Client Case Study: F5 Networks

Challenge

In 2002, F5 Networks found itself relatively unknown in a competitive industry. They had a market share of just 10 percent, while Cisco had 48 percent of the market share. F5 came to Connectsm with a desire to improve their visibility and establish themselves as thought leaders in the industry.

What We Did

Connectsm began by working with F5 to refine their messaging and establish points of differentiation with the competition. With this foundation in place, we could use a wide variety of marketing tools to establish F5’s place in the new data center.

We began by focusing on the basics, watching editorial calendars throughout the high technology industry. We used our network of media contacts to publish articles and case studies, and initiated a customer evidence program to show how F5’s solutions benefited their clients. In order to establish though leadership, we also held a series of roundtables and other relationship-building events. Connectsm also produced videos to create publicity for F5 and its technological innovations.

Results

Over the course of seven years, F5 was able to transform itself from a small player to the leader within the market. A business/financial media outreach campaign resulted in a quadrupling of coverage, yielding a total of 1,597 articles written about the company in 2009. Additionally, market share went from 10 percent to 38 percent, while their main competitor Cisco saw a reduction in influence to only 26 percent. Throughout the industry, F5 Networks is now universally recognized as a market leader.