Nutanix
Positioning a Software Pioneer for Its Next Phase of Growth
“The ZOOM process was different from other processes that I’ve gone through because of the data-driven nature. And that’s exactly what Nutanix needed.”
Reason to Reposition
Revolutionizing Brand Perception with an Innovative Product Portfolio
Positioning for AI
On the heels of the company’s brand positioning, Nutanix came to ZOOM to position its AI solution. Key insight: Make sure your AI positioning ties into your overall brand story. CMO Mandy Dhaliwal aptly put it this way: "It's kind of like naming a baby, then later realizing that's the right name."
See the Nutanix AI story.
As the new CMO at Nutanix, Mandy Dhaliwal was tasked with positioning and marketing the company for its next phase of growth. Nutanix was now poised to solve the complexity of a hybrid multicloud world, but was still best known for pioneering the hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) market. With a mismatch between the company's product capabilities and its perception in the market, how could Nutanix tell a story that brought it all together and moved the market?
Simplifying the Complex
Through ZOOM’s data-driven positioning process, Nutanix discovered buzzword-free, simple language to describe complex technology. “My favorite part about the story was the fact that it was in simple, plain English, there was no tech buzzword bingo,” explains Mandy, “I can share it in an elevator with someone and explain it to them like an expert, but in very simple terms.”
Aligning the Team Around Data
“As we’re operationalizing the work, we’ve gotten much more buy-in, and confidence in the body of work that has been delivered to us.”
The data-driven nature of ZOOM’s process was exactly what Nutanix needed. By bringing the entire leadership team along, everyone had the opportunity to share their perspective on the strategic importance of preserving and growing the core, and future-proofing the company with emerging products. According to Mandy, ZOOM’s process equalized the narrative by giving everybody airtime to get their points across, and listen to an outcome-based conversation with customers and prospects. “As we're operationalizing the work, we've gotten much more buy-in, and confidence in the body of work that has been delivered to us,” asserted Mandy.
The impact of ZOOM’s data-driven process expanded beyond the leadership team, all the way to the company’s board of directors. Mandy explains, “at our most recent board meeting, even as we're moving through this process, they are commenting on how tightly aligned we are as a product, sales and marketing engine because of the way we're operating.”
The Foundation for a Bold Brand
The company is set up for success with a market-validated strategic narrative as the foundation of its comprehensive brand refresh. The brand celebrates the best parts of Nutanix: its differentiation, company ethos, brand purpose and actions they take to create value for partners and customers.
We can’t wait to follow the company’s growth over the coming quarters. Here’s a summary of their positioning success so far:
Aligned sales, marketing and leadership team behind a single, differentiated story
The company’s board of directors views product, sales and marketing as a tightly aligned engine
Nutanix engaged thousands of customers and partners with their new strategic narrative at their .NEXT conference
Market Insights
Simplicity for the Win
Data-Driven Win
Hybrid Multicloud Platform
79% of prospects really liked or liked
“The simplest way to explain Nutanix.” - Prospect
Comparative Concept
Hyperconverged Multicloud Platform
41% of prospects really liked or liked'
“My CEO wouldn’t know what that means.” - Prospect
Why Hybrid Multicloud and not Hyperconverged Multicloud:
“Hybrid”is inclusive of on-prem environments, understood as critical to technologists and the business
“Hybrid multicloud” shines a light on a major challenge today. Unaided, 61% of prospects professed they are managing a multicloud environment
While some technical buyers know Nutanix for its hyperconvergence innovation legacy, “hyperconverged” is a highly-technical, confusing term that contradicts the simplicity Nutanix delivers
Read Mandy’s
5 Tips for A More Successful Brand Transformation, featured in Forbes
1. Get internal teams on board upfront
2. Honor (and heed) the voice of the customer
3. Believe in your vision and help others see it
4. Be bold
5. Look to the future for real results