• by Larissa Faw , November 13, 2018

Cisco, once the most valuable company in the world, has been lumped into the “old tech” heap for the last several years. 

Now, led by new CEO Chuck Robbins’ strategy to transform the business from pure hardware to more software-oriented services, the company's new brand campaign is designed to tell its story of its people and purpose. 

The campaign, crafted by WPP’s Ogilvy, builds upon the connected theme by conveying how  Cisco’s technology is the "bridge" to overcoming some of the world’s greatest challenges, all rooted in Cisco's 30-year legacy that was first symbolized in the Golden Gate Bridge.  

"Bridges lift us," states the new brand manifesto. "Two people, once seemingly apart, came to understand that between aspiration and realization, there could stand a bridge. This is who we are: We are the architects of possibility. We are the builders of the bridge to possible."

Ogilvy sees this campaign as a "flexible brand position" for a company that realizes B2B marketing is more nuanced, now that the C-suite executive who makes multimillion-dollar decisions is also the person with an Instagram feed and a Prime video account and the chief security officer busy reinforcing his company’s firewall is also buying groceries online and designing the school’s after school technology classes, says Teresa Alpert, Cisco, strategy lead, Ogilvy. 

The campaign includes an anthem video as well as client-specific spots discussing how Cisco helps clients like Dominos, New Orleans, and Port of Shanghai.  "Star Wars" actor John Boyega stars in the video supporting the company's networking SD WAN service. 

The media plan is designed to not only "shift perceptions of Cisco" but "drive demand for products and services across Cisco’s portfolio," says Laura McCullough, executive group director, Ogilvy, explaining the strategy will optimize digital and social outreach as well as a "very targeted OOH." She adds, "We don't have TV as part of the plan at the moment, but there is a possibility that TV will be added down the line."