CISCO Cisco Systems is theworldwide leading supplier of networking equipmentfor the Internet. The company sells hardware (routersandswitches), software, and services that make most of theInternet work. Cisco was founded in 1984 bya husbandand wife team who worked in the computer operationsdepartment at Stanford University.They named the companyciscowith a lowercase c, short for San Francisco,and developed a logo that resembled the Golden GateBridge, which they frequently traveled.Cisco went public in 1990 and the two founders leftthe company shortly thereafter, due to conflicting interestswith the new president and CEO.Over the nextdecade, the company grew exponentially, led by newproductlaunches such as patentedrouters, switches,platforms, and modemswhich significantly contributedto the backbone of the internet. Cisco opened its firstinternational offices in London and France in 1991 andhas opened a number of new international offices sincethen. During the 1990s, Cisco acquired and successfullyintegrated 49 companies into its core business. Asa result, the companys market capitalization grewfaster than for any company in historyfrom $1 billionto $300 billion between 1991 and 1999. In March 2000,Cisco became the most valuable company in the world,with market capitalization peaking at $582 billion or $82per share.By the end of the 20th century, although the companywas extremely successful, brandawareness was lowCisco was known to many for its stock price rather thanfor what it actually did. Cisco developed partnerships withSony, Matsushita, and US West to co-brand its modemswith the Cisco logo in hopes of building its name recognitionand brand value. In addition, the company launchedits first television spots as part of a campaign entitled AreYou Ready? In the ads, children and adults from aroundthe world delivered facts about the power of the Internetand challenged viewers to ponder, Are You Ready?Surviving the Internet bust, the company reorganizedin 2001 into 11 new technology groups and a marketingorganization, which planned tocommunicate the companysproduct line and competitive advantages better thanit had in the past. In 2003, Cisco introduced a new marketingmessage, This Is the Power of the Network. Now. Theinternational campaign targeted corporate executives andhighlighted Ciscos critical role in a complicated, technologicalsystem by using a soft-sell approach. Televisioncommercials explained how Ciscos systems changepeoples lives around the world and an eight-page print adspread didnt mention Ciscos name until the third page.Marilyn Mersereau, Ciscos vice president of corporatemarketing, explained, Clever advertising involves thereader in something thats thought-provoking and provocativeand doesnt slam the brand name into you from thefirst page. The year 2003 brought new opportunities as Ciscoentered the consumer segment with the acquisition ofLinksys, a home and small-office network gear maker. By2004, Cisco offered several homeentertainment solutions,including wireless capabilities for music, printing,video, and more. Since previous marketing strategies hadtargeted corporate and IT decision makers, the companylaunched a rebranding campaign in 2006, to increaseawareness among consumers and help increase theoverall value of Ciscos brand. The Human Networkcampaign tried to humanize the technology giant byrepositioning it as more than just a supplier of switchesand routers and communicating its critical role in connectingpeople through technology. The initial results werepositive. Ciscos revenues increased 41 percent from2006 to 2008, led by sales increases in both home andbusiness use. By the end of 2008, Ciscos revenuetopped $39.5 billion and BusinessWeek ranked it the 18thbiggest global brand. With its entrance into the consumer market, Ciscohas had to develop unique ways to connect with consumers.One recent development is Cisco ConnectedSports, a platform that turns sports stadiums into digitallyconnected interactive venues. The company already hastransformed the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees,Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, and MiamiDolphins stadiums into the ultimate fan experience andplans to add more teams to its portfolio. Fans can virtuallymeet the players through Telepresence, a videoconferencingsystem. Digital displays throughout the stadiumallow fans to pull up scores from other games, order food,and view local traffic. In addition, HD flat-screen televisionsthroughout the stadium ensure that fans never miss aplayeven in the restroom. Today, Cisco continues to acquire companiesincluding 40 between 2004 and 2009that help it expand into newer markets such as consumer electronics, business collaboration software, and computer servers. These acquisitions align with Ciscos goal of increasing overall Internet traffic, which ultimately drivesdemand for its networking hardware products. However, by entering into these new markets, Cisco has gained new competitors such as Microsoft, IBM, and Hewlett- Packard. To compete against them, it reaches out to both consumers and businesses in its advertising efforts, including tapping into social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Questions How is building a brand in a business-to-business context different from doing so in the consumer market? Is Ciscos plan to reach out to consumers a viable one? Why or why not? For a custom paper on the above topic, place your order now! What We Offer: On-time delivery guarantee PhD-level writers Automatic plagiarism check 100% money-back guarantee 100% Privacy and Confidentiality High Quality custom-written papers
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