Pearson

Industry:
Education Software

Geographies:
Global

Challenges:
  • Large, disjointed organization
  • Need to increase cross-product revenue
  • Waning customer confidence

Solutions:
  • Messaging strategy to unite all Pearson Education divisions
  • Advertising campaign with revenue generation in mind
  • Lead generation and qualification program

Results:
  • 18% increase in brand recognition
  • 80% increase in consumer confidence
  • Attributed to 70% of cross-product revenue
  • Advertising campaign created 40% of new leads, and $20 million in new revenue
  • 190% performance-based bonus

David is an energetic marketing professional who pays attention to all the details. I highly recommend him.

— David Samuelson, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Product Strategy, Pearson Education

Success Stories > Cycling the right message

Cycling the right message: an Aximum success story

The Company

Pearson Education is the global leader in educational publishing, providing scientifically research-based print and digital/software programs to over 100 million people worldwide. With more than 19,000 employees based in 50+ countries, Pearson Education’s revenue in 2007 was around $20 Billion.

The Company’s Needs

During the time that I was Marketing Director of the Digital Learning division of Pearson Education, I oversaw all marketing activities. The company had grown very quickly due to acquisitions over the preceding years, amassing 13 divisions ranging from textbooks to software. One of the challenges was communicating a value proposition in a cohesive, customer-centric manner. There was also difficulty taking advantage of economies of scale; it was not uncommon to have several Pearson Education advertisements in the same publications simply because divisions were not communicating with each other. It was continually challenging to develop products and services that were greater than the sum of their parts.

The company needed me to:

  1. Develop a cohesive, comprehensive messaging strategy that would unite Pearson Education both internally and externally, and increase cross-sales opportunities
  2. Create a memorable, measurable, revenue-generating advertising campaign
  3. Spearhead and implement an eMarketing process that generates leads, supplements the sales team’s efforts, and accurately measures revenue generated by marketing activities

My Approach

  1. Understand why acquisitions were made, and capitalize on those synergies by creating a unified messaging strategy. Pearson senior executives consciously made acquisitions over the preceding years for specific reasons; however, these reasons weren’t readily communicated to all employees, limiting the company’s ability to maximize revenue opportunities. Working with the corporate marketing leadership, we developed a Teach & Learn Cycle™ that is intended to mimic the standard teaching process in the classroom. Not only did this create a connection with our audience using industry-accepted terminologies, but it also enabled us to highlight the complete lifecycle offering for all customers.
  2. Develop a unique, highly differentiated image for Pearson Education using online and print advertisements. After speaking with teachers who said that Pearson products helped their students gain as much as two full grades of knowledge, I created a “Think Big” ad campaign. Designed to inform and entertain, the campaign also used cartoon and CGI characters taken directly from the Pearson Education products, thereby solidifying the messaging with brand recognition.
  3. Supplement the creativity of the advertising campaign with eMarketing. Along with advertising, I strategized and managed the development of an eMarketing campaign that combined forms, landing pages, tie-ins with sales management software, lead management, sales support, and metrics to accurately gauge performance and increase revenue opportunities.

Results

  • New messaging with the Teach & Learn Cycle led to an 18% increase in brand recognition, and lifted customer confidence over 80%
  • Revenue analysis and customer surveys indicated that 70% of cross-product revenue was directly attributable to Teach & Learn Cycle messaging
  • "Think Big" campaign was most successful advertising effort in the Digital Learning Division’s history, generating 40% of new leads, $20 million in new revenue, and recipient of the American Graphic Design award
  • Digital Learning Division achieved its revenue and net income goals for the first time in 4 years due to the success of the marketing activities, paying out a 190% performance-based bonus to all employees

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