Vizualise expands as demand for virtualisation and digital marketing takes off

Business is booming for digital business strategy company, Vizualise. With increasing demand from companies wanting to optimise their online presence and virtualise their systems (particularly after the recent earthquakes) founder Rupert Deans anticipates revenue will more than double in the next year.

Export revenue is also expected to double to over $1m with high value and/or celebrity enquiries (Hollywood A-listers) from Australia and the United States.

Since its beginnings in 2006 Vizualise has delivered creative IT and digital marketing solutions for many recognised brands including Canon, Monier, Kitchen Studios, PGG Wrightson (New Zealand and Australia), Yike Bike, Buller District Council, Cyclops (Serra Foods), Talleys, SBS Bank, Kovacs, Anthony Harper, Exit Surf, Zipmeup, Infinity Group, and more.

The company, which has just opened an office in Melbourne, has developed a winning reputation for building brands and brand loyalty, and significantly increasing web traffic and conversions by helping businesses to make the best use of new technologies.

“We are leading the way with the next wave of digital marketing strategies and culture creation,” says venture director, Rupert Deans. “Life is rapidly becoming more virtual and online, and those that use digital media effectively as part of their marketing strategy are reaping the rewards. But with so many new technologies and features entering the market every day, most businesses don’t know where to start. That’s where we come in.”

He says, “Also the face of business is changing as more and more companies recognise the advantages and flexibilities of Cloud computing. Even though our Christchurch office was damaged by the February quake, we were able to get back up and running very quickly because our systems are 100% virtualised - our entire business is operated online and in the clouds. We have developers in all the major cities in New Zealand, Melbourne, Dublin, Bali, LA, and Buenos Aries; as long as they have internet access they can work remotely from anywhere in the world.

“Virtualisation should be a top priority for every business, particularly when it comes to disaster recovery planning. In fact, as a direct result of the quakes, many of our Christchurch customers are asking our help with this now.”

With highly skilled resource and an impressive portfolio Vizualise’s digital service offering is comprehensive - from business IT strategy and development to creative online digital marketing campaigns and beyond.

“Creating and implementing an effective digital strategy means getting to know the customer and their business strategy intimately. We develop effective and engaging solutions using the right digital technologies that not only create a unique business advantage, but tangible positive differences to a company’s bottom line,” says Vizualise New Zealand General Manager Carl Pavletich.

“One example of an increasingly popular web strategy is to ‘gamify’ a website. Worth over US $60 billion per year gaming has become a hugely popular and very profitable industry. Given the wide acceptance of gaming and the increasing use of the internet, people have become more open to game mechanics in other parts of their lives.

“‘Gamification’ is a power­ful online marketing tool that more and more organisations are using to inform, persuade, and motivate people. It encourages web visitors to participate on the site and engage more with the brand by influencing their behaviour online. It also borrows key concepts from a number of related areas, including game design, customer loyalty programs, behavioural economics, and community management.”

‘Gamification’, ‘configurators’, ‘transmedia’, ‘community monetisation’ and ‘socialisation’ (see Editor’s notes below) are some of the latest and powerful brand amplifying solutions that Vizualise uses to help drive people to an organisation’s website and increase their engagement and loyalty with the brand.

“Our secret is that we employ the best talent in the business, which is evident in our international award winning digital marketing creations, such as Kitchen Studio’s interactive kitchen design experience for their online visitors,” says Carl. “Their new kitchen planner is a configurator we designed that enables viewers to design their own kitchen online. It has generated a huge increase in pre-qualified leads for Kitchen Studio and helped to engage viewers with their brand. They have gained enormous value from it.”

Vizualise is committed to a strong growth path and this month opened its first Australian office in Melbourne to be closer to its Australian customers and reseller base. The company has also attracted major customers in the US and is keen to tap into this lucrative market further. In April 2011 the New Zealand Trade & Enterprise awarded Vizualise a Christchurch Market Connection Fund grant to visit and assure customers in the US that despite the quakes their IT projects are secure and it is business as usual.

About Vizualise

Vizualise is an award winning digital business agency that gives organisations the strategic edge through unique and engaging web technology solutions. Founded by Rupert Deans in 2006, Vizualise innovates in new areas to harness the potential of next generation technologies and create new digital business models that provide richer online experiences and real return on investment. The company has staff in Christchurch, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia.

In 2008 Vizualise won the Interactive Media Association Outstanding Achievement Award in the Architecture/Interior Design category for the website and incorporated ‘configurator’ technology created for Kitchen Studio. Visit www.vizualise.co.nz