Accelerating Next

Read the campaign story

Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Accelerating Next accompanied the company’s emergence as a separate enterprise-technology brand in 2015. Siegel+Gale’s contemporary account distinguishes the October 2014 separation announcement from the November 2015 public launch and explains its work on strategy, positioning and identity. The green rectangular Element served as a recurring visual expression of the new brand.

The Drum’s later account credits BBDO with the original campaign and distinguishes it from the subsequent move of much marketing work to Publicis. This case treats the launch advertising and identity as one coordinated story, not separate countable cases. The sources document the creative and organisational transition, but do not demonstrate that the campaign itself accelerated customer projects or caused company growth.

Editorial interpretation: a corporate split creates a customer-understanding problem before it creates a design problem. People need to know which organisation now provides which products, relationships and responsibilities. A forward-looking line can give the new company energy, but it must sit above clear practical information. Otherwise, the excitement of a launch can increase uncertainty for customers who are trying to understand what has actually changed for them.

Editorial interpretation: the visual system provides a useful way to make continuity and difference visible at the same time. A simple repeatable element can connect many communications without forcing every business unit into the same photograph or story. Its value depends on disciplined application and a clear proposition. A new symbol cannot compensate for contradictory explanations from sales, support, product teams and corporate communications during the transition.

Answer the continuity questions before the launch headline

List the questions existing customers are likely to ask about products, support, contracts and contacts. Route each to the appropriate qualified owner and publish accurate answers in the relevant channels. Do not assume a brand film will resolve operational uncertainty. The campaign should make the new organisation easier to understand while the practical transition information explains what people need to do, if anything.

Assign distinct jobs to strategy, identity and advertising

Document which team owns the proposition, visual system and launch story, and how decisions move between them. These disciplines overlap but are not interchangeable. Clear responsibilities reduce the chance that a striking advertisement promises something the operating model cannot support or that an identity system becomes a collection of assets with no shared customer meaning.

Stress-test the system across everyday customer journeys

Apply the new identity and message to a support page, a product comparison and an account communication before judging only the launch materials. Ask whether customers can identify the right organisation and next step. A successful transition needs recognisable signals in routine interactions, where confusion can cost more than the launch campaign’s initial attention is worth. Include frontline employees in the review because they are likely to encounter the first questions that the central launch team did not anticipate.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: for a fictional product-line separation, create a launch message and a practical transition page, comparing a promise-led version with a logo-led announcement.

Measure whether readers know which entity provides the service, what changes and where to get help. Assess confidence only after checking comprehension; enthusiasm without correct understanding is not a successful transition outcome.

Stop if the new language conceals responsibilities, implies unsupported performance gains or creates confusion about legal entities, existing commitments or customer support.

• Use a simulated scenario rather than changing live customer contracts or service information.
• Have relevant operational owners review the hypothetical responsibilities and handoffs.
• Keep the visual system accessible and distinguish continuity from genuinely new capabilities.