Engineering market leadership
for a communications
infrastructure contractor
Following the merger of three brands with offerings across the broadband deployment lifecycle, the client, a communications infrastructure contractor, engaged PlatinumBlack to help it identify and prioritize growth opportunities for the newly integrated entity. From that work and among the growth initiatives it chose to pursue, the company then engaged PlatinumBlack to redefine its go-to-market strategy, brand positioning and messaging, and visual identity, and to develop a website to help tell its new story. The work has enabled the company to differentiate itself in the market and better capitalize on substantial federal and private funding opportunities.
In keeping with our growth recommendations and in an effort to enhance its value proposition and market positioning, the client acquired a company in a priority market with an adjacent service offering
PlatinumBlack executed a thorough market assessment and research project, demonstrating a deep understanding of our business and the markets we serve.Chief Financial Officer, Communications Infrastructure Company
With over four decades in the industry, the client had developed a strong reputation for completing projects efficiently and on time. As part of an effort to build an end-to-end solution focused on the installation, maintenance, and management of telecom fiber, its parent private equity company had made several strategic acquisitions within a short timeframe. The client needed help maximizing growth opportunities from the merged entity, developing a strategic brand integration plan to accelerate near-term revenue growth and expand its customer base, and differentiate itself in a hyper-competitive market.
To uncover competitive differentiators and market opportunities to accelerate the client’s growth in key markets, PlatinumBlack analyzed the fiber and communications infrastructure market and the client’s presence in it, including an assessment of its customer needs, competitive position, and existing marketing assets. The research identified several market drivers:
Federal funding was heavily concentrated in the U.S. Southeast, and those states were well-positioned to receive federal funds ahead of other regions.
The research also revealed key growth opportunities to increase customer share-of-wallet, capitalize on the significant federal funding opportunity in the U.S. Southeast, penetrate adjacent utility markets, and improve customer value and attract higher value projects by leveraging an emergent trenching technology. An analysis of key audience segments, identified that when selecting contractors, target customers valued speed and reliability most in their efforts to capitalize on governmental investment in fiber.
Assessing competitive brand positioning revealed new opportunities to differentiate by emphasizing the client’s regional focus in the U.S. Southeast—where it has a strong legacy of operations—its culture of integrity, and on-time delivery. This insight led to the positioning of the brand as the integrated leader in the U.S. Southeast.
With offices across the southeast and nationwide, our client has the local knowledge and trusted relationships to accelerate delivery for their customers.
To go to market with the new position, we then developed a comprehensive brand strategy, including messaging architecture, that emphasized the client’s deep regional expertise, commitment to reliability, and customer-centric approach, positioning it as an integral partner in the region's broadband expansion efforts.
“One of our challenges as strategists is helping clients uncover their unique value through deep secondary research and stakeholder interviews. Conversations with this client across leadership from its three acquisitions and its customers revealed emerging themes and hypotheses that provided perspective on different size opportunities for consideration, including geographic focus to capitalize on short-term growth potential, service line expansion, increased operational efficiency, and entry into a new industry vertical.” — Ben Kleckley, Director of Strategy
The strategic focus on the client’s core strengths and differentiators strengthened customer relationships, led to cost savings, and introduced new opportunities achieved through the merger and new positioning of three companies. An opportunity identified in the market assessment phase led to the acquisition of a company with an adjacent offering in a prominent market.
The new market positioning not only aligned the client with substantial federal funding opportunities but also established it as an attractive destination for top industry talent, driving forward its long-term growth objectives.
