Client:
Extensis, owned by Celartem, a Japanese software company, is the global leader in font and creative assets management software for the creative and graphics industry. The audience for the Portfolio product is corporate marketing departments and creative organizations.

Challenge:
Extensis Portfolio software suite was not a success for the company. With version 8 launching in fall 2005, the company felt it was “do or die” for the product; it had to succeed in making a market impact. The problem was that Portfolio had never been properly defined or positioned. Messaging floated between several verticals and target positions as point of entry into the sales cycle. This added to confusion about what the software product was and what it accomplished.

Solution:
Extensis hired the Overland Agency because of the strength, focus, and process we have in branding, positioning, and interactive execution. First, Overland researched Extensis’s market to determine its competitors and customers. Portfolio fit under the general product umbrella of Digital Asset Management (DAM) software—a flooded market and a product that had criticisms of being costly and difficult to implement. The target audience was unfamiliar with DAM software, and IT departments loathed it. But the truth is that Portfolio is a great solution to manage digital assets within a marketing organization. Next order of business was to create a new product category that speaks to the audience: creative assets management for brand control. Next, we created personas who would need to use Portfolio, and tailored the creative to them. This helped each member of the target audience understand how Portfolio would help them achieve smarter, more efficient workflow.

Result:
The colorful Portfolio microsite successfully engages the target and makes the case for implementing Portfolio into one’s toolset. Working in concert with Overland, Extensis achieved its goal of driving awareness in the market for Portfolio 8. Sometimes providing clear differentiation and understanding to audiences will provide the relevance and purchase desire needed for a product.

This project won:

• 2006 International Davey Awards: Silver Award, Website/Online Marketing