Branding and Marketing Strategy Launches
New E-commerce Venture

Gianfagna Strategic Marketing recently developed the branding and marketing strategy for a new e-commerce venture for three medical technology companies.

This joint venture combines select product offerings from three leading manufacturers of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) devices for individuals with speech disabilities, and showcases them at one e-commerce website.

The website serves as an online supermarket for assistive technology products and a destination for education, community, and other valuable services for AAC decision-makers, particularly speech-language pathologists who evaluate clients, recommend assistive technologies, and provide ongoing clinical support.

The client asked Gianfagna Strategic Marketing to create a brand for this new venture to convey its core mission and set it apart from other web merchants, and develop a cost-effective marketing plan to promote it.

Step One: Developing the Brand
We did extensive research on the needs of the target audience and the marketing and branding strategies of web competitors. We then presented several branding options. The site’s partners selected “Silver Kite,” a name that incorporates the color commonly identified with disabilities awareness (silver) and a familiar object (a kite) that serves as a metaphor for success (soaring independently). The brand name successfully communicates how the adaptive technologies featured at the new silver-kite.com website and in the companion Silver Kite catalog can help people with disabilities achieve a better quality of life.

Step Two:  Creating the Logo & Website
The logo we developed for Silver Kite features an image of a kite soaring through billowing clouds and blue skies to communicate positive, hopeful feelings and reinforce the Silver Kite promise of helping people with disabilities participate in – and enjoy – life to the fullest. We also created a tagline to succinctly capture the mission of Silver Kite and the power of assistive technology: Dream bigger. Fly higher.

We then created a website design that flows from the logo colors and serves as a warm and welcoming environment for site visitors. Three assistive technology products can be showcased on the home page, and Silver Kite’s customer loyalty program gets prominent attention.

Step Three: Formulating the Marketing Strategy
Gianfagna also recommended a marketing strategy using a combination of tactics to launch the new site, with a primary focus on web-based marketing and public relations, supported by traditional marketing tactics to drive web traffic. One key marketing tool was the creation of the first Silver Kite direct mail catalog, shown here, which we designed.

The launch of Silver Kite has been a success, with high participation in the Preferred Partner program and increases in product sales.

Learn more about branding strategy in 10 Steps to Building a Great Brand, a recent post on Jean’s Smart Marketing Strategy blog.