of companies to manage the explosive growth in electronic messages
�	ZANTAZ' profile was virtually nonexistent in influential media and within the broader storage industry; the company had not been able to build any real awareness, which was hurting the sales efforts
�	Realizing that we needed to have a much clearer understanding of what potential customers actually needed, wanted and perceived in the storage/archiving services market, THUNDER FACTORY contracted with Baccus Research to conduct focus groups with IT professionals in San Francisco and New York. The research found that:
	Most companies did not have an electronic archiving capability, and were not sure they needed one; companies typically left it up to employees to archive their own email However, the companies recognized the fact that they would need to find more effective, cost efficient ways to manage the explosion of electronic messages (email and related attachments); email has become the business communication standard, and the conduit for corporations' most important intellectual property Rapid retrieval was seen as the number one benefit that companies wanted out of an electronic messaging archiving service, followed by low cost, security and ease of use/implementation Cost to scale was a huge issue for companies seeking to implement a storage solution for electronic messages and documents. In storage, companies always had to confront a tradeoff between "cost" and "rapid retrieval" of stored/archived messages and documents; the research participants were surprised to hear that ZANTAZ' solution effectively eliminated the old tradeoff The survey also found that effective document retention policies need to be put in place before an effective management system can be implemented

 

�	Based upon research, developed comprehensive Strategic Platform that would serve as the foundation for all ZANTAZ marketing and communications activities going forward. The Platform included: customer value proposition matrix, mapped to different customer/stakeholder targets; brand vision pyramid; strategic positioning; messaging architecture, again mapped to each target audience
�	Developed new tagline for ZANTAZ: Smart Storage SolutionsTM
�	Simplified the ZANTAZ brand name by eliminating the ".com," and developed a stronger new logo and corporate identity system
�	Created new customer/investor presentations, based upon new positioning, messaging, tagline, etc.
�	Revised all ZANTAZ marketing and communications materials, including press kit, corporate backgrounder, fact sheets, sales sheets, news releases, product brochures, product demo CD, etc.
�	Assisted Beck Interactive in developing an entirely new website for ZANTAZ; launched new website on April 30, 2001
�	Began implementing international media outreach effort to raise awareness of ZANTAZ and its customer value proposition in influential publications read by target customers
�	Implemented comprehensive outreach program for industry analysts
�	Reengineered ZANTAZ employee communications activities to build internal support for and excitement about new positioning/strategic direction

�	ZANTAZ now has strong growth and momentum, and has begun to fill its customer sales pipeline
�	The company is being featured in major media and analyst reports, including Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CNET, Securities Week, Interactive Week, Business 2.0, IDC, Aberdeen, Yankee Group
�	New customer prospects are reacting very positively to the company's new positioning, messaging and corporate identity system
�	ZANTAZ is attracting major new partners, who are expected to play an important role in helping the company expand it sales and marketing channels
�	Employee morale and performance are strong, even with recent management changes and continued difficulties in the technology marketplace
�	ZANTAZ is poised to achieve its significant promise as the pioneer in Smart Storage Solutions