Previously in this series, Lynne Capozzi (Acquia’s CMO) explained why her team is building a new Acquia.com. Catch up and read Lynne’s post, here.
The redesign of Acquia.com has been a long time coming. As one colleague colorfully described it, “our website makes us look like we’re a ‘doctor who smokes.” Acquia supports some of the greatest digital experiences in the world, but our own site doesn’t reflect the caliber of our customers’. The last time we tackled a major redesign was six years ago, and we have needed an overhaul for some time.
This is the right time for us to kick off a redesign. Late in 2016, Lynne Capozzi re-joined Acquia as chief marketing officer (she was our first CMO in 2009). Upon her return, Lynne recognized that our website is our most underrated (but most important) marketing tool.
“The redesign is significant because Acquia.com is one of our company's most valuable marketing tools. Not only is our website the entryway to our products, but it also continues to serve as an important demand generation tool. We know we can create a bigger, better showcase for our products and services, and moving to Drupal 8 is going to get us there…. Some call it eating your own dog food, others prefer to drink their own Champagne. No matter how you spin it, the move to Drupal 8 gives us the unique opportunity to live the life of our own customers."
We need to rely more heavily on our blossoming product offerings. Currently, our website does not showcase those products nor does it give the site’s visitors a chance to experience them. So, new CMO, an executive team brimming with political will, and a stagnant site - it’s the perfect storm for a website redesign. As a creative director, I live for this.
Why it’s important for Acquia to partner with an agency
We’ve bellied up to the table, our bibs are on, and our own dog food is the only thing on the menu. Not only does this mean building a website with Acquia’s products and Drupal 8, but it also extends to experiencing how our customers approach a project of this scale. For the majority of our customers, reliance on a digital agency is a key part of the equation.
Digital agencies can range from brand strategy consultants to front-end development shops and system integrators. At Acquia, we know our partners to be builders and dreamers, doers and makers:
I hope that beyond a deeper understanding of our customer experience, we’ll also get the breakout digital experience we so badly need. Agencies help find that magic balance between creative storytelling and pushing product. They uncover the little truths that can escape the people in the trenches. They are the great simplifiers in a complex world. An experienced third-party can help an organization escape the echo chamber, and provide the objective feedback necessary to focus its goals.
For example, one of our primary goals is for the website to better communicate our brand. Over the years, our team has been busy pouring resources into engineering to support our own customer’s success. To make ends meet on the site, we’ve been following the pack. Today, our website has just about all of the same buzzwords, center-aligned responsive design style, cutesy icons, and stock images that every other B2B tech company is using.
While fast-following those that you admire is a common tactic, it’s not the right one. Sameness subverts a brand’s personality and reduces it to a commodity. We need the guts to make gut decisions. That’s a tall order for an engineering company, and it’s realistic that our priorities are not aligned with those of a marketing firm. That’s where the need for a best-in-the-world digital agency comes in. If we want to plant flags in headspace, if we want to own something beautiful, if we want to be a break-out brand, we need help.