Selling solution sets at-a-glance

Communicating the value proposition associated with DoubleClick’s product solution sets required an organized approach and a suite of visual communication deliverables from XPLANE.

Challenge | As a provider of digital marketing technology and services DoubleClick provides the world’s top marketers, publishers and agencies expertise in rich media, online advertising, video, and search engine optimization. However, communicating DoubleClick’s technology solutions in a way that was clear and understandable to all of its target audiences was proving to be an ongoing challenge. Over the years, the company had grown these product sets to include a host of benefits and features, and the added complexity was increasing customer confusion. DoubleClick needed its prospective customers to be able to see the “big picture” of what could be done for them as well as see how the various solutions worked for discrete audiences.

Action | DoubleClick engaged XPLANE’s team of strategic visual thinkers to develop a set of visual communication recommendations for communicating its “big picture” offerings as well as the independent audience-specific offerings. It was critical that while the tools must be detailed, they must also be understandable and engaging at a glance. XPLANE created a master illustrated product overview map showing how each of its solutions combine to create an integrated Project Lifecycle suite. XPLANE also developed four high-level process maps specific to DoubleClick’s target customer audiences. Based on the print maps, XPLANE also developed a movie-style animation for use at industry trade shows. The animation was designed to convey key messages without the aid of a soundtrack or voiceover, two elements that do not work well in the hustle-bustle environment of a trade show floor.

Results | The interactive demonstration has been very well received at trade shows, as it could tell DoubleClick’s story without requiring voice over or sound. DoubleClick has received very positive feedback on the tools from customers, as well as from Google who recently acquired the company. Working in close concert early on with DoubleClick and getting to know the challenges first-hand before developing a set of recommendations allowed XPLANE to partner most effectively for the overall success of the engagement.