Winstanley Partners has been engaged by GE Energy Storage, a new business of General Electric focused on alternative battery technologies, to assist in the launch of the company and its product.
Once an independent research-based start-up, GE Energy Storage was founded in 2010, and specializes in the production of next-generation industrial batteries. Durathon – a new, energy-saving and environmentally conscious option for the telecommunications, power generation, grid operation, and energy management markets – represents the business’ premiere product.
Durathon batteries are half the size of conventional lead-acid batteries but last at least twice as long; as such, they have myriad applications, including extending energy reach in developing countries.
Anticipating the July, 2012 opening of the Durathon battery factory in Schenectady, N.Y., GE Energy Storage approached Winstanley Partners with a need to create an image reflective of both its entrepreneurial spirit and of Durathon’s countless global applications. At the plant’s opening, GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt added that the business is expected to grow as new uses are identified.
“GE Energy Storage was born in New York’s Capital Region from an idea that we turned into an advanced manufacturing plant and a global business that we expect will generate more than $1 billion in revenue annually in just a few years,” he said.
President and founder of Winstanley Partners Nathan Winstanley said the project draws on many of the agency’s strengths, including strategic branding and web-based marketing.
“In essence, our work with GE Energy Storage is a showcase of what we do best: help clients define their brand, and provide the necessary tactical elements at all stops,” he said. “In this case, we were charged with not just to assist with launching a new business, but a new product as well, which serves a diverse set of markets.”
The first phase of the project focused on positioning both the business and its new battery technology, with emphasis on the diverse markets in which the system can be used. The project included a redesign of the GEEnergyStorage.com website, development of new trade show materials, web-based industrial animations, and the creation of a series of icons illustrating the product’s diverse applications.
Kate Hyde, art director with Winstanley Partners, explained that the agency was charged with creating a fresh look and feel for the Durathon brand that would also adhere to the specific design standards of the GE brand.
“This entrepreneurial division allowed us to be modern, fresh and bold – in part because those are also qualities of the product, a new kind of industrial energy storage,” said Hyde. “This has also been a project through which truly graphic design helped streamline technical information.”
Design aspects are seen on both web- and print-based marketing collateral, but particularly on GEEnergyStorage.com, which will continue to serve as a hub during Winstanley Partners’ continued work with the division.
The launch of the redeveloped site was timed to coincide with the Durathon factory’s grand opening and was deployed on July 10. Jeanne Zanetti, director of Interactive Services for Winstanley Partners, said in the coming months the website will expand to offer not only outward-facing information, but also resources for members of the GE sales force, designed to assist in the generation of sales.
“Ultimately, the website will support visitor interest and provide sales executives with tools to provide information and support on the spot while in the field,” she explained, noting that the agency will be developing demonstrative technology such as web-based calculators to illustrate savings created by energy storage systems. This second phase of work is expected to wrap this fall.