Targeting CFOs and CTOs with a digital campaign featuring sharks

How do you build awareness and generate leads with C-Suite executives that are time pressed and hard to reach? This was the challenge facing Snow Software, a provider of technology intelligence solutions that help companies keep track of software licensing and gain insights to optimize and manage their IT ecosystem. They wanted to move up the value chain and highlight the need for their software solutions.

A lack of awareness
But here’s the thing. Research showed that, despite risking hefty fines, many CFOs were unaware that 85% of organizations like theirs were non-compliant on software licensing agreements. Or that 65% of them would be audited every year by Microsoft, SAP, Oracle and other vendors – resulting in potentially hefty fines of up to SEK 620 million (true case in UK)!

The ticking bomb
Naturally, this situation has a lot to do with employees downloading software from the cloud every five minutes! But it could also relate to how ERP systems are integrated with Salesforce and other IT issues. The result? Under-licensing and high-risk exposure. Our job at Open was to create awareness about this “ticking bomb” waiting to go off and how to avoid an explosion.

Together with Snow, we did the following:

1. ANALYZE the target personas and challenges for deeper insights

2. CREATE an overall digital communications concept and strategy

3. DEVISE a fun quiz elevating key pain points for the two groups

4. DEVELOP sponsored content package for LinkedIn and Facebook

Surprising and humanly relevant
The use of a “shark tank” was unexpected and attention-getting. The quiz called attention to key pain points and challenges to CFOs and CTOs. Naming the sharks Larry (Ellison, Oracle) and Bill (Gates, Microsoft) was a humorous reminder of who might be sending the next unbudgeted invoice.