I was talking with a client this past week and the question came up of “What makes you different than the rest?” I’ll share the answer with you as I did with the client that day as it became a turning point in our relationship at the executive level. There’s no fluff here, just fact (to the best of my knowledge). It went something like this:
Most technology companies get lost in the features and functions of what they do. It’s pretty straightforward to develop a toolkit of products, train a sales force on the ins & outs, then release them on an prospect list. The message is a generalized “you’re in this industry you must fit into this box too”. Usually that’s all the time a vendor will take to understand what you need to develop a better solution for you.
At Neighborhood America there’s evidence of something much bigger. We’ve created a heritage of success. A legacy of sorts that transcends industries and changes the way those industries do business. Do we have a knack for it? I guess, or better yet, there’s desire to exceed the expectations of what’s possible. (without any examples, this is certainly fluff, so I backed it up this way)
We Move Markets:
- Beginning with our roots in the Government sector, we started enabling agencies with better ways to manage public input and Government transparency way back in 2000. Most notable were the recovery efforts post 9/11/2001. Citizens of the world had an opportunity to participate in the rebuilding efforts of the World Trade Centers and a memorial for Flight 93. Social Networking did not even have name back then.
- Then we moved into the media sector. In our efforts to make government more inclusive, we developed some interesting technologies that found a home in today’s major news outlets. Dating back to the London bombings in 2006, no one could get content from outside sources into a newsroom and then distributed through their content management systems. We helped CNN create a user generated content platform with moderation and integration from outside their firewalls to on-air programming in minutes. An entire new format for news gathering and distribution was born. This was done 9 months before the first CNN/Youtube debates
- From there, we tackled the cable and entertainment space. Do you know what the first online community was that spawned a still prominent television show is? Well, it was HGTV’s, Rate My Space.
Embedded Content
Scripps Networks has their own heritage of successful cable networks from the Food Channel to DIY Network to HGTV, yet we were able to help them re-think their approach to developing programming. Traditionally the web was an afterthought to professionally produced (read: Expensive) television shows. The success of RateMySpace proved a new and emerging model of near free content development.
- What’s next you ask (as if that wasn’t enough)? How about innovation in the way that companies interact with their customers at the most personal level….their mobile device. Through our work with Adidas, we have powered their ability to stay involved in the lives of an elusive demographic through their mobile phones. Recognized internationally (yes we know Japan is supposed to lead mobile innovation), Adidas, their agency (Isobar) have gained international respect through their innovation using Neighborhood America’s Movo mobile platform.
So, there it is. You can provide tools in a saturated, me too product or be part of an organization that can support the evolution of markets and provide a unique value that changes the game. In this economy, companies need any edge they can get! We may not have the latest or cutest features or functions in the market, but the results speak for themselves.
In case you’re wondering, we won the business and set a foundation for a long term relationship.
