New website for new brand
Standard Ease played a critical role in the brand merger of two global media technology pioneers: Snell and Quantel. It involved seven agencies, twenty stakeholders, three websites and a four month window of opportunity.
Brief
Find, retain and manage an appropriate digital agency partner to deliver a world-class website showcasing products and services for the newly branded Snell Advanced Media. The selected agency will become a valued partner in future phases of SAM's digital strategy. Phase One must be launched for the start of IBC 2015 when the new brand will be unveiled to the world's press.
Timeframe
May 2015 - September 2015.
Project budget
Six figures (GBP).
Background
Media technology pioneers Snell and Quantel merged in 2014 and operated as two independent digital brands. The merger raised questions as to the nature and direction of the merged company going forward.
It was decided a new single brand was required which would include a new website. The two brands subsequently became SAM (Snell Advanced Media) and a new website had to be launched to coincide with IBC 2015 in September 2015.
We were asked by Snell/Quantel to commission the new website by competitive tender process and supervise delivery of Phase One by the appointed agency partner.
Key Standard Ease undertakings
Competitive tender management
- SAM Phase One requirements through internal workshops
- Understanding of SAM’s future Phase intentions to inform technology foundation requirements
- Authoring of Request for Proposal (RFP) documents
- Authoring of requirements documents
- Authoring assumptive persona documents
- Identification of 5 appropriate potential digital agency partners
- Pre-qualification of the 5 agencies through telephone interviews and site visits
- RFP to 5 agencies
- Aggressive schedule of events for RFP process
- Scoring written responses
- 2nd round 3-way pitch-day and scoring
- Contract award to best scoring digital agency based on written responses and pitch presentations
- Feedback to all participating digital agencies
Phase One delivery project management
- Significant internal stakeholder management including director level
- Digital agency relationship management
- Budget re-allocation as required
- Content creation and gathering
- Significant domain negotiation and escrow purchase
- Content population
- Application user acceptance testing
- Sign off
- Delivery
How SAM benefited from working with Standard Ease
- Focussed identification of shortlist agency partners based on creativity, technical services and business continuity
- Understanding of the roles and responsibilities of digital agency employees on behalf of SAM
- Understanding what is a realistic budget and timescale for the project
- Understanding the limits of any proposed technology
- Knowing when any agency proposal presents risk and advising appropriately
- Understanding the language, life cycle and conventions used by digital agencies
Results
- New website for IBC 2015
- Newly branded skins for supporting applications
- Established relationship on behalf of SAM with an enterprise level digital agency appropriate for the scale of SAM’s operational size and ambitions going forward
- Established technical and creative foundations for future phased development
- New website played an immediate role contributing to industry buzz and significant new orders at IBC 2015
View the website
SAM