National Print, Online, Direct Mail and e-Mail Advertising to Debut Customer-Centric Message: "Document Efficiency At Work"
VALLEY FORGE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 2003-- IKON Office Solutions (NYSE:IKN - News), the largest independent distributor of document management products and services in the U.S. with operations throughout North America and Europe, announced that the company is redefining its brand positioning with a new integrated marketing campaign. IKON's fresh, new branding campaign will more powerfully communicate the Company's focus on customers' evolving need for enhanced document workflow and efficiency. In today's challenging economy, business leaders are focusing on improving efficiency throughout their organizations. The new brand strategy is designed to educate customers about IKON's comprehensive document management services aimed at achieving ongoing efficiency gains and cost savings through streamlined document workflow at all stages of the document lifecycle, from input to archive.
Emblematic of IKON's strategic decision to further evolve its brand, the Company's new tagline is "Document Efficiency At Work." A key element in IKON's new branding effort is the launch of a fully integrated advertising, sales and marketing and public relations campaign targeting senior leadership, including IT, Purchasing and Sourcing executives, who make company-wide strategic decisions regarding document management.
"With industry statistics estimating the expense of managing documents can cost anywhere from 5% to 10% of a company's revenues, streamlining document workflow is one of the last frontiers available to many businesses for improving productivity as companies seek opportunities to reduce costs and better leverage their technology investments," said Matthew J. Espe, IKON Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Our new brand positioning clearly defines the Company's objectives for the future - to leverage IKON's unique ability to help customers identify, define and implement a clear and cost effective document strategy. Our customers are telling us that their number one priority is to increase efficiency, and by realigning our brand positioning, we are communicating our commitment to adding value to their businesses through a broad range of document management solutions."
Months of in-depth research in the market and close communication with current and prospective customers lie behind IKON's move to redefine its brand. As a leading independent provider of document management products and services, IKON carefully reviewed its strengths and listened closely to what business leaders said they valued most from document management suppliers:
Best-in-class products and services combined with comprehensive analysis and recommendations aimed at improving document management productivity;
A customer-focused company dedicated to providing the most efficient document workflow solutions and improving the customers' businesses; and
A continued commitment after the sale to ensure the customer's needs continue to be met and document workflow inefficiencies are eliminated.
Recent research from IDC, the world's leading provider of technology intelligence, industry analysis, market data, and strategic and tactical guidance to builders, providers, and users of information technology, found that although companies may spend up to 10 percent of their total revenue on document production, management and distribution, many companies are not aware of the real costs of documents or how to control those costs. IDC's Executive Brief on this subject concludes, "Because the opportunity for cost cutting and operational improvement is so great, modern enterprises must have a document strategy." A copy of this brief, entitled, "Minimizing Document Costs, Maximizing Efficiency," can be downloaded, at no charge, from IKON's website (www.ikon.com/documentefficiency).
"IKON is positioned to deliver on our statement of 'Document Efficiency at Work' through our best-in-class portfolio of products and services aimed at enhancing document efficiency, combined with the expertise of our sales, service and support professionals," said Cathy Lewis, Senior Vice President of Marketing for IKON. "The goal of our new fully-integrated marketing campaign is to put both the IKON brand and its compelling value proposition in front of the right people - the executives and business leaders who make major management decisions - and educate them on the strategic, operational and cost advantages of working with IKON."
The media strategy and print ad design were executed by Allen & Gerritsen in Boston, one of the top 10 business-to-business advertising agencies in the nation. The campaign positions IKON as a document workflow problem-solver, deeply committed to its customers' success. As one headline puts it, "Before you ask us to change your copiers, printers, scanners or fax machines, we'd like to change the way you think about them." Another of the new advertisements says, "When a company has questions about financing, servicing, or networking office equipment, who to call shouldn't be a multiple choice exam," referring to IKON's full-service approach.
In support of IKON's branding initiative, advertising will appear nationally in CFO, CIO, Fortune, Forbes, Inc., Information Week, Optimize and Purchasing magazines, as well as in regional and city publications in select metropolitan areas. The public relations component of this integrated marketing effort, to be announced later this month, will spotlight the results of the IKON Efficiency Poll, a survey of 1,200 U.S. office workers on personal and office efficiency, office technology and workflow management.
Original Post