Initial's Persona-Driven Web "Hub" Converts Visitors into Buyers

Challenge

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Initial, a multi-territory, multi-service division of Rentokil Initial, lacked a unified system of brands and sub-brands, and each business unit maintained its own individually branded web site. As a result, visitors to the Initial sites were unaware of the breadth and global reach of Initial’s services, and were often unsure of where to go to find the information they required. Further, visitors could not tell that these units were all part of Initial. Molecular was engaged to develop a global Web presence for Initial worldwide, including a global hub for Initial, national web sites for Initial Washroom Services and Initial Textile Services in Germany, and a national web site for Initial Cleaning and Facilities Services in the UK. The master designs would then serve as a model to be customized for more than 100 web sites, including 11+ businesses, localized in 40+ countries, and in more than 20 languages.

Approach

A comprehensive research and analysis phase revealed each of Initial service’s business goals, how customers wanted to interact with the company, and the strategic thinking around the Initial brand that had been brainstormed and tested within Initial. This information was used to develop an online creative strategy and brand identity pyramid that would guide the successful communication of the brand identity across all of Initial’s web sites. The research also produced nine primary personas that were used to define a structure that reflected the needs and behaviors of each target customer. With the creative strategy and site structure in place, the team developed a new global hub for Initial, as well as master design templates customized to 3 businesses and localized in 2 countries and 2 languages.

Benefits

• The persona-driven architecture reflects the buying models of each target customer and helps convert site visitors into buying customers.
• The global hub conveys Initial’s unique brand values and provides click-throughs to a worldwide network of local sites.
• The local UK and German business sites share the bold, contemporary feel of the Initial.com hub, and are localized to provide the information that prospects and customers need in the languages that they need it.