Case Study : iStart

The email makeover that is transforming business communication.

There is a new generation of email in New Zealand. Yes, the communication tool designed for academics and the military has finally had a makeover. If you've received an email recently which looks more like an electronic version of a traditional letterhead then the chances are you have been exposed to an email which has been 'primed' by Calcium's mailPrimer.

MailPrimer works on a simple premise. Research conducted by Calcium in conjunction with the Direct Marketing Association showed that on average more than 40% of daily business communication is conducted by email. At the same time, less than 10% of a company's marketing spend is focused online. When you consider how many emails are sent every day to key customers, suppliers and stakeholders you can appreciate how many opportunities exist to reinforce brands and company values.

For an increasing number of companies in New Zealand, Calcium's mailPrimer is the tool they have always been waiting for to capitalise on these many opportunities. As emails are sent, they are routed through a secure server which places the content of the email into a pre-approved template. Typically this template consists of the company's brand and imagery as well as consistent signatures and disclaimers. The email also carries trackable links back to the corporate website or partner's websites.

One such organisation to recognise the benefits of mailPrimer is The Higrowth Project, a Government backed ICT industry project which is aiming to create 100 ICT companies generating over $100 million each in revenue by 2012. As such, brand and communication are two of the project's biggest priorities, even though marketing resources are limited.

Adopting Calcium's mailPrimer template has provided a valuable marketing tool to the fast-moving Project. "Email is a major means of communication for The HiGrowth Project both locally and globally," says the Executive Director, Catherine Calarco. "MailPrimer has enabled us to make each and every email a valued marketing communication which is both creatively and technically smart."

"The template branding remains consistent, no matter who sends the email, with links to information on our website," says Calarco. HiGrowth Project staff write their email as they have always done, using both Microsoft Outlook and ACT to send to both individual and group email addresses. The template is applied as the email is sent.

Another company which recognises the marketing potential of email is The Hyperfactory. As one of Asia Pacific's leading developers of applications and marketing strategy for wireless technology maintaining brand consistency is crucial across all areas of the business as well as all territories.

Email plays a significant part in The Hyperfactory's daily communication with clients, suppliers and partners. Before mailPrimer was implemented there was a feeling that every email sent undermined the brand's traction in the marketplace. Derek Handley, managing director of The Hyperfactory explains, "We focus a lot of time and resources into promoting The Hyperfactory brand and its values in the market. Every singe thing we do as a company represents those brand values but the one weak link was email."

For The Hyperfactory, the ability to dynamically change the template to reflect updates within the company, new products, customers or awards is also important. "The Asia Pacific mobile market is fast-moving and highly competitive. The ability to inform our major stakeholders of our successes was an important driver in our decision to implement mailPrimer."

For these and many other companies in New Zealand, the advantage of implementing mailPrimer is obvious. Email is transformed from a practical communication tool to an integral part of the marketing and business development strategy.

"We often get complemented on the professionalism of our email communication. We compete with organizations many times larger than us, Yet our communications looks more professional - that has got to help!"

Michael Whitehead, CEO
Wherescape RED

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