In just 6 months, WAYSU helped ZTransform to achieve the following:
1000+
Social media interactions
500,000+
LinkedIn Ad Impressions
2,200
Unique website visitors
14
Trade media mentions
Services provided on the ZTransform project
Marketing strategy
Brand development
Website design & build
Website content creation
Email migration
SEO strategy
Social media management
Digital asset creation
The Challenge
Utter Associates had realised that it had completely outgrown its original brand perception; that of a ‘one-man-band’ outfit. Founded by Emmy Award Winner, Erik Utter in 2008, the US-based media technology systems integration company had grown steadily over the years, bidding for and winning contracts worth millions of dollars, purely through word-of-mouth. It soon began venturing from its original roots in broadcast, into new markets, including government, education, and corporate media.
However, the company’s expanded breadth of services, it’s deeper level of expertise, and its ability to operate in new sectors, was not being reflected in the company’s existing brand. The company name and its pastel colour palette were no longer a true representation of the dynamic force the company had grown into, so the executive team made the bold decision to rename and rebrand the company. With WAYSU’s help, Utter Associates became ZTransform.
About ZTransform
US-based ZTransform provides planning, design, integration and launch services for the most sophisticated broadcast and media environments in the world, ranging from television & radio stations to corporate & government facilities.
Services offered:
Design & Build Media Facilities
Industries Served
Broadcast, Government, Corporate, Education
Typical Project Value
The average value of a project is USD $5.0M+
The Strategy
Several discovery sessions were held, taking perspectives from different stakeholders at ZTransform. This involved the owner, as well as commercial partner and business development representation. The universal theme was to move away from Utter Associate’s ‘one-man-band’ brand perception within the market.
Pastel colours were replaced with deep dark blues and contrasting whites, orange and reds. The logo used straight lines and a sharp font to exude technology. A large video header and large images showcasing completed projects dominated the website and the ZTransform team was more evenly represented. We wanted to ensure that other execs in the company had a platform, instead of just the owner – multiple spokespeople would be authoring thought leadership pieces, blogs and interviews. Company news needed to be generated about new projects, hires and partnerships in line with the growth of the company – LinkedIn – paid and social activity, as well as using trade media were deemed the most effective mediums to get the word out.
What ZTransform had to say
“WAYSU are an extension of our team. They really took the time to understand our business and target audiences – their experience in technology industries shines through. The team covers all aspects of marketing – demonstrating creativity and logic in all they deliver. We highly recommend WAYSU and look forward to working on more campaigns with them to take our market presence to the next level.”
Ben Wolk – Managing Partner – ZTransform
How WAYSU helped ZTransform
New logo & brand colour palette
After internal discussions, processes, and some consultation with WAYSU, ZTransform was chosen as the new company name. Based on a mathematical formula (‘Z-Transform’), it gives a nod to the type of engineering-savvy customers who would engage the company’s services, and it uses the word ‘transform’ – which is essentially what the company does both operationally and commercially, when creating, upgrading or consolidating media tech facilities.
WAYSU provided four different concepts based on a loose brief which encompassed the terms ‘technology’, ‘dynamic’, ‘bold’ and ‘media’. Moving away from the pastel blue and greys used in the original brand, WAYSU recommended vibrant colours against a dark background. Capitalizing the ‘Z’ and using line graphics to represent ‘wave forms’ also brought the brand more in line with the technology that the company implements, whilst adding overall character to the logo.
New website
After WAYSU conducted a full audit on the original Utter Associates website, ZTransform reviewed our recommendations and concluded that we needed to build and design a new website from scratch.
Impact with video & dynamic text: ZTransform wanted the website to have immediate impact for visitors when they entered the site and be simple to navigate, regardless of which industry they were involved in. The header video sets the scene and gives people a sense of what types of media facilities ZTransform specialise in. Dynamic text also draws the eye using inspiring vocabulary meant to case an emotional response from its visitors.
Simple Navigation: The navigation menu simplifies the visitor’s journey through the site. Its customer base is spread across various industries, including broadcast, government, corporate and education. Separating these industries clearly and ensuring that all of ZTransform’s services were given real-estate on the site was incredibly important.
Iconic services: The use of consistent and striking icons across the site reflect the technical and design aspects of the company’s portfolio and break up the text for an easier read.
Quotes & Logos: We dotted quotes from happy customers throughout the site and have used customer logos to give the organisation credibility from real people. Their customer portfolio is something ZTransform is proud of so showcasing this on the homepage was appreciated.
Team Spirit: ZTransform wanted to make sure site visitors were aware that they have a team of experts within the organisation – so a clear visual with all the key staff members’ names, titles and pictures was implemented.
SEO: Throughout the site, WAYSU has used key words associated with the industries and services that ZTransform target customers will use to search. The latest news section on the home page and in the About Us menu enables ZTransform to regularly update content to help with search engine optimisation
Getting the word out
LinkedIn Paid Ads: On launch of the rebrand from Utter Associates to ZTransform, WAYSU produced 4 video assets with messaging that showcased ZTransform’s services and the types of projects they deliver. Strategical targeting was constantly being optimised based on campaign performance – based on industry, job title, organisation, education and other criteria.
LinkedIn Organic Posts: Managing ZTransform’s organic social posts, WAYSU has posted a variety of content, including company news, blogs, new hires, event photography, media coverage and more. The average engagement rate is massive 12%.
Content Creation & PR: WAYSU put together a series of press releases over a 4 month period, set up press interviews and helped to generate blog content. ZTransform editorial has appeared in a number of high-quality broadcast and AV related trade publications and websites.
The Results
A combination of Ztransform’s new website, enhanced PR activity programme, social media organic content, and lead generation campaigns significantly increased the company’s brand awareness in the course of just three months and ZTransform’s spokespeople are becoming more pronounced as industry thought leaders.
Implementing a customised integrated channel marketing mix of Google Search and Linkedin Ad campaigns has resulted in an 3x increase in lead gen in terms of quantity and quality. ZTransform’s online presence is growing and its website has generated exponential growth in terms of visitors and engagement since its launch in April 2023.
ZTransform now has 300 high quality LinkedIn followers – including industry influencers, decision makers and media.
