Case Study - ESET and The Giant Component
ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, faced a significant hurdle in the UK market: low brand awareness. Despite its strong product offering and reputation in other regions, the UK market was dominated by well-established competitors.
With a limited budget and no opportunity for incremental spend, ESET needed a creative and efficient strategy to break through the noise, build brand awareness, and drive revenue growth. The challenge was clear: how could ESET amplify its reach and influence without additional financial investment?
With a limited budget and no opportunity for incremental spend, ESET needed a creative and efficient strategy to break through the noise, build brand awareness, and drive revenue growth. The challenge was clear: how could ESET amplify its reach and influence without additional financial investment?
Our Methodology
ESET turned to network theory, specifically leveraging principles from giant component theory, a concept rooted in theoretical physics. This approach focuses on identifying and connecting the most influential nodes within a network to trigger a cascading effect, amplifying reach and influence.
Key Steps:
- Mapping the Network: We began by analysing the transactional database of ESET in the UK to identify success in geographical hotspots, advocates, and micro networks of both business and consumer customers.
- Targeting the Giant Component: Using data-driven insights, we pinpointed the most interconnected nodes to identify the “giant component" within the network. These were individuals or businesses that had high levels of influence and connectivity within their local community.
- Strategic Content Amplification: Rather than relying on broad, unfocused campaigns, ESET developed tailored content designed to resonate with the key nodes that sit within the giant component. By engaging these influencers through direct outreach, partnerships, and shared value creation, ESET ensured its messaging reached the network efficiently.
- Viral Mechanisms: To maximize the ripple effect, ESET designed content and campaigns to encourage sharing and engagement, leveraging the interconnected nature of the giant component to spread awareness organically.
The Outcome
The results were both significant and measurable:
- Increased Brand Awareness: By strategically activating the giant component, ESET achieved a 40% increase in brand awareness within the target market, as measured by brand recall and survey data.
- Wider Reach with No Additional Spend: The ripple effect generated by engaging key advocates allowed ESET to expand its reach by 70% without increasing marketing expenditure.
- Revenue Growth: The boost in awareness translated directly into a 25% increase in sales revenue in the UK, demonstrating the tangible business impact of the campaign.
- Sustainable Influence: By focusing on network hubs, ESET established lasting relationships with advocates in the network they identified and were able to create lookalike audiences for advocates allowing them to cross over into new geographical networks.
- An astounding revelation: The established thinking was that business users were influencing consumer sales. Eg If you use the product at work you might therefore use a home version based upon the positive experience. In fact the analysis revealed completely the opposite effect with consumer customers recommending their workplaces to adopt the business product. This revelation significantly shaped communication and messaging and maintained ESET’s focus on developing their consumer market which represented a relatively small part of their overall business.
- Through the innovative application of network theory and a deep understanding of the UK market dynamics, ESET turned a significant challenge into an opportunity, achieving remarkable results without incremental spending. This case study demonstrates the power of scientific principles applied to real-world business challenges.