The Problem

ALTO had established pilot programs with a couple of big-name retailers but knew it needed to adjust the brand story and marketing approach here in the States to replicate their global success. And, like most companies, it couldn’t shut down existing sales and marketing activities while revamping the approach.

The Solution

We committed to working on both fronts—brand storytelling and ongoing marcom support. That meant we had to toggle between being thoughtful and following our process and moving quickly to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

With every new client relationship, we begin with questions. Lots of questions. We interviewed the company’s key leaders and advisors. We researched the competition. We dug deep into the retail business climate in the United States. We consumed everything we could about organized retail crime’s impact—not a small feat. We learned about ALTO’s success in South America and Europe and how its service works—they forge relationships with local law enforcement, prosecutors, nonprofit groups and defense attorneys. There truly is no direct competitor; however, retailers often opt to try out in-store security, shoplifting prevention methods or software solutions first. It was our job to arm the ALTO team with a brand story that put their unique service in front of decision-makers. 

Meanwhile, we also kept them active in front of customers. A significant early highlight was generating high-profile news coverage in a major city where their sales efforts were focused. This increased both their credibility and their awareness.

Back on Track 1, our Articulation and Alignment work resulted in:

• A refreshed brand story and verbal identity
• Updated Elevator Pitch and key messages
• Updated Mission, Vision and Values
• New brand guidelines

With this finalized and approved, we dived into Phase 2 of the engagement, creating the essential content they needed to transmit this new brand story to the marketplace. This included:

• A library of thought leadership content to continue to establish their credibility, posted to their website and distributed through social media and 1:1 connections
• Updated sales collateral, including a revised sales deck
• An animated explainer video

And, when the budget became available, we designed, developed and built a new website that puts their value proposition front and center with a modern, consistent look and feel that helped to foster trust with retailers. 

The Result

Now, ALTO’s talented, well-connected sales team was armed with the materials it needed to have maximum impact.

And they did.

The company has grown exponentially over the last three years, expanding beyond several pilot programs in key cities, to a company whose offering spans retailers from coast to coast.

Are we 100 percent responsible for their growth? Of course not. But ask them if they would’ve gotten there without us.