Brand Awareness: Lenovo Co-Marketing Tool On Tap For April

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Lenovo is preparing to launch the third leg of its channel push with a newly designed co-marketing opportunity that focuses on helping its channel partners create co-branded marketing material to bring to SMB customers. The Lenovo Co-Marketing Tool will be available April 1.

Stephen DiFranco, vice president of consumer and commercial channels, recently laid out Lenovo's SMB channel strategy and pointed out three areas that Lenovo would be focusing on internally to best serve its channel. A renewed focus on product and operational efficiencies were the first two legs.

The third leg focuses on bringing marketing opportunities to channel partners, according to David Rabin, director of channel marketing for Lenovo.

"We want to put programs and marketing support in place that enable our partners to win," said Rabin. "If we don't put out programs, incentives and marketing support that allow our partners to win, we're basically talking to ourselves."

The Lenovo Co-Marketing Tool started with a pilot program earlier this year. Lenovo approached some of its partners and asked them what sort of marketing support they felt was necessary to better build their business.

The feedback Lenovo received centered on the fact that marketing isn't the primary concern of many channel partners. Most, according to Rabin, don't have a marketing person, don't want to do marketing or aren't fully resourced to do effective marketing.

"As a vendor we have the resources for marketing. Our goal with the Lenovo Co-Marketing Tool is to walk hand in hand with our channel in order to provide the same message," said Rabin.

On April 1 the Lenovo Co-Marketing Tool will come out of its pilot program and be available to any Lenovo partner looking for marketing materials. The vendor has set up a Web portal that allows partners to access an array of marketing materials that can be instantly modified to their specific needs.

"We provided Lenovo-branded templates that partners can customize," said Rabin. "They put in their own call to action, price, promotion and messaging for whatever products the partner wants to promote."

There are five input slides on the marketing portal where channel partners will enter the information, including the partner's own logo, that will be printed on whichever medium the partner wants, including print ads, flyers, posters and event banners. Through the portal partners can select the products they want to pitch, input their own prices and write their own messaging on the marketing materials, which can then be taken to customers.

Lori Koch, director of marketing for CBE Technologies, a Providence, R.I.-based channel partner, took part in the Lenovo Co-Marketing Tool pilot program. Koch believes the marketing initiative Lenovo is taking will be important to resellers.

"Marketing is important to us," said Koch. "Most VARs only have one or two marketing people to market the entire program. Co-branded marketing material like [Lenovo] has now makes it easier to promote not only my products, but Lenovo's as well."

One benefit that Koch is keenly aware of is the reduction in cost that CBE Technologies can realize because it doesn't have to spend money on employee hours and outside contractors.

"The partner portal reduces the degree of difficulty in running multiple marketing campaigns," said Koch. "I don't have to hire a designer, which lowers my cost, and it has made it 10 times easier to execute an e-mail and direct-mailer campaign."

Some Partners Will Take A Pass

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