background

Prodapt started out as the IT arm of the Jhaver group — a global business conglomerate. Today, Prodapt is one of the leading software services companies catering to the telecom industry with a presence in 30 cities across 6 continents and a global strength of more than 5000 employees. It provides softwarization of networks, IT consulting, product engineering and digital transformation services. In the future, it wants to expand its client base to Digital Service Providers (DSPs) and hyperscalers. It also wants to attract and retain the best talent. We were asked to collaborate on a rebranding exercise to achieve these goals.

discovery

Founder-CEO Vedant Jhaver said, “…make us look bigger than we are…make us look like a cool company…”.

We unpacked this statement over multiple meetings with him and other top executives at the company. We found that this desire to look “bigger” and “cooler” was tied to the business ambition of working with a better class of customer and winning bigger contracts.

Prodapt’s existing perception as a highly specialized player relevant only to telecom, was holding it back. A deeper dig revealed that this perception was a direct result of how Prodapt talked about its work to the outside world. Clients associated Prodapt with deep expertise in telecom but failed to see the strategic impact of the work.

Probably why, in the CEO’s words, “…Prodapt does the most difficult projects but doesn’t get paid accordingly..”.

Prodapt also wished to expand and consolidate its size. In the industry, bigger contracts tend to elude you if you do not have a certain size.

We interviewed selected employees from different functions and geographies. We asked them what they thought of Prodapt. They called Prodapt “flexible, vibrant and open”, but perhaps not “cool”.

problem

How can Prodapt come to be seen as an experienced, mature, forward-thinking strategic partner rather than a sincere tactician?

How can Prodapt appeal to a much wider set of businesses through its presentation of its services?

How can Prodapt attract and retain the best tech talent?

brand strategy

Having characterized Prodapt, we set out to change that character.

First, a rethink of Prodapt’s narrative for clients, prospects and the wider world. Up till this point, Prodapt had been saying it helps telcos make their networks better, by ensuring the lights stay on, or, by helping them expand, provision or otherwise operate better.

Telcos, in turn, are largely conduits carrying data between service providers and end users.

So, in the end, the work Prodapt is doing enables service providers and end users to connect.

Let’s broaden the canvas on which Prodapt exists, we thought. Let’s re-situate Prodapt between the world of services and the world of users (as opposed to telecom and users).

Prodapt doesn’t just work for telcos, but works on telcos for everyone else. It allows users to plug into services and vice versa.

We came up with ‘Switch on the world’ — an encapsulation of Prodapt’s new narrative — an elevated, visionary statement of Prodapt’s place in the world.

To be effective, this new narrative would have to influence the way Prodapt talked about itself to both external and internal audiences.

When talking to clients and prospects, Prodapt should focus on the business outcomes of its work, rather than tactical details and metrics. When talking to talent, Prodapt should dial up the impact its employees get to make in the everyday lives of people.

design

We express the new Prodapt brand through a corporate website, an onboarding portal, a corporate video and a brand book.

Through its visuals and words, Prodapt’s new corporate site signals a confident, modern and mature company capable of leading the industry.

The Prodapt triangle generates a grid, which along with the Prodapt red, forms the heart of the visual style. Consciously chosen images show Prodapt in the real world, through the result of its work, rather than showing tech.

Services architecture is rationalized and services are renamed. Service descriptions are rewritten to highlight the business outcomes they would affect. The on – ground mechanics involved are downplayed. Selected success stories and insights have also been rewritten, with the same thought in mind. Writing workshops were held where a team of writers within Prodapt were coached on this new style.

Attracting talent is addressed by a separate microsite that speaks to candidates in a relaxed, open manner about what Prodapt had to offer. It brings Prodaptians to the centerstage, and highlights the impact of their work on everyday life of people. It tells stories of Prodaptians’ growth and character. It humanises Prodapt’s leaders. Ultimately, it amps up Prodapt’s desirability as an employer. Visually, it carries forward the corporate site’s language.

A smart corporate video speaks to all businesses, positioning Prodapt as a strategic partner with a considered understanding of what gives any business an edge. It presents Prodapt as a decidedly forward-thinking company, sure of its capability and impact on the world and the everyday.

The Red Book is a primer to Prodapt, aimed mainly at prospects and new hires. It is a unique document that distills Prodapt’s services, impact on clients’ businesses, competitive advantage and vision into a box set of two pocket-sized books. Lucid and economical, it uses descriptive as well as thematic images, making for a rewarding 20 minute read.

impact

Carried out collaboratively over a year, this exercise has transformed Prodapt’s self-image and how it talks to the outside world. Most importantly, it has allowed Prodapt to broaden its ambition and armed it with the right set of tools to get there.