Re-architecting Cisco
A chaotic product portfolio was making it hard for customers to do business with Cisco
Cisco’s growth had created a crowded portfolio of product and service brands that were detracting from the master brand.
This challenge, one that became known as radical simplification, defines the objectives of the initiative Cisco engaged FutureBrand in.
Step 1: Analyze and evaluate
Understand the strength, attributes and elasticity
of Cisco’s master brand and key sub-brands
Step 2: Design a framework
Design a brand architecture that delivers
customer clarity,
competitive strength,
and enterprise value
Helping to drive change
I was responsible for making sure we had the right team of strategists in place to meet the client and project needs and to manage these resources efficiently.
I managed the budget, scaling the team up and down as needed.
I worked with the client to make sure expectations were in lock-step, milestones were being met, evaluating and re-evaluating needs as the project morphed, and helping to remove roadblocks as they occurred, sometimes by putting a quick sprint in place.
Findings
The Cisco brand drives value and scale
Customers prefer descriptive names for sub-brands and products
Creative names should only be used in stand-alone circumstances
A new Architecture
Provides a simplified, intuitive, outcomes-focused framework for a broad range of technologies
Builds bridges across technology portfolios
Eases site navigation
Facilitates outcomes-focused sales
Drives marketing efficiencies
Contributes to a strong Cisco brand
Helps Partners
Results
Solved for the needs of each technology portfolio
Introduced a common, outcomes-focused organizing framework that bridged the portfolios together more effectively
Recommendations reduced the number of creative names by 90%
Simplified the most complex portfolios from 13 to 6 pillars
New rules were created, to include naming standards, including names and sub-brands to be eventually sunsetted.