Gateway was a continually large project. IAB helped with just about anything that Gateway could think of, everything from their internal sales application to an interactive marketing web-based operating system interface that was way ahead of its time. Gateway was not just exciting for its work but for its people and learning curve that it presented.
Client
Client Bio
Fortune 500 company; one of the top tier computer manufacturers founded in 1985. Gateway is a technology and direct-marketing company that uses its call centers, Web site and sales force to build direct customer relationships. It has been transformed from a leading PC company into a full-service technology provider, that now includes a line of Gateway-branded products such as thin TVs, digital cameras, camcorders and systems and networking products.
Personal History
Gateway was another very large client for IAB and as the Creative Director I would spend a great deal of time with them, whether in New York or San Diego. I can remember many sleepless nights at their headquarters in San Diego working with their Creative Director until three or four in the morning brainstorming about new projects and technologies to help improve Gateway’s position amongst the top computer brands. (I remember this well because late at night the coyotes would howl for hours at a time.) For many of these projects I would take a team of five or so people with me from New York to help with the workload, sometimes working side-by-side with a massive team from Accenture.
It is because of this I learned to deal with third parties (Accenture in this case) that were not as nimble as I needed them to be. This was good practise because as it turned out there were plenty of other big consulting firms to manage in my future.
Objective
Development of back end infrastructure and consumer communication efforts to reach more people efficiently. The largest project, ‘One and Done’ was created to provide an efficient and cost-effective method for handling both their consumer and business sales.
Noteworthy
Online promotions; client-side business portals; kiosks; branded mini-sites for various product lines; technical support mini-site; presentation demo to showcase Gateway’s position as a direct marketing company; 1999’s ‘Who Are You’ online campaign; telesales internal site; computer configurator database and interface; and several ‘Jump Pages’.
The ‘One and Done’ project allowed Gateway to take orders via Gateway telesales, Gateway Country employees or directly by the customer via the web. One and Done also provided telesales and web ordering experiences that enhanced Gateway’s relationship with the customer. The order process included the following: personalized site experience, managed customer information, product marketing, a product shop, placement of orders, review of orders, order management (telesales only) and reporting (internal only).