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Juniper Networks

Company: Juniper Networks
Company Division/Group: Marketing
Company Description: Founded in 1996, Juniper Networks transforms the business of networking by converting a commodity–bandwidth– into a dependable, secure, and highly valuable corporate asset. Our customers benefit from network platforms that provide a lower capital and operational cost model, an assured user experience, and the intelligence to easily add new services.
Nomination Category: Team Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Marketing Team

Nomination Title: Juniper Networks Marketing Team Plays on Humor


Tell the story about what this nominated team achieved in 2003 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

In 2002, Juniper Networks underwent a major face lift.  The marketing team was faced with a daunting challenge: On a $1.5 million dollar budget, how could Juniper Networks supersize its brand campaign in order to make an impact against its largest rival Cisco Systems with a budget of $150 million? How to compete with the 800lb gorilla with significant brand name recognition and much more resources?  Led by Christine Heckart, vice president of marketing, the team came up with the winning strategy: make the ad a “cartoon” that used humor to get its point across and poked fun at the competitor rather than taking a direct swing.

 

Our objective was simple: Come up with a campaign that would create impact for Juniper on 1/150th of Cisco’s budget. Since we couldn't outspend the competition, we needed to outsmart them. Cisco had a two-page spread. We had a space the size of a playing card. 

 

The industry was in a state of flux – post 9/11, the telecom industry was still trying to recover from the downturn, and every week seemed to bring news of a fresh business scandal. We knew that our audience was also feeling jaded and nervous about the future.  So we chose humor as the means to break down the barriers.

 

The marketing team decided to run a small cartoon ad every week on the second page of the Wall Street Journal. Imagine the Far Side meets Dilbert - a combination of humor and serious underlying message.  A few were initially skeptical about the idea but Heckart and her team knew that is was the only way to convey our message in an impactful way.  As we all know, within humor, there's always a grain of truth.

 

It’s 2004 and we’re gaining ground on Cisco. Juniper is at the forefront of an industry transition - at the right place and the right time.   The advertising campaign played no small part in this success.  Our little ad had a big impact.

List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: List each link on a separate line, begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.website.com]:

Sample images from campaign:
http://www.americanbusinessawards.com/pubs/uploads/Juniper1.jpg
http://www.americanbusinessawards.com/pubs/uploads/Juniper2.jpg

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of this nominated team:

Chosen as one of Network World’s “50 Most Powerful Women” and “Top Ten Thinkers,” Christine Heckart, Vice President of Marketing brings over 15 years of marketing experience to Juniper Networks.

Prior to Juniper Networks, Heckart was president of strategic consulting firm, TeleChoice Inc.  During her nine-year tenure at the company, she worked with leading vendors and service providers worldwide on business and marketing strategy, differentiation and positioning, and new service creation.  Heckart began her career at WilTel (now part of WorldCom), where she was responsible for development of the company’s data services products. There she defined and helped launch the industry’s first frame relay, managed internetworking and ATM services.