The leadership of two merging cooperatives engaged The AVS Group to accomplish two primary goals: 1) assist in communicating the positive benefits of the merger to help ensure a successful member vote on the merger, and 2) develop a Brand-Focused Marketing Strategy that would build a strong brand identity for the new cooperative. TCC selected AVS due to the company’s strategic marketing and brand building expertise.

Following member approval of the merger, AVS applied its flexible four-step strategic marketing and brand identity development marketing process:

• Uncover Market Opportunities: AVS measured the internal perceptions of the cooperatives’ employees and strategically gathered market research that uncovered or validated market trends.
• Brand Differentiation Analysis: AVS identified three antes and four drivers for TCC. Antes are features that are highly relevant to customers, yet offered by competitors so they are low on creating differentiation. Conversely, drivers are both highly relevant to customers and highly differentiated from competitors.
• Building Brand Identity: Because TCC was a new cooperative, AVS needed to create a brand identity that embodied the organization’s antes and drivers.
• Brand-Focused Marketing Strategy: AVS blended the market research and brand identity work into a comprehensive marketing strategy that TCC could implement.

Following the completion of the Brand-Focused Marketing Strategy, TCC and AVS continued to collaborate on the implementation of the promotional strategy. After defining the brand, AVS designed the cooperative’s new logo. AVS also created a number of promotional elements including new vehicle graphics for TCC’s services trucks, launching TCC’s new Web site, and various print collateral materials.

Overall, the strategic outcomes of the TCC Brand-Focused Strategic Marketing included:

• Ensuring a successful member vote for the approval of the merger.
• Uncovering TCC’s antes and drivers to create differentiation and drive customer choice.
• Providing a comprehensive marketing strategy with a tactical implementation process focused on building a strong brand identity.
• Communicating the new brand and service offerings through television, radio, newsprint, and outdoor advertising.
• Developing a Web site that TCC could manage with internal resources.
• Designing a newsletter template that TCC could revise with internal resources and distribute each month to members.

“AVS helped make the hard work of our recent merger much more manageable. Because their team was focused on defining how to strategically market TCC, our management team and employees could focus on the important tactical issues that had to be completed. I think that AVS did an amazing  job for us, and as a result, TCC will benefit for many years into the future.”

Fred Weier
president and chief executive officer, TCC

“We needed to focus our efforts on implementing the many merger-related operational changes. It was essential that the marketing strategy, marketing process, and promotional plans be handled by outside marketing professionals we could trust. The experience working with AVS has been very positive. They have the marketing expertise, insight, big picture thinking, and creative ideas that will benefit the growth of our company.”

Cheryl Rue
chief operating officer, TCC

The new Tri-County Communications Cooperative, Inc. is a result of the merger of three separate entities forming one new cooperative. The telecommunications companies involved in the merger were Western Wisconsin Communications Cooperative (W.W.C.C.), Tri-County Telephone Cooperative (TCTC), and Tri-West Communications. TCC can be found online at www.tcc.coop.