Introduction
Greetings, Cray Team
Thank you for including One Degree in your review and for considering our proposal.
One Degree Brand Chemistry was formed in Silicon Valley. And, while our team was weaned early on classic consumer brands, our skills and expertise were honed on the tough challenges of Sun, Oracle, HP, SGI, Intel, Symantec, Microsoft, (via many-an-Alaska flight), academic and government projects, a good beating across the dot com divide, up to today’s cloud brands. We moved the heart of our operation here to Pioneer Square in early 2015 to join Seattle’s tsunami of innovation and to make the great Pacific Northwest home.
As we defined our list of ideal client prospects, Cray was among the top. No kidding. Early this year, we started actively seeking introductions into Cray because you represent exactly the kind of company we love to work with. Why?
- Cray is an amazing brand. Yes, your footprint has been quieter during some years of internal change, but you are built on unique and powerful purpose and accomplishments. We live for the challenge of making marketing that lives up to and conveys the true greatness of a brand…for melding an august past with a vibrant future.
- We thrive on tough challenges. The market and competitive landscape have changed dramatically with new competitors and new business models since Seymour Cray developed the first Cray-1. And, if we understand correctly, there will be some not-insignificant cultural and operational shifts required within Cray to best serve the commercial sector. But that’s what gets our juices flowing. We like the complexity of ferreting out the truth of a brand for today’s market. For plundering business customers’ hearts and minds to get at human needs. And, we delight in making truly beautiful, fun, provocative work (depending on what’s required) in categories where it’s unexpected and makes the most difference.
- We are enterprise marketers. We take pride in cracking the complexity of the extended b2b sales cycle. And we have the experience and stamina to work a brand refresh from the main Cray.com website to event keynote videos, while drilling into e-marketing strategies for every vertical in between. This is not a business built on TV spots and WSJ print campaigns. We get that and we relish it.
- We are branding experts. We have a track-record of cracking brand code, designing new brand icons, as well as updating identities and imagery that only need a little burnishing. We value elegant solutions: doing the right job for the right problem.
We were thrilled to meet the marketing team recently and receive this RFP. We have the passion and experience to partner with Cray during this exciting brand refresh and go-to-market journey. We will not let you down.
Cray Deliverables
We always say “there is more than one way to skin a cat.” And, with a multi-faceted challenge like Cray’s, that’s true. Please consider this proposal as a first draft based on our experience in enterprise marketing and solving brand challenges in general. It is a rigorous approach that respects the import of both external and internal dynamics. But, like skinning cats, there is always room for improvement.
Cases & Portfolio
The work showcased here demonstrates how we work — combining insight, creativity and, typically, technology, to drive interest, engagement, and ultimately sales. We start with several cases in technology, total rebranding, and in-depth market research. Our portfolio extends to cover more enterprise b2b examples, rebranding engagements, and other work we find relevant for Cray. We hope to meet with you and share why.
Our Team
One Degree is headquartered in Pioneer Square in Seattle. Our model is lean and sophisticated (or so we think!) While teams are built custom to each client relationship, each is made up of a focused group of seasoned pro’s. We pride ourselves on knowing the ropes, cutting quickly to the core of an issue or challenge, and executing with high-end efficiency. So you get the most powerful outcome with the least amount of fuss (and what we call process-smochess.)
About One Degree
We call ourselves One Degree Brand Chemistry because we focus on branding and marketing designed to ignite powerful attraction and lasting bonds between customers and companies. A Cray purchase is neither a quick nor inconsequential decision…so effective branding must be far more than an appealing skin of imagery and words. Our process goes deep to uncover opportunities for connection built on Cray’s DNA, addressable customer needs, and sustainable product differentiation.
Thank you for considering One Degree.
We look forward to meeting in person — to learn more about Cray, to answer your questions on how we would work together, and to convey the intensity of our interest in partnering with you. Thank you.
