Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense : From Launch to Deep Space
Challenge
Since the civil war, EBAD has served the US Military on mission-critical needs and explosives. Through a series of acquisitions and adjacencies to their core business, they have expanded their product offerings to include deep space explorations, precision energetic systems, and non-explosive and electromechanical solutions for the defense and aerospace markets. Sounds impressive, right? Nothing too fluffy about demolition appliances if you know what we mean. The challenge with talking to rocket scientists about rockets? You’d better know your nose cone from your nozzle and in this case, your ™ from your ®. Ryan Marketing was tasked with taking 180 years of brand history and modernizing and defining it. With locations all over the country and having a strong international presence, having one cohesive identity was important. The result was an in-depth brand book that defined everything from fonts and colors to imagery and branded materials. The guidelines created also became a crucial tool in the design and development of their new website.
Solution
The combination of targeted digital communications, social media strategy, and outward-facing messaging keeps EBAD focused on the horizon, and EBAD’s customers focused on EBAD. Oh, the tangled Webs we (un)weave. The recently redesigned EBAD website is a combination of three separate sites that encompass hundreds of pages of information. Ensign-Bickford acquired NEA Electronics in 2010 and TiNi Aerospace in 2017. The three companies now share a fully merged and integrated website – a user-friendly interface that provides facts first and instills a stellar level of confidence. The undertaking was Ryan’s version of “one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.” SPACE BROCHURE Collateral that’s impactful. Making something that is worth holding onto is always a priority when it comes to designing brochures. Conveying a brand’s story and captivating the consumer was EBAD’s goal for this Market Segment specific brochure. 46% percent of trade show attendees are in executive or upper management. The challenge is communicating who you are and what you do without ever saying a word. When Ryan Marketing began working with EBAD, we were tasked with redesigning the Space and Satellite tradeshow materials to better explain the relationship between two sister companies, EBAD & Honeybee Robotics, and three of their product lines, NEA®, TiNi™ and Avior. Five brands in one booth can cause some confusion! 3D RENDERINGS Control every detail and change with a simple click. Picture perfect…or is it? Capturing the perfect product image can be challenging when products are only made to order or not easily accessible. The solution, 3D renderings (makes the impossible a reality)! Rendered images are photorealistic, precise, and perfectly suited for any need. SOCIAL MEDIA The average daily time spent on social is 142 minutes a day.* Imagine spending 142 minutes a day just listening to someone trying to sell you something….it doesn’t sound too fun. Now imagine spending 142 minutes learning about people, places, and interesting facts…sounds a lot better. Brands cannot just post “buy my product”. One of the most engaging opportunities brands have is sharing feel good content that has a lasting impact. Ryan creates Fun Fact Friday graphics as feel good content for EBAD focusing on the company’s culture, quirky past and exciting future! DEEP-SEA & DEEP SPACE The Final Frontier(s) These aren’t the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. These are the on-going initiatives to deliver meaningful information to a multitude of audiences in a consistent, valuable, and varied way. Ryan Marketing has designed and produced capabilities pieces and sales material for three major market segments at EBAD. Ensign-Bickford believes that the key to their success has been capturing synergies. Ryan agrees with EBAD and Aristotle: the sum is greater than the parts. The combination of targeted digital communications, social media strategy, and outward-facing messaging keeps EBAD focused on the horizon, and EBAD’s customers focused on EBAD. And just to make sure we’re on track: we pull the data, crunch the numbers, and validate the hypothesis. Do or do not, there is no try.
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