Page 47 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 2 2012
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THE CHANNEL
|
ISSUE 2 2012
|
47
To be honest, to rebrand such a
well‐known company brand isn’t
an easy decision. As the media
industry continues to change we
are aware of the need to keep in
step with an expanding
marketplace. While our expertise
has been serving clients for over a
decade, we continue to set new
targets to develop our presence in a
fast‐paced media economy.
S4M has a global reputation as a
software vendor for the
broadcasting industry. We offer a
wide range of integrated systems
which include solutions for
commercial airtime sales, media
asset management, programme
planning, rights licensing, ratings
evaluation, and production
planning. Our systems for
broadcast management and digital
media management are used in
more than 30 countries worldwide.
THE VISION
Our vision is to become one of the
leading providers of cross‐media
software solutions. In order to
achieve this goal we made a
decision to join forces with our
parent company arvato Systems
which strengthens our position by
promoting a uniform market
presence. It is a case of ‘bigger is
better’ – a larger, more established
organization is able to attract a
broader client base. arvato Systems
has more than 2,000 employees
working in 25 offices around the
“
”
Our main
strategy
was direct
commun-
ication
with our
different
stake-
holders
4M – Solutions
for Media is a
worldwide
provider of
software
solutions for
broadcast and
media that has been in the
industry for over 15 years. In
March the company changed its
name to arvato Systems S4M
GmbH and strengthened its
alliance with the arvato Systems
group. Managing Director Dr.
Manfred Heinen explains the
reasons for rebranding
world. These international sites
afford more efficient contact with
our customers.
However, one of the primary
reasons for rebranding is that we
want to profit from synergies. We
can use software processes and
services jointly on a resource level,
taking advantage of the opportunity
to bundle competencies as cross‐
media becomes more and more vital.
S4M’s credibility in the TV industry
is longstanding, but arvato Systems
is also a leader in the field of new
media, publishing and music.
We have seen the TV industry
change dramatically during the
past 15 years; broadcasters face
increasing pressure to distribute
their programmes and advertising
via several new platforms. Our
solutions already support these
developments, but we want to
reinforce our cross‐media‐approach
with new solutions like S4AdStore,
a portal that connects to any
platform for cross‐media‐sales. An
alliance with arvato Systems allows
us to achieve this goal.
THE PROCESS
After our management team made
the rebranding decision at the end
of 2011, all employees were
involved in the rebranding process.
Of course this wasn’t easy for all of
them. Most of our colleagues have
been working for the company for
s and felt strongly
connected to the S4M brand. The
reorientation process was an
informative series of meetings,
mailings as well as intranet
communication designed to create
an open dialogue within the
organization. And of course – as
part of the group – we already
knew arvato Systems as
shareholder, as partner and as a
brand for several years. That
definitely made things easier.
External communication began
with our user group meeting in
February of this year where many
of our customers were present. This
was a great opportunity for us to
have direct contact in order to
process questions and concerns.
This event was followed by several
mailings to clients, partners and
other contacts where we announced
our rebranding plans. Press
releases were used to communicate
with the broadcast media market;
however, our main strategy was
direct communication with our
different stakeholders. Parallel to
all these measures, our marketing
team prepared the re‐launch of our
website and several marketing
materials like product flyers and
business documents.
The NAB convention was our
first exhibition and public
appearance under the new brand
arvato Systems. This show was a
success in every aspect: We made
valuable contacts and the visitors’
response to the new brand, look
and feel was positive as well.
Today, our rebranding is
finished but we still have a long
way to go. Our vision is to increase
awareness of the arvato Systems
brand and continue to establish the
name as one of the most successful
providers of cross‐media software
solutions.
■
REBRANDING
S4M
S
M
