SpotOn

The team at SpotOn (who had previously built an important and successful business manufacturing high-end optical gear for US Special Operations Forces) had developed a new product intended to redefine the buried-wire containment system experience for dogs and their owners. To enter the market successfully, they needed a smart go-to-market strategy, thoughtful brand positioning and messaging, and compelling foundational creative that would attract, educate, and convince the right audiences.

We worked with the SpotOn team for over nine months preparing for the company’s public launch. This time was devoted to research and development of go-to-market activities, including the creation of an innovative market-based consumer adoption rate model which became the basis of the company’s economic forecasts. Our research informed the creation of initial personas—based first on dogs, and secondarily on owners. We formalized the company’s product and service naming conventions, to clarify the offering and value proposition, and led the development of the entire go-to-market plan.

The foundation of the brand positioning work was the tagline we wrote: “The World Is Your Backyard.” The line underscores the primary advantage of SpotOn’s product: mobility. This concept was brought to life through photography and video, which we used as the basis for the brand and product launch. We designed a custom-fabricated trade show booth to extend the brand experience at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where the product was being recognized with an Innovation Award.

SpotOn’s product enabled dogs and their owners to find new freedom, and explore the world safely and without worry. We successfully established the brand as a disruptive and consequential new player in the consumer pet product market. First year results reached our forecast models, a significant achievement given the product’s premium price-point…and entrance into a category dominated by the company that defined it.