Case Histories - Helios Marketing Advisors

How Helios Delivers: Case Histories
Helios Marketing Advisors helps its clients identify and resolve real-world marketing challenges around market research, strategic planning, brand messaging, competitive differentiation, product positioning and day-to-day product management, including product introductions. Always clearly defined projects with clearly defined deliverables. Here are a few examples of projects that HMA has delivered to its clients during the past two years:

Client:
Growing, privately held technology company that designs and manufactures electronic circuit board test systems and services

Project: Market Assessment & Product Strategy
Review status of circuit board test equipment market; summarize key economic and technical trends and implications; Deliverable: summary essay.

Assist management to identify, assess and prioritize new target market segments. Deliverable: Provide market sizing and trend estimates for CEO.

Project: Product Positioning
Develop new positioning for main product line, including changing product name and category. Create product position for new product: ISP device programming sub-system.

Project: Strengthen Brand Identity
Work with CEO to develop differentiating buying propositions and communicate these via multiple editorials and interviews in the electroncis trade press. Deliverable: written articles and editorial material published under CEO’s byline.

Client:
Publicly traded manufacturer of semiconductor test, circuit board test and systems-level test systems. HMA has completed projects for two separate divisions.

Project: Division Capabilities Presentation
Develop 20-slide ‘capabilities’ presentation for use by worldwide sales force with senior managers at customers and prospects describing economic benefits, unque technical qualifications and strategic advantages to doing business with the client. Deliverable: Completed PowerPoint presentation.

Project: Product Line Brochure
Research, conduct interviews, outline and write copy for test system product line brochure, including diagrams and recommended photos.

Project: Marketing Process Training
Research specific issues, tailor and conduct one day seminar on market segment identification, product definition, differentiation and positioning for product managers. Deliverable: Conducted training at customer site, including customized content and student exercises addressing pertinent issues.

Client:
Mid-size company specializing in circuit board functional test equipment and services sold to electronics OEMs and contract manufacturers.

Project: Identify and Assess a Potential Market
Develop market research project definition, including methodology and preliminary questionnaire. Conduct multiple workshops, facilitating staff through the product definition and positioning process to define a product addressing this newly identified market.

Project: Write a Product Launch Plan
Completed product definition, differentiation and positioning statements, established launch strategy and recommended specific marketing activities for launch phase. Deliverable: Completed launch plan

Client:
Midwest-based developer and manufacturer of industrial inspection products and services.

Project: Develop an Economic Modeling Tool
Developed Excel-based economic model of the automotive casting inspection process that used customer-defined variables to the calculate and compare capital and operating costs of alternative inspection technologies. Tool will be used by the sales force to establish economic advantages of client’s product compared to competitor’s inspection methods. Deliverable: Excel model with instructions plus accompanying PowerPoint presentation that demonstrates model concepts and provides case examples.

Client:
Small 4-year liberal arts college located in a Boston suburb.

Project: Develop Brand Identity
Interview senior officers, develop and facilitate three focus groups (faculty, staff, students) to identify perceptions, strengths and weaknesses of the college’s brand identity. Quantified, summarized and presented results to client. Conducted workshops with senior staff to narrow results to ‘vital few’ brand qualities with the objective of developing a brand communication program. Deliverable: Quantified and ranked results of focus groups.