Helping a U.S. telecom company communicate with European customers

A U.S. telecommunications company had built its reputation on enterprise connectivity and cloud-based voice services. As it expanded into the UK and Germany, its existing communications weren’t connecting with prospective customers.

European sales teams found the marketing materials too casual, and prospects were unclear about the company’s positioning. To compensate, regional teams rewrote materials themselves. That created content delays, inconsistent communications, and friction between teams.

The company needed to address both its messaging and its brand voice. Its messaging needed to make its value clear to customers in the new markets. Its brand voice needed to support communication that felt appropriate to those audiences while remaining recognizable as the same company.

Understanding what needed to change

The work began with internal interviews and an audit of more than 60 existing communications assets. The research looked at what the company was communicating, how it expressed those ideas, and how well both aligned with the audiences it wanted to reach.

Those findings shaped the messaging and brand voice recommendations for both its North American and European teams.

Giving regional teams a shared foundation

The strategy addressed the company’s positioning and gave teams a framework for communicating across markets. Flexible brand voice guidelines and a strategy tailored by country helped them account for regional expectations while maintaining a consistent company identity.

A comprehensive voice guide, developed in collaboration with local teams, provided details on how to implement that guidance. It included regional tone adjustments and practical examples teams could apply across campaigns, content, and conversations.

Regional teams now had a shared reference for adapting communications to their audiences. As the company’s Senior Director of Global Marketing explained:

“The new framework gave our teams a shared foundation that flexed where it needed to.”

Helping employees put the guidance into practice

Live and asynchronous training sessions supported adoption. Work with internal teams also integrated the new voice into onboarding materials, helping employees understand and apply the guidance from the beginning of their relationship with the company.

That support extended across the organization, from new hires to senior leaders, so the framework could become part of how the business communicated.

Faster workflows and stronger communication

The project gave regional teams clearer direction and reduced the work required to adapt and approve content. Reported results included:

The company gained a foundation for continued expansion: shared messaging and a recognizable brand voice, with room to respond to regional audiences.