Case Studies
QinetiQ North America
Introducing an industry leader
Situation
Jump to design samplesFounded through a series of strategic acquisitions, QinetiQ North America entered the government contracting industry as a billion-dollar company with innovative solutions and decades of experience, but no brand recognition. The company needed an aggressive PR and branding campaign that would introduce the company, its name and its capabilities while also capitalizing on the legacy of its acquired companies.
Looking to get their name and story out to government and industry, QinetiQ North America needed a public relations and marketing firm that knew the industry, the trade publications and all the challenges that come with integrating successful acquisitions.
Boscobel was selected to launch a strategic PR effort and targeted advertising campaign that both leveraged the brand goodwill earned by the legacy companies and created a unique identity for the newly established QinetiQ North America.
Objectives
- Establish the QinetiQ North America brand in the government space
- Create messaging that told one cohesive QinetiQ North America story
- Position QinetiQ North America for major RFPs
- Establish auditory and visual recognition of the QinetiQ North America name
Tactics
Boscobel combined public relations, print and broadcast advertising, and targeted sponsorships to build the QinetiQ North America brand across the industry.
First, Boscobel developed an integrated marketing plan with positioning statements, messaging and strategies for reaching internal and external audiences. With the brand platform in place, Boscobel incorporated the new messaging into media outreach and set a creative strategy for QinetiQ North America’s advertising campaign.
Boscobel leveraged QinetiQ North America’s vast subject matter expertise and established thought leadership through proactive pitches, media interviews, news releases and bylined articles. Boscobel also supported product launches in the D.C. market, positioning QinetiQ North America as the largest provider of robotics to the military. In addition, Boscobel provided targeted pre-RFP support for the Alliant GWAC, valued at $50 billion.
In tandem with the public relations campaign, Boscobel created a full-page, four-color print ad with the theme, “The sum is greater than the parts.” The ad served a dual purpose for internal and external audiences: it spoke to the legacy expertise of the subsidiaries—as well the company’s now greater scope and capabilities—and it promoted employee morale by showing that QinetiQ North America recognized the importance of the brands it had acquired.
A second print ad campaign, launched the following year, highlighted the company's specialized solutions for asset protection on land, sea, air and in cyberspace with the theme, "Your Critical Assets Take Many Forms. We Protect All of Them."
The strategic media buy secured premium placements in first-tier publications like Government Executive, Armed Forces Journal and Federal Computer Week. Simultaneously, Boscobel launched a radio buy on WTOP, the most popular news station among government decision-makers. Flights were selected based on heavy drive times and were also timed around key trade shows. Sponsorships at trade shows and other events with large military audiences also contributed to brand awareness.
Results
Boscobel’s efforts achieved tremendous success. In less than 12 months, QinetiQ North America’s experts reached more than 400 million readers with news stories and bylines in publications including SIGNAL Magazine, Jane’s Defence and Homeland Security Today. QinetiQ North America’s technology services division achieved more than five times the press quotes of their top competitor and averaged two qualified stories per month. QinetiQ North America, the D.C. newcomer, had established a true thought leadership presence in the industry.
The ad campaign also delivered impressive results. The campaign received great feedback from executives, employees and customers, and the federal community soon started noticing QinetiQ North America’s growing presence. In addition to industry buzz, presentations and seminars often referred to QinetiQ North America as “the company to watch.”
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